Every drummer should have least one acrolite in their collection. Had 3, down to a late 60's acro with the original case and stand. Love that drum. My favorite acrolite that I owned was given to me, after being saved from the trash. I cleaned it up and it sounded great. Local Detroit legend, "Sweet" Stevie Firneno has it now. More tales of the acrolites!

I traded my 70s acro to a buddy who was in serious need of a working snare. I got a 6.5x14 Remo Acousticon back. Up until a few years ago, my primary snare was a black galaxy acro I bought in '98. I have since been using a '78 supra, but use the acro as my gig back up. While tuning tonight for a gig this weekend, I noticed that the acro is just as awesome as the supra. It has a particular sound that I just love for recording. I loaned it to a buddy once for a recording session. His peavy radial whatever snare wasn't working well, but the acro had the engineer practically drooling. I have had numerous compliments from sound guys on the acro at gigs. I'm sold!

Oh, the prices do seem really ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as every seller claiming the acrolite as a rare model!?!?!? Really, they only made a million of them...LOL!

lvd

I'd love to hear a 6.5x14 Acro sometime.

Really dig my '67 5x14.

It's one of those snares you can call on to do most anything, versatile, to use a cliche.

i think the keystone models are some of the finest snares ever made. the pointy badge b/o models sound almost as good in my opinion and can be had on the cheap.

i own a pre serial prototype, a keystone badge, a b.o badge and a black galaxy model. they are all fine drums.

my proto has got to be one of my favorite snare drums hands down...

mike

I have always had a thing for the Acro. My brather had the obligatory student model, mid 70s with the first gen UFO case. It just has "that sound". This fall, I went on a buying spree and ended up with a '76 quite by accident. It has a Rapid Strainer of all the throws it could have on it. Works flawlessly, and is really very smooth. The story on the kit it came with is those monster Ludwigs are from the first drummer Toby Keith ever had. Now, I know this should have been a Supra if included in a kit, but since there is not a matching floor tom, My guess is the guy went on the cheap, trading down from the Supra and leaving the floor tom behind for a stripped down kit. It also had a Pearl hat stand, and only one flat based cymbal stand. This is why I think it was a stripped kit. The seller told me he bought the kit new with all of his High School graduation money.

So, this franken-kit is now taking up seriously expensive square footage. The Acrolite is the best snare in my collection, and I have managed to put together some really phat sounding little scheap-o MIJ snares. I have the "red rocket", and that little thin shelled baby screams. It has a sound the Acrolite can't get to, but when you want to get loud and in the way, grab the Acro, and playt your heart out, it likes it that way....

Tonight I went to listen to a fellow drummer's band again. 15 or 20 years ago I traded a '66 Acrolite to him for a Sparkling Champagne Pioneer 6-lug snare of the same era.

Although I've sat in and played "my old/his new" Acro several times, tonight I listened to the band from the back of the room for a change (got there late, no tables up front). The tone, projection and fullness of that snare are simply amazing. Although a fairly small venue, lots of bodies in the room and carpet, it cut.

Lucky for me, I found a 1970 Acrolite in excellent shape a few weeks ago. I'm inspired.