Vintage Corner: Ludwig practice pad, 1960's-80's

I'd been looking for one of these "Tuneable" pads for literally years, when I came across one at Goodwill -- which is odd, because things this cool generally don't make it to the shelves.
But this one did, and I snapped it up for a cool ten bucks.

Ludwig started offering this pad in the later 1960s (it first showed up in a 1967 catalog), and they remained in the catalog through at least the mid-80s. So I can't really know how old this pad is. But the scrpit logo is a clue, since Ludwig went to its more rectangular logo in the 1970s. So I'm guessing that this pad dates from the late 60s to around 1970.

(I never saw one of these during my school days (I graduated high school in 1981). It was likely more expensive than the Remo and hardly anyone could afford more than that in my largely working-class high school.)

It's basically a variation on the ubiquitous Remo pad of the same era, the main differences being the aluminum top plate/rim and the tuning screws. The screws are installed from the bottom, and nuts shaped like tension rods are screwed in from the top, meaning that this pad can be tuned using a standard drum key. 

The head shows enough wear to tell me this was a truly useful practice pad in its day. Even earlier Mylar heads, when tuned properly, could last a good long time.

I haven't been able to find details about the possibility of copyright infringement on Luwidg's part (of Remo's original design), so perhaps there was an agreement or some aspect of the original copyright lapsed to allow for what I see as an upgrade. I'll keep looking through copyright records and see what I can learn.

Below: although the pad is large at ten inches diameter, there's a threaded hold allowing for use on a cymbal stand. There are also three little rubber "feet" on bottom, which would be fine on a tabletop.

For being from the late 60's the pad shows quite a lot of wear and tear, but the original head is intact. There is some wear along the bearing edge -- not surprising for a well-loved pad -- but a careful quarter-turn of the tension nuts reveals a sound and feel that's not unlike that of a snare drum from the era, when heads were tuned looser than they would be later in the 80s and 90s.

Below: wear at the bearing edge, which was perhaps made a little too sharp for this use. I assume replacement heads would have been available from Ludwig.

I love this design, which makes tuning much easier than the slotted bolts on the Remo pads.

I took a pair of vintage 2B sticks from the wall display and tried it out. I was surprised at how nice the response was, even on a much lower tuned pad. I was reminded of a modern replica rope drum that I played years ago, and the tension on this pad is not unlike that.

Here's a little video.

I'll see what further research I can do on this.
Readers: If any of you owned this pad back in the day, PLEASE reach out and let me know.
Cheers and happy drumming!

Old-school cool: "The Follies"

I got my first copy of the NARD solo book in high school, from a friend who was giving up drumming and gave me his old copy. Forty-two years later, that very same copy sits on my music stand. Since returning to rudimental drumming several years ago, I have returned to the solos in this book for pure pleasure. Each solo, written in the 1920's or 30's by a champion rudimental drummer and fouding member of NARD (National Association of Rudimental Drummers), is a little gem showcasing one or more of the original twenty-six drum rudiments. They provide plenty of inspiration for intermediate drummers and a solid challenge for more experienced players as well. The NARD book is legendary amount rudimental snare drummers; our answer to the Arbans trumpet book or Schirmer's edition of Italian art song for singers. It's a classic.

Still at home and on partial bed rest following eye surgery, I used some of my upright time this week to work up a solo from the book, "The Follies" by Jack Lynehan. It's deceptively simple to play, but timing -- and sticking -- are left up to the p;layer. There are no stickings indicated, meaning that you have to be familiar enough with traditional rudimentsl drumming to know which stickings make the most sense, and how many strokes to play in a roll (based on how fast you want to play it, and how clean your rolls are).

I had fun working this one up at a reasonable tempo today. As I tell myself regularly: Clean now, fast comes later.

When I was learning how to play, there were twenty-six officially recognized rudiments, keys to mastering the unique sounds and techniques of the snare drum. Today, thanks in large part to the influence of the modern Marching Arts, that list has expanded to forty rudiments (as codified by the Percussive Arts Society in the 1980s). Many of these are variations or expansions on the first twenty-six and others are licks best played on high-tension (Kevlar) heads. Strung together, these newer rudiments help to make up a growing library of technically demanding solo pieces whose musicality is often hard to discern by the untrained ear.

The beauty of these old-school solos is that, though they're still challenging, they have a musicality that is easy to hear and follow, with phrases and motives that make for satisfying pieces of music as well as technical training exercises. And that's why I never tire of diving into drum music from this earlier era. Because it's musical as well as technical.

Nearly ninety years after its first printing,  The NARD book is still in print and available through multiple online outlets. And it's worth every penny. If you're not familiar with this book, get a copy and have fun with it.
Happy Chopping!

