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WFL Snare (vintage ludwig) info?

Posts: 1 Threads: 1

I just recently received a snare from my dad, who got it from where he worked but he never used it.

Here is a picture of the exact shell finish and the same wooden hoops on both ends:

[IMG]http://www.billrotelladrumbeatings.com/drum3.jpg[/IMG]

This drum is smaller than mine however, mine is dimensions 14" wide x 10" deep, with 8 lugs for tuning not 6.

But, the badge on the drum above, and the hardware is different. The badge

on my drum is this one :

[IMG]http://www.vintagesnaredrums.com/images/badges/ludwig/wfl_keystone_48-52_large.jpg[/IMG]

It also came with an old Ludwig batter head, which I've replaced, and an old Remo snare-side head, which still serves it's purpose nicely. I would post pictures of my snare, but I do not have a camera with which I can do so.

I am just wondering exactly how well I should be treating this sweet snare, because I am using it regularly in my kit as my main snare. This thing sounds awesome, by the way. Any help would be much appreciated! =)

Posted on 17 years ago
#1
Posts: 3165 Threads: 969

Just thought that that I'd let you know that the badge on your drum was used by the WFL Drum Company between 1948 and 1952.

Posted on 17 years ago
#2
Posts: 5173 Threads: 188

You should ALWAYS treat ANY musical instrument with respect.

What you have is an old school field snare drum or another term is "marching" snare drum. Generally, at the moment, these drums are not all that desirable among collectors -there seem to be a LOT of field snares like this out there in the world. Some are more practical and valuable (again, at the moment) than other ones. Some are "single tension" tuning systems (meaning that the bottom head and the top head are tensioned simultaneously -probably more practical if you were out marching and the tension of the old calfskin heads were to slack off -a single tension tuning system allows the marching drummer to tune both heads from the top -"on the fly" as they say. Some models employed a dual-tension system as is found on most modern drums. Also, some of those old field drums didn't have a "throwoff" lever on the snare strainer. Instead, they had just a simple screw knob that would have to be turned to increas/decrease the tension of the snare wires, themselves.

Value on drums like these in MINT condition is anywhere from $50.00- $250.00 on Ebay at the moment -depending on the complexity/decoration of the model. Who knows?....they may make a comeback and one day, everyone will want at least one in their collection! singer

"God is dead." -Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is dead." -God
Posted on 17 years ago
#3
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