The story of these drums being "discovered" is noteworthy in its simplicity. A year ago I started taking drum lessons from a local teacher. I decided I needed to get a set to practice on. I knew that the relative who lives one house over and across the street still had the set of her deceased husband. She gave them to me to use for as long as I wanted. I figured I have been playing these till I could afford a good beginner set.
Then 3 and 1/2 weeks ago I googled them and found out what they were.
Since that day, I have spent a couple of weeks cleaning them and getting information about them for when I give them back to her.
The set is all original, no restoration. The set was assembled in 6-41, as all the drums have that date stamp as well as their original build dates stamped inside. The oldest stamp is on the 7X11 tom that has a 1-40 stamp. Both of the heads on the base drum are original and the all the heads on the toms appear to be the same era but have no legible stamps to assist in dating.
The stands for the floor tom, snare, hi-hat and throne are all original as is the base pedal.
The cymbals are one k-con, 3 Avedis all from 40s except the 18" ride which is a Avedis type2 tran stamp from 1950 era.
The drums all have there canvas carrying bags and the equipment box I think is also original. It comes from the "The house of Quality" located in Chicago.
About the previous owner.
Richard S "Dick" Vandenburg born on January 19, 1930, passed on 7 November 2010.
He was active in music circles his entire life, playing drums in the Boise High and Stanford University bands, all 13 Ken Hartzler musicals, Dick got to play with Gib Hochstrasser’s* renowned band at least a couple of times, and various combos performing throughout the Boise Valley.
When I asked his widow about when and how Dick got the "Top Hat" drums, she stated that she was unsure if it was through a private seller or from one of the two local music stores in the center part of Boise. She did state that he taught himself set drumming and never took classes.
One reason these drums are in such amazing shape is that boise is very arid and so little chance of rust forming and because the drums had always been kept in the house basement furnace room where the temperature was more likely to stay at one temperature all the time.
Dick headed Vandenburg Sales, an agricultural business growing apples and plums at West Wind Orchards in Ontario, Oregon.
THE FUTURE OF THESE DRUMS
I will be taking these drums back to her basement where I found them. As none of her grown children play drums these drums will probably stay stored until the death of the owner and then the children can decide it the wish to sell them.
So look on them now as they will soon go back to being "undiscovered"
*Side info
"Gib" Hochstrasser formed the Northwest's premier big dance band, "Kings of Swing" in 1974. They played in Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, and most major locations in Idaho. They were participants in the Sun Valley "Swing 'n Dixie" Jazz Jamboree, and played at at every governor's ball since 1982 and for stars from Red Skelton to George Burns.
