As always, it is hard to compete with the Asian market. On top of that, you have to give your stuff away for exposure. They are probably less than interested in producing hi-end marching gear.

I have to agree with the sentiments regarding these super, ultra high-tensioned marching snares which all the bands are now using. They might as well be playing on a piece of plywood. I understand the motivation behind super-tensioned heads... they're super hard with no impact absorption so the rebound and playability far exceeds looser, sloppier heads, but what's the point of putting snares on the bottom heads of these drums? There's no "snare" sound coming from the reso head anyway. I currently march with a rope-tensioned drum. I'll take that fat, traditional sound any day!

Yes, it's a shame that the Ludwig logo is no longer prominent in parades or on the football fields any more. I would think that the marching market would still be more lucrative to Ludwig than dedicating all their resources toward drum sets. :2Cents:

Mike

Have nothing to add to the lack of US drums in the Rose parade. I can add some positive vibes to this by saying I've marched in the Rose parade several times as a member of the South Gate Youth band and the USC band....on all those occasions I used Ludwig snares (and I don't mean those new fangled belt mount drums) When I marched my drum was hung by a shoulder strap with a knee brace....doing dances, dips and bows during songs was a skill that you had to master while playing back then. Learning to catch your snare with your left knee while keeping your synch with the other drummers as well as performing the band dance steps made for some experiences that have kept the Rose parade in my memory to this day.

There are far too few parades of any length these days...not to mentions half-time shows or competitions for the younger musicians (bands)....maybe I'm just old but it seems like I lived through a golden era which has gone the way of the bison. My experience was something I feel all musicians should have experienced not just drummers.

Personally I used to look forward to being near other drum sections from other bands during parades or sporting events....Our drum section would try our best to over-power or to swing our cadence just a little better than any other band. Ahh the good ol' days.

Yep. In his youth my son was a snare drummer in his high school's marching band. They only used Yamaha drums. I remember the Kevlar heads were so tight that playing it with Hardimon sticks reminded me of playing on my mother's linoleum kitchen table when I was a kid.

I've never played in a marching band and never wanted to, but I'm guessing the higher pitched snare drums project more to the audience than a lower tuned drum. You can hear those darn things for miles.DOH

I think that sound was developed from Pipe bands. Pipe band drum parts are very dense sometimes, which calls for a lot of articulation to be able to hear all the little notes.

I definitely prefer calfskin, linen rope, and 16" shells, Downfall of Paris, Crazy Army, etc.

We marched with purple Slingerlands in 1973 in Akron, Ohio. The rig that carried them was called a “Hi-Stepper.” It held the drum above your waist, straight out in front of you, guaranteeing a loud sound and a sore back.

I seem to recall the tight drums were developed to allow a lot of stick trick activity to be incorporated for the benefit of the show. I much prefer the old sound. But then again, I'm old too.

Take this one up to 1 minute to avoid the discussion:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiHp22SKJn4"]Vintage slingerland marching snare 15x12 wood hoops - YouTube[/ame]

My wife told me about that band, I missed it. She said they danced instead of marching, wish I would have seen that. I do enjoy those floats but I like the bands the most. Saw the Perdu band two years ago at an Illinois game in Campaign, outstanding. But last October I saw the Iowa Hawkey band form a hand waving to the kids in the hospital across the street, I am an Illinois fan but kudos for Iowa and that whole wave idea, it was awesome!

But like I say, pretty much all Pearl/Yamaha gear.

The higher tensions came from drum corps where the more staccato note sounded cleaner with the more intricate writing starting in the mid 1980's.

The previous incarnation of Ludwig marching drums are pretty much junk. The free floating snare design is not really great and it seems they haven't put much money into R&D in the past 20 years.

They re-designed their line in the past couple years, so their drums are basically clones of the Yamaha & Pearl. However, at their price point, they are much higher priced, which basically eliminates the school market.