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Unidentifiable Vintage Snare Drum

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Ok, so I do not really know a thing about the drums but I am about but I have found myself in a pickle buying one. The snare I am looking at is described as a Vintage 1920's Ludwig 14x5" Nickel/Brass Snare Drum with: 6 tube lugs, nickel over brass triple flanged hoops, Puresound snare wires.

Now I have no idea what any of this means, but I am of course still capable of comparing it to other drums. (Maybe lol)

My issue is that I have not been able to find this exact drum anywhere other than the description of the seller. I have been through many vintage sites, and went through all of the Ludwig 1920’s catalogues. I can find similar drums, but they are either made of steel or have more tube lugs.

Does anyone know anything about this snare or any other places I could look to possibly find it? I do not know, maybe this is a simple find, but not knowing what I am doing I thought I would enlist the help of some experts such as yourselves.

Thanks

Posted on 14 years ago
#1
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From katey1477

Ok, so I do not really know a thing about the drums but I am about but I have found myself in a pickle buying one. The snare I am looking at is described as a Vintage 1920's Ludwig 14x5" Nickel/Brass Snare Drum with: 6 tube lugs, nickel over brass triple flanged hoops, Puresound snare wires.Now I have no idea what any of this means, but I am of course still capable of comparing it to other drums. (Maybe lol)My issue is that I have not been able to find this exact drum anywhere other than the description of the seller. I have been through many vintage sites, and went through all of the Ludwig 1920’s catalogues. I can find similar drums, but they are either made of steel or have more tube lugs. Does anyone know anything about this snare or any other places I could look to possibly find it? I do not know, maybe this is a simple find, but not knowing what I am doing I thought I would enlist the help of some experts such as yourselves.Thanks

Welcome

I probably can't help you but a lot of people here know a lot about ludwigs. Post a picture so people know what you are talking about.

You can call me Carter!
1980's Gretsch Red Rosewood
2000's Gretsch Catalina Birch
Zildjian/Paiste - Remo - Pro Mark/Vic Firth

Posted on 14 years ago
#2
Posts: 5176 Threads: 188
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It's just a guessing game without pictures. My guess is that it's a Universal model "all metal" drum. I could be wrong and there are several other experts here that know much more about this age of drum than I.

The PureSound snares are modern. A drum from the 1920's would have had a completely different type of snare wire set. But, in some instances, that's what people do to old drums to update them and make them more user-friendly.

"God is dead." -Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is dead." -God
Posted on 14 years ago
#3
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I don't believe that a drum from the 1920s would have triple flanged hoops. Would they not have been no flange (early) or single flanged (later)? The hoops were apparently replaced somewhere along the line.

Posted on 14 years ago
#4
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Welcome! (Smart move asking for help, by the way!)

O-Lugs mentioned the Ludwig Universal, which was available as a brass drum with six tube lugs. That would be my first guess, too. HERE is a pic of the Ludwig Universal from the 1928 catalog.

Triple-flanged hoops wouldn't be original on that drum. Looking through the catalogs on the Vintage Drum Guide, the first mention of triple-flanged hoops is in 1941. (And knowing that Cecil Strupe was the guy behind them, that time seems about right.) While the triple-flanged hoops are arguably better from the drummer's perspective, the collectors' value of the drum takes a hit because you'd be missing the original straight or single-flanged hoops, along with the clips used by the older hoop styles. And if the hoops have been replaced, there's a pretty good chance the tension rods (the screws used to tighten the hoops & heads against the shell) aren't original, either.

PureSound snare wires also wouldn't be original -- PureSound is actually a current brand. But non-original snares are par for the course on old drums. Snares are pretty fragile things. Over the years, they'll get snagged and bent or a strand will break off, so they get replaced.

One other thing to look at would be the snare mechanism. There's a "butt" that fastens one end of the snare wires to the shell and a "strainer" or "throwoff" at the other end with a lever that engages or disengages the snare. The drum's value to a collector will be significantly higher if these parts are the original type and in working order. Non-original snare mechanisms will cause a significant drop in dollar value. If someone drilled holes in the shell to attach a non-original snare mechanism, that REALLY devalues the drum.

But it's important to remember that the things that cause a drop in collectors' value don't necessarily have a negative impact on how the drum plays. Sometimes you come across a drum that sounds fantastic and has some great vintage mojo, but for one reason or another, doesn't have much collectible value. These diamonds in the rough are sometimes called "players' drums" as opposed to collectible drums. A drum -- or any instrument for that matter -- doesn't have to be pretty or historically accurate to sound good, and to a musician, sound comes first.

...and like someone already mentioned, it's all a guessing game without pictures.

Posted on 14 years ago
#5
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