Seeking traditional Rudimental sticks, pre-1980

A follow-up from my post of a couple weeks ago.

Here are most of my pre-1980 Rudimental sticks lined up to show the subtle differences in length, taper, tip size and shape and diameter.

Top to bottom (hickory unless noted): Tilco 2S maple, Duplex 3S, Gretsch 3S, Slingerland 3S, Ludwig 3S nylon, Leedy & Ludwig 3S, Ludwig Burns Moore 3S, WFL Burns Moore 3S.

The tips. Some interesting differences in size and shape, even among sticks all marked 3S.

If anyone’s interested, I have multiple sets of the nylon-tipped Ludwig 3S, NOS in original plastic sleeve. I’m open to trades or outright purchase. I’m looking for:

— Promark oak gold band in 1S, 2S and 3S

— CB700 in 3S

— Gretsch PermaSticks in 2B but open to other sizes

PM me if interested.

Vintage Corner: mystery sticks

New to me. 

I bought a large assortment of sticks in order to obtain these two pairs.

I have no clear idea about the wood, maker or vintage.

Both pairs around 16” long.

Thicker set measures 18mm diameter at center of grip, 13mm at fattest part of tip.

Slimmer set is 16mm diameter at center of grip, 11.5mm at fattest part of tip.

Fatter sticks almost 80g each.

Slimmer sticks 55g each.

(On cheap postal scale)

Both pairs matched reasonably well in weight. Fatter pair matches in pitch as well, in spite of the repair. (I wonder if the fatter pair might be mahogany? They seem like the right color.)

One stick in the thicker pair showed a long-ago repaired crack, which was not evident when I tapped to hear the sound. I especially like the weight and feel of this thicker pair.

They are light in weight and I assume they were made for concert use. To my uneducated eye they seem like circa 1910s or 20s. I’m hoping for a few friends who are stick geeks to weigh in on more details.

I like them.

Vintage Corner: the rabbit hole of CB700

I’ve always loved vintage drums, from the time I was in high school and understood that drums could last long enough to become vintage.

Of course, I couldn’t possibly afford to own anything really collectible, and the many rental addresses of my young adulthood didn’t provide enough security for me to trust keeping anything super-expensive and rare at home anyway. So I stick with practice pads — on those days, so wonky that hardly anyone collected them seriously — and a few treasured pairs of sticks and brushes.

I’d owned a couple of different sets that today would fetch respectable collector’s prices. Both were obtained cheaply when I was young. The first, a 1960s Pearl President, was my sixteenth birthday GIFT from my father. He bought it from a fellow instructor at Mt Hood Community College, who was storing it for a young man who never came home from Vietnam. He placed a call to the young man’s mother, who gave her blessing and told him to sell it cheaply to a student. So my dad paid a hundred bucks for everything, including hi-hat and crash cymbals. I played that kit through the end of high school and all the way through my junior year of college. Then I took a year off from school, moved downtown and stored my drums in the space above my Murphy bed. One day, I came home from my barista job to discover my apartment had been broken into. The thieves took my boom box, my cassette tapes, all my nice Oxford shirts, and my Pearl drumkit. I was heartbroken. They had kicked in the door, breaking the door jam and one of the hinges. The elderly manager was asleep in the basement and never heard a thing. The thieves had broken into several apartments this way, and there was nothing to be done.

A few years later, I had gone back to school, and moved into another, more secure apartment, and saved up my money and bought another kit, this one a Ludwig “Ringo Starr” model with a beautiful white marine finish. I used that kit for a few years in pit orchestras and as the drummer for a vocal jazz quartet, and loved playing it. Then, I lost my day job and had to sell my drums. I made twice what I’d paid for them, but I’ve never again owned that fancy a drumkit.

Fast forward to now, and the drum kit I play today. Since I’m not gigging, I’m content with a suitcase kick drum, a selection of snare drums and some cymbals. It fits in the corner of my studio, sounds good, and Sweetie doesn’t mind when I want to play indoors most days.

But I still have the vintage itch.

I decide that I’m going to focus on vintage models from a budget brand, so I won’t have to invest as much money. CB700 drums were part of my school days, and an easy choice for where to start.

CB700 was originally the company Carl Bruno & Sons, operating in the later nineteenth and early twentieth century. Bruno eventually sold his company and it ended up with Kaman, which also owned other instrument companies. Kaman shortened the name to CB Drums, and had them made at factories throughout Southeast Asia in the 1960s through 80s (including, for a time, by Pearl drums). I played CB700 drums in middle and high school, and thought they were fine as long as they were maintained. 

Today the CB brand is gone. But the drums made in Taiwan are decent-sounding drums for a very affordable price, and they are just starting to get the attention of collectors, mostly people who grew up playing them like me. I figured if I could get in on the ground floor of that notice, I could acquire a few useful drums and call it good, before prices go up.

My first CB700 drum came last year, a wooden shell snare drum that was dirty but in great shape. I paid fifteen bucks for it at a thrift store, brought it home, tuned it up and loved it. It sounds warm and full and I do a lot of brush work on it.

My most recent CB700 arrived this week, a metal shell snare drum that I scored online. It was in much nicer condition and cost more, but still less than a hundred dollars with a padded case and shipping. What’s interesting about this drum is that it was powder coated with aluminum over a steel shell, giving it a lively sound that comes close to that of a much more expensive vintage snare, the Ludwig Acrolite. The Acrolite has a full aluminum shell, so it’s lightweight and very bright and crisp. This CB700 drum sounds like a wet Acrolite, and cost me a fifth of the average price.

I cleaned it up — it didn’t need much — and put it through its paces today. I’m very pleased with the sound and response, and am happy to have it in my very little snare drum collection.

(There is one more CB700 drum on its way to me, a 13” brass shell snare that will make a great piccolo snare and complete the stable of snare drum sounds I want at hand. Stay tuned.)

Some CB700 info — If you have more specifics, please share.

More recent CB700 history: https://killerdrumrigs.com/what-were-cb700-drums/

The Original C. Bruno & Sons, late 19th century: http://ia600205.us.archive.org/5/items/illustratedcatal00cbru/illustratedcatal00cbru.pdf

Stick-pad pairings: an inexact and fun science

 Prompted by an earlier discussion of “pad sticks” at the FB Boutique Sticks group, I’ve decided to offer a few suggestions for pairing ordinary drum sticks with practice pads in ideal combinations.

First, a word about “pad sticks,” which have been discussed earlier in this blog:

Generally speaking, “pad” sticks are designated as such by the manufacturer, and not an historic category.

They most often come with a diameter similar to a smaller marching drum stick (think 2S or so), with a medium taper and an oversized ball tip.     

  

Pad sticks are designed for use on a practice pad, most often to practice rudiments and to clean passages before applying them in rehearsal or performance. But without