Full Review: Xymox Hybrid Snare Drum - and an UPDATE (Dec 2020)

Back when I still thought I could play Kevlar and learn to like it, Xymox Percussion released a new product called the Hybrid Snare Drum. Not quite a drum (because of its size and lack of portability on the field), not quite a pad (because of its weight and volume), this "hybrid" of the two was something new, and I admit it caught my attention.

(Without going into the whole backstory of Xymox's fulfilment woes and everything, I will say that, in all of my dealings with the company, as long as I was polite and friendly, they were the same way to me.)

Very late last winter, when I was feeling flush after some especially great gigs, I went ahead and ordered the Hybrid Snare from Xymox. As usual, I expected there would be a wait, and I was not wrong. Thanks to their ongoing supply issues, plus a global pandemic, it took a few months to get my order.
In fact, it arrived the day after my Rudimental Drummers Chop Pad.
Because I was so stoked about the Chop Pad, I decided I would not open the box from Xymox right away. Tonight, I finally opened it, and here is my review.

1. Construction. The Hybrid Drum, since it's marketed as a drum and not as a pad, seems to be made with a shocking amount of plastic, and only enough metal to provide snare mechanism, lugs and lug bolts. The shell and rims are all plastic. Now, sure, it's supposedly a high-strength sort of plastic that shouldn't easily break after a rimshot or three, but it IS plastic and that doesn't inspire confidence in a high-0tension DRUM. Still, it looked clean and stylish and well-thought-out.

The drum is a single-headed affair, with gut snares lying directly against the underside of the Evans Hybrid (high-tension) batter head. There are adjustment screws at each end of the snare mechanism (which makes sense since there's no strainer involved). And there's a thick heavy plastic panel that's form-fitted to the inside of the drum. This panel can hold the snares in place, or it can be used to hold a dampener in place.

When I first pulled out the drum, the snares looked especially slack. I decided not to mess with them until I'd played it, to see how it felt and sounded.

It was pretty awful.

Almost no response from the snares, and the head was clearly too loose. So I tightened the head VERY carefully, using very small incremental turns of the drum key. (Again, the lugs and lug-bolts asre metal, but the drum is plastic. I didn't want the thing to collapse from over-tightening too soon.)

The first video demonstrates the sound with dampening insert. The second video demonstrates the pad before any real tuning is done.

 

 

2. Adjustability. After experimenting with the tuning a little bit, I turned to the dampening pad. According to the instructions provided with the drum, the pad is designed to be inserted under the heavy plastic panel, which requires removing the four screws that hold that panel in place against the underside of the drum. According to Xymox, this change can be done in three minutes or so. It took me over five the first time because I wanted to be careful about working with metal screws in a plastic drum. (There are metal threads beneath the plastic, but still.) Subsequent changes took less time but I still never got it down to three minutes.

 

The dampening insert comes with a hard side of recycled rubber, and a soft side of foam rubber, which goes against the underside of the drum head on the snares. The instructions don't make it clear, but you can sort it out visually to decide how much of the snares you want exposed when you lay the dampening insert down.

I tried it both ways and found that exposing more of the snares at either end provided a better fit and sound. The dampener entirely cuts off the snare sound and provides some muffling for the drum, though it's still pretty loud even with the snares dampened.

Finally, I decided to tighten up the head further, and also to see if I could adjust the snares themselves. Xymox suggests experimenting with various tensions and tunings, but gives no guidance as to what a suitable range might be. The only clear instruction they give is: "When first tightening the drum head, allow for a minimum of 1/4" space between the top of the lug (not the tension rod) and the bottom side of the top rim. Utilize this space for continuing tightening of the drum head over a period of time."

Following these instructions, I tightened it to about a 1/2" gap. Mindful of the ratio of plastic to metal I continued to have concerns about the overall strength and durability of a high-tension drum made mostly of plastic, even industrial-strength plastic. Even with metal threads beneath the plastic -- because what is that receiving nut attached to? And how is it kept from stripping out in the event of over-tightening?

(To be fair, I admit that my concerns are colored by playing both the Drumslinger and Rudimental Drummers pads, both of which have metal where it counts and are far more durable as a result. Possibly also colored by having taught teenagers for years. Adolescent drummers are beastly-hard on gear.)

Nevertheless, I did tighten things up a fair amount, which helped.

After removing the dampening insert, I attempted to adjust the snares so they'd be a little bit more taut. This proved to be somewhat frustrating, as the adjustment screws are designed to be finger-tightened (probably a good idea consider overall construction), which meant that getting purchase on the screws was difficult at best. I was able to tighten the snares only a very little bit; the tensioning screws were not evenly set at the factory, and so it was difficult to know where to begin and end on my efforts.

I can only imagine what it would be like for someone with larger hands and fingers than mine. The screws are right up against the underside of the head, and not positioned well at all for actual adjustment.

