Wow! The man's son is one very fortunate kid. A decent snare drum should be easy to find for a reasonable price. Two minutes on eBay showed that he could get a solid white Vistalite snare drum. If it were me, I'd prefer this to any metal shelled snare drum. https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-LUDWIG-5-X-14-WHITE-VISTALITE-SNARE-DRUM/264299513838?hash=item3d897a87ee:g:~IEAAOSwYK1bAH8d&frcectupt=true
Thanks for the "heads up" regarding the solid white Vistalite snare. I forwarded the information and the owner of the kit just purchased the snare. He's more than excited about it and will be surprising his son with it once he gets the entire kit cleaned up. I appreciate your help!