Hi Tom,

I think I may have inquired about those drums previously. Is the seller Michael from Medford? I never actually saw the set but the description sounds familiar. If we're talking about the same drums, I recall him telling me that they were single tension drums which had been (re)painted like you mentioned. If that is the case, you don't have much to lose because there isn't a ton of value left in them other than the sentimental. I love Stone drums more than anyone I know, but the hardware tends to be pretty antiquated by modern standards so converting them into a player kit would likely be an uphill battle. The majority of Stone's drums were originally finished in natural maple. Stripping only the after market paint while leaving the underlying finish is tricky if not impossible. Been there . . . But if the price is right, sure, take them home!

-Lee

ps - I'd love to see pics if you get any!

If the original finish was natural maple, it would be an easy job to strip, & bring out the beautiful maple again. If they were lacquered some other color, it would take some extra skill to reshoot the color, (unless you already have some experience w/ lacquer).

The prize there would be the snare drum if it is a Stone Master Model. A ton of history behind that drum including being the snare drum of choice by many symphonic percussionists in the early 1900s. I have a natural master model and a single tension 26" bass drum which is (typical) painted black.

First of all thanks for the responses it certainly helped me make a more informed decision today. I decided to buy the drums and some old hardware and cymbals as the price seemed reasonable and I've been on the look out for an old trap kit to decorate my living room. For some reason my lovely wife thought it would be a good idea to to allow me to decorate our living room with my guitars and vintage drums. The tom and snare seems to be in decent shape with the exception of two cracks in the batter hoop near the strainer. The bass is another story as one hoop is delaminating in a several spots and the skin is starting to come off one of the flesh hoops but despite that it actually sounds decent. Although these are old drums, I'm not convinced that these are actually George B Stone drums as there is no badge or paper tag to identify them, they don't really look like the few that I've seen online and I believe that I've seem similar hardware on other manufactures that look similar to these. I'm not sure if I'm going to try and fix them or just leave as is yet. In the mean time here are some pics.

tom

Lee - You were correct on the seller by the way

and a few more pics.

BTW I love the way the snare sounds. I know most drummers don't care for the way these old drums sound but there is just something about it that does it for me.

Perhaps when you look inside , you will discover some more features that will reveal the maker. Apart from obvious marks & labels, Look at the inside washers for a company logo. (The bass timpani handle & snare t-rods look like Ludwig), but that throw is new to me. Much of the tensioning hardware of the time was universally available, & used by several companies. Strainers, however are sometimes unique to a maker. Let us know what you find inside & upload some interior pictures. (This is a nice complete set of the time. The Walberg & Auge high hat stand was available beginning c.1926.)

Hi Tom,

First, nice haul! It's so cool to see a full set of those complete with a hi hat.

And second, your wife is clearly a brilliant woman.

Everything about those drums (sans the paint . . .) looks consistent with Stone to me. The bass drum T rods appear authentic, as are the thumb rods, claws and strainer on the snare drum. The strainer is probably stamped "Stone", right?

There may or may not have been badges on the top side wooden hoops. Some drums had them, some did not. It depends on the model and the era. It's possible that the badges could have been removed too. (Investigate for holes or indentions under the paint.) Or the hoops could have been replaced. Stone used only single ply maple hoops on their snare drums.

Do the drums have grommets around the air vents? That could enlighten things a tiny bit.

Are there any paper labels inside the shells? Also, there may be numbers stamped into the shell which may help identify them and even pin down an approximate date of manufacture.

Open those babies up and see what's inside!

Attached are examples of Stone hardware.

-Lee

Thanks for the detailed photos of the Stone hardware. Very interesting strainer.

I opened up the drums today and took some pictures

The snare looks like the paper tag opposite the vent hole inside the snare was removed some time ago. The shell looks like it is 3ply maybe and appears to had had a natural finish originally, since the paint does not go to the edge. There are also 2 holes over the snare bed. Maybe there was a badge here originally or there was some sort of butt plate here along the way? There is also a hole in top hoop.

The strainer is stamped PAT followed by either 2 Es or 2 Fs or a combination their of, then either a B or R, then what looks like either an 8 or 9, then what is probably a 1 followed by 3 characters that are semicircles at their top. I couldn't get a clear shot with my camera and tried to photoshop it as best I could to bring out the characters.

The strainer also has a 34 stamped on the interior side (perhaps the year it was made?).

The Bass looks to be multiply with multiply reinforcement rings. The paint goes to the edge and covers it in most areas so Its hard to tell. It does appear that the grain of the wood goes from edge to edge in the bass. I though that the wood usually went around the the drum in American drums?

I'll post a few more pics when I get it cleaned up.