I don't know too much about w&a other than most of the info that comes up from time to time. but I did read where early on, they did make their own drums. how early on, i'm not sure.

mike

Wow. I have never seen lugs like that before. And the wrap has help its color well. Good score.

Mike - Walburg & Auge started out as a music store in Worchester, Mass. Mostly hardware at first, hi-hats and stands etc. sometime in the teens they started making their own drums. Custom high-end stuff too. I took the snare drum apart last night. I'll post some photos shortly. Blew my mind. 6-ply all maple shell, no re-rings (for some reason I 'thought' I saw re-rings???) factory painted flat black interiors, very 'Jasper' looking shells. Photos soon.

Jeff - the Rogers snare is an early 60's (Cleveland) WMP Powertone. It is in pristine condition and sounds like a dream. Great little snare that one.

Dave - I'll post some shots of these lugs. I've never seen anything like them either! Outstanding build quality on this kit. It'll be a little while, but I can't wait to hear them.

Thanks all for comments... stay tuned. I'm learning a lot on this one. W&A is not a very well known or documented brand.

John

John that's funny I thought I saw re rings on the snare too. Have you contacted the VDF guy here (jeremy?) who owns W&A now? He might have some info or chime in when he sees this one I'm sure. Look forward to seeing everything. And finding out the history of it all.

Jeff yes as John said a 60's WMP Powertone in beautiful shape. Fits in very nicely with the Rogers kit. I'll post a bunch more pics on my thread. It's over due for a update anyway. John also gave me cash for gas and tolls and......you name it. I was so cold and tired I couldn't argue LOL. We both had a nice tour of Getty Ave too (inside joke). John is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. Treated me like a brother!! We'll catch up in person at the Delaware show.

Glenn - Shooting for Delaware!

I'm learning new stuff every minute! The W&A badge on the snare drum is from the early 50's!!!!! I can't believe this kit is from the 50's! I'm still doing research and I'm sure I'll turn up some more info on this kit. Fascinating stuff.

I mentioned that there were two boxes of old hardware and percussion gear included with the kit. I've started going through the boxes. Some of the stuff I'm finding is amazing! Like the Ludwig bass drum pedal from the mid-20's! There's a bunch of this stuff in those two boxes. Including a trap-table and all kinds of doo-hickeys. Here's the first couple of shots of some of the stuff that came along with the kit.

see below

I also have a 'Low-Boy' sock-cymbal (with the original cymbals) along with a bunch of other cool percussion thingy's. More photos to come. Here is a link to a history page on W&A drums. There's a photo of Papa Jo Jones playing a WMP version of my kit! I wish I knew what year that photo was taken!

http://jazzriffing.blogspot.com/2013/03/world-renowned-walbergs-of-worcester.html

John

There's some cool stuff in those boxes.

Here's the photo of Papa Jo playing on a WMP version of my kit: Note the lugs and tuning T's on the floor tom... same hardware, same model kit. I'd love to know what year that photo was taken. It would help me to date the drums correctly. I found a W&A tag and serial number inside the snare shell. Photos to follow.

see below

John

For crying out loud John.

It's winter. Put some clothes on.:p

Oh and nice drums.:D

I started on the snare. The nickel on the die-cast brass hoops is almost completely gone. After clean-up and polishing they still look dull grey, but this is an old drum, the hoops are original to it and the age on the hoops is legit. I cleaned them up and polished them and I'll be using them as-is. Gives the drum some mojo. All the other parts were put through the tumbler and they polished up nicely. The wrap on the shell is beautiful. I gave it the 3, 2, 1 Novus treatment and the wrap looks shiny new.

I am convinced this is a Jasper shell. 6-ply maple, beautifully constructed, 30 degree back-cut w/fat Gretsch round-over edges. The edges are in pristine condition! They are clean, level and not a ding or mark anywhere on them. New heads are on the way.

I found an issue. There was some minor ply separation (see photo) that I repaired using carpenters glued and clamps. The shell issue is taken care of. I have ordered some new heads and as soon as they hit the front door I'll post some shots of the finished snare drum. I 'thought' the interiors of the shells were painted -flat- black, now that I have the heads off the drum I can see that it is a -gloss- black! (I was looking at it through a hazy snare head and it looked dull/mat.) It's factory original paint too. I found a cool W&A tag and a serial number that was stamped into the shell, so the shiny black paint is factory! (see photos)

More shots as the project progresses... see below

John - Having drum fun in PA

John, thanks for taking the time to show us the details. You sure dod a good job of presentation with the text on the photos like that. The stamps are really really cool.

Now cmon man, show the wrap that you polished, we cant wait for heads to arrive, lol.