For a few years, I got caught up in the vintage drum craze.
Acquiring old Ludwig snare drums was my thing. It took me some time to learn
about them, mostly through trial and error.
I should have gone right to this vintage drums book for starters.
The book gives the reader a solid base of information on most of the
larger or more popular drum companies of the 20th century. It was in
that book where I found out about the WFL Symphonic snare, a drum that has
been in my possession for nearly 20 years now. I love that drum, and I try to take great care of it. When I took it on tour in
2000, I made sure to bring it in from the van every night.
I have found just one other Symphonic, and that one was a
couple years younger than my first, with extra holes drilled into it. Someone had replaced the Ludwig Classic snare
throw off with a cheap Japanese throw. The interior of that “newer” snare has a
coat of interior paint. That was a common thing to see on the early 1960’s
models. It was done at the factory. Some say that they were painted to hide the
lower quality of wood in use at the time. They sound very different from each
other. The painted snare produces fewer overall tones when compared to the 1959 Model.
I feel that I was one of the lucky ones who got into Ebay
early enough to grab some pretty nice snare drums and parts before things got
out of hand, and opening bids went through the roof. Finding a good deal on a vintage drum on EBay
seems to be a thing of the past. Prior to that change, it wasn’t unusual to
find a Ludwig Supraphonic available for just over $100. At one point, I managed
to snag a pair of vintage Supraphonics for $75 each. When I log on to an
auction site now, it’s easy to see that the public at large has been educated.
At least I made my splash early.
