Hi MB!

It's 2:30am and I can't sleep, so decided to check out VDF!!

Yes, the Rogers Book is great! I have two copies, because my first one has gotten pretty worn from use! The first edition pictures a WMP wood-shell Dynasonic, with a a Ludwig batter hoop and tension rods. The second addition pictures the same drum, but now sports the proper Rogers hoop and tension rods! Still, the rail is a newer version, probably a Big R, as evidenced by the lack of a slot on the snare wire tension screw. At least they got the hoops and rods correct!

As you've noted, it is a great book! So much information about the rise and fall of a great drum company. I'm proud to own a 1966 Cleveland-tagged, Covington-built, Headliner outfit built by the "family" of Rogers workers!

-Mark

Agree with you 100%. I don't have a Rogers kit either, although I bought this book. This increased my desire to search flor a Rogers set. Maybe the same thing happens to you ...

I love the article dedicated to George Way, BTW!!!

My first new drum set was a 1961 Rogers outfit that I ordered from Foster's Music in Hammond, Indiana. I was deciding between Slingerland and Rogers drums. A lot of great jazz drummers from the past and the then current time played Slingerland. I did not want to play Ludwig drums because they were way too common. I didn't want Gretsch because my second hand current drum set was Gretsch, and I wanted a change. The Rogers drums in the catalogs seemed to be futuristic. At first I wondered if they were named for Buck Rogers. I studied that catalog like a true scholar would study great works of literature. I liked the Swivomatic hardware concept so much that I ordered the bass drum and snare drum outfitted with Swivomatic mounting hardware in addition to the Swivo tom mount, swivo disappearing cymbal mount and Swivo bass drum spurs. The floor tom leg mounts were Knobby mounts. I was also fascinated by the Swivomatic bass drum pedal, and ordered the solid foot board model with the drums. I already had a good serviceable Camco hi hat with mid-1950s A Zildjian 15" cymbals along with a mid 1950s A Zildjian 20" ride cymbal. Those ordering decisions were relatively easy for me to make because I had studied that catalog so thoroughly. My hardest decision was to select which color I wanted. I didn't want the drum wraps that the old guys played--WMP and Champagne Sparkle. I knew other drummers who played the various sparkle-wrapped drums. Black Diamond Pearl seemed to be the hands-down winner. So, my 1961 Rogers Black Diamond Pearl set arrived at about the time I was to graduate from high school. The drum set was configured in the most popular Rogers Holiday series sizes at that time--8x12, 16x16, 14x20, and a matching Holiday snare drum. Here I am playing that wonderful drum set at one of the old big band era ballrooms--Madura's Danceland in 1962. The ballroom was located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan two blocks over the state line on the Indiana side with Chicago on the other side of State line Avenue. Madura's had teen/young adult dances every Sunday night. We played this venue at least once a month for several years. I was hired as a district sales manager in 1980 for the Fender/Rogers/Rhodes division of CBS Musical Instruments. I had the pleasure of selling Rogers drums for the last five years of the stewardship of CBS. Contrary to popular misconception, Fender did not kill off Rogers drums. Fender was given the responsibilities of designing, manufacturing and marketing Rogers drums. CBS decided to offload most of their subsidiaries except for the cash cows that were radio, television, and Fender. Everything else was offered for sale. Bill Schultz was the Fender CEO who oversaw the sale of Gulbranson organs, Rodgers church organs, Gemeinhardt flutes, Lyon and Healy harps, Rhodes electronic keyboards, and Rogers drums. I began acquiring vintage American-made drum sets in about 2010. I have had a few Rogers outfits from the 1960s. I currently have a 1966 Rogers Top Hat outfit in silver sparkle (pictured here) that is up for sale. Hit me up if interested.

So Leedy, do you still have that Rogers BDP set you ordered in ‘61?

Josh

I wish that I still had that Rogers set. The BDP set that I have owned for about ten years now is my 1963 Leedy set. if I had to divest myself of all but one drum set, the Leedy set would be the keeper.

Two gorgeous kits, Mark and Leedybdp! The '60s are my favorite era for drums, warts and all! Purely for sentimental/nostalgic reasons, of course.

Although I would've loved to have Mark's classic Rogers kit, I play lefty so I've always chosen double-tom kits. Leedybdp's in Silver Sparkle would be my practical choice, but alas - I too have recently downsized by selling a double-tom kit because I haven't got the room for an extra kit.

I love these things, but am no longer in the market for more. Enjoy what you've got!

Merry Christmas! MB

Both of my drum sets offered for sale are for righty and lefty players alike. The Slingerland bop size set (20-12-14) has a center-mounted Set-o-Matic tom holder. just swing it over to the other side and move the floor tom to the drummer's left to make them a lefty drum set. Just change out the bass drum reso head and use the shell mount cymbal arm receiver for a small cymbal or cowbell or something else.

The Rogers book is good, but Rob's early pressings of the Slingerland book were a right mess. The production problems stemmed from Rob allowing one of his friends to print it who did a crappy job. He told me later pressings were much improved. I have yet to replace it.

Are later editions better?

I was lucky to have the world's largest publisher of music trade books do my book. They did a great visual job with it.

Say Leedybdp (or anyone else who can answer this question), the Rogers book (page 117) mentions that "Leedy developed the floating head principle. We took the floating head principle and made smaller shells because heads forced onto shells kill the sound. Rogers drums were always 1/8" smaller than the head size for that reason."

So, can you explain "the floating head principle?" I googled it and found a couple mentions of it on drum sites, but nothing that explains it. Just a lot of blather.

The head is held against the bearing edge by the tension of the rods on the hoop. How is it floating?

Thanks. Regards, MB