Is the drum yours ? If so, pull that plate off the strainer and see if there are any markings behind it !i

I fell down, Phil... never seen before... really incredible snare... [IMG]http://static.musicforums.ru/agora/images/smiles/ves001.gif[/IMG]

Hoops are similar to Tacton from after Lefima era but shape has some difference...

George.

not like your picture exactly but the basic principle is there. the edge of the shell only reaches the apex of the half round on the inside ply( as though it was a 6 ply, sawn in half, vertically) and the aluminum edge sits a tiny bit higher than that, lightly angled down into the drum. the bearing edge is neither flat ,or round but a defined edge on the inside of the aluminum. as the head curves around the edge of the shell under the counterhoop, it wraps quite smoothly over the polished lip of the 3 plys. i can't do a drawing like you did but i will try to take a better picture.

I love it!Clapping Happy2

I think you should totally dis-assemble it to see if cast marks or part numbers/letters are in the country it was made in.

I pretty much have. The only marks are on two 10mm( head) hex bolts that fasten the through rod coupling for the throwoff. The coupling itself, although similar in concept to the others( Sonor, Rimmel, Trixon, Trowa, Tacton) is not like any other I have, or have seen.

The bolts are made by Ribe, tensile strength 3 G, so are Bavarian in origin. This likely rules out East Germany as a country of source for this drum. The shell is very Deri -like; scarf lapped 3 ply , vertical grain inside and outside and varnished on the interior The screws attaching the lugs are also Deri-like 5 x .8mm. I've only seen those on 50's Deri. Deri also used cast aluminum muffler knobs---never seen that on another German drum.

One company that gets routinely forgotten about , in any discussion of German drums is Lefima. Lefima is the second oldest drum company in the world. They get overlooked because they no longer make kit drums. They are focusing on developments in orchestral percussion and marching percussion. This drum does have characteristics of very old Lefima drums----prior to when they became entangled in the planned consolidation with Trowa. One of the characteristic features of Lefima design( like teardrop was to Sonor and Trixon), which they maintained throughout the years is the diamond motiif. Here is a 60's ( ?) Lefima drum, bearing similarities to the subject of the post.

Any chance it could be a drum made in Russia based on Eastern European designs?

Can't see that. I have a Russian drum and they are a thing unto themselves.

Hungarian ; possibly, Swiss possibly , French possibly, Belgian , Dutch , maybe even Italian but I am surrounded by German drums and it just seems too German to me. I don't have enough experience with non-GDR , Lefimas( it may come as a surprise that there were GDR , Sonors too) but the more I examine the varnished Lefima, that I just posted a picture of---the more I think it is a Lefima ; made around or prior to 1950. Lefima's motif ( similar to Carlton) was the diamond. Drum companies tend to keep their lug designs in keeping with tradition until they depart from that entirely, as Trixon did in 1963( but they kept the shipform motif on other parts to the end): Lefima was the same.

To me it's a one-of-a-kind. Maybe done by someone who is apparently skillful in metal works and had access to respective machinery and raw materials, with liability to own designing.

Ralf

That is theoretically possible but it's not just a case of machining up parts . The person would have to have cast and polished parts as well, not to mention getting them plated. Even the t-rods are unique, not something one could have purchased at a drum shop. Why would someone make t-rods? and the little screws that fasten the throwoff and muffler on, are chrome plated and polished---you can't exactly pick those up at a hardware store. If, it is a home built job; then the maker exceeded the quality and performance of most of the drums in existence at the time, it was made. This is a very capable drum, Ralf. I have a query in with Lefima. They aren't that great at answering questions about the past . We will see. Right now, I lean towards it being a Lefima orchestra snare.