When I tuned and tightened as much as I dared, I put it back on the stand and played it again. It did sound better, and much closer to the desired high-tension drum sound commonly found in modern drum corps and marching band.

3. Summary. In all honesty, this drum is a little bit of a letdown for me. While the construction is very interesting and showcases some real innovation, the final product seems less like a real drum and more like a salesman's sample, or an elaborate plaything. Knowing the high tension required to bring out the optimal sound of a Kevlar-headed marching drum, I have real concerns about this drum's durability in a regular practice setting. Its size and portability make it easy to take anywhere, but at that point, why not just take a pad? It will be lighter and fit in a backpack more easily than this. And if you want a real drum sound, then just play on a drum; isn't that what practicing is ultimately leading us towards anyway?

The Xymox Hybrid Snare retails for a base price of $184.00; adding a custom "skin" to the shell will cost extra, and then there's postage and handling, which will easily bring it to over $200.00. At that point, you can easily find used floating tension marching snares for sale online, sometimes including a carrier as well. The drum weighs six pounds; for comparison, a Dynasty wedge drum weighs about ten and a full-size marching snare weighs around 15 or so. (Having carried both wedge and full-size high-tension drums I can say that the modern snare drum is a very heavy thing on an aging lower back.)

About the only real-world application I can see for the Hybrid Snare is in the pit, sitting on a concert snare stand and being used as some kind of color instrument. (Now that everything is mic'd, volume shouldn't be a problem.)
But that takes me into territory about the state of modern marching percussion, and that's not a discussion I want to begin here.

Abut the only reason for me to keep it at this point would be as a curiosity in my collection of practice pads, even though it's not really a practice pad. Otherwise, I may just sell it in the spring.

I think if Xymox wants to get into making an actual drum, then they should make an actual drum, with metal hardware all around and a way to carry the thing. If they can keep some of these innovations while beefing up the construction so it inspires more confidence, then the results could be interesting and useful. But as it is, it's more of a toy, and an expensive one at that.

UPDATE, December 2020: According to the latest online buzz, the owners of Xymox have left southern California. There is no one answering the phone or returning emails; orders have gone unfulfilled for months and in some cases more than a year. The couple who own the company recently celebrated their wedding in Washington State, and no one seems to know where they are right now. It is highly probable that, without a class action suit filed on behalf of the many customers who purchased Xymox products online and can't get a pad or a refund, this may be the end of the company as we know it.

Based on how many people are claiming publicly that they've never gotten a pad, a refund, or even return communications, I'd have to advise that you do NOT buy anything from Xymox Percussion. There are plenty of other excellent drum pads out there from companies that can supply you without an unreasonable wait time.

Vintage Corner: Ludwig & Ludwig marching sticks, ca 1940s (??)

These heavy marching sticks were made by Ludwig & Ludwig sometime in the 1940s, possibly earlier (though I can't tell for sure).

From Wikipedia:
In the late 1920s, the company was sold to the C.G. Conn instrument company. William Ludwig stayed on to run the company for Conn (which also owned the Leedy Drum Co. at this time). Eventually, William Ludwig decided to leave Conn and start a new company of his own. He was unable to use the Ludwig name since that trademark now belonged to Conn who continued to market Ludwig & Ludwig drums.

In 1937, William bought a factory building and started The WFL Drum Company (his initials). The company continued producing drums at a small scale for the duration of World War II, but William got back to the idea of making the company a large drum manufacturer after the armistice. WFL was a competitor with Ludwig and Ludwig. Conn combined their two drum brands into one in the early 1950s, forming Leedy & Ludwig, and then decided to quit the drum business altogether. In 1955, William and his son Bill Jr. were able to buy the Ludwig trademark back from Conn, and over the next few years their company and its products transitioned from the WFL brand to being called "Ludwig" again.
My research indicates that these sticks had to be made before William Ludwig bought the rights to his name back from Conn; so these sticks were in fact made and sold by Conn under the Ludwig & Ludwig name. I think they date from the 1940s, but they could be older than that. More research is needed to be sure.

Marked as size 3S, a standard size for marching drums, they are not exactly the same diameter, but the wear pattern indicates they were sold and used as a pair. I suspect that the difference was in the turning during manufacture. It's significant enough to tell by feel in the hands, though interestingly, the weight feels about the same for both sticks.

I love the patina these sticks came with, indicating honest wear through use. And although they're big, they fit comfortably in my hands and play beautifully, with the tips still intact.
The wood is too dark to look like modern American hickory. In fact, they look like mahoghany in color and grain, but I don't know if that was an available choice for drumstick manufacture back then. I'll ask my brother-in-law, a woodworker, what he thinks they're made from.
These came in a box of vintage sticks I recently obtained. I'll share the other pairs as I research and photograph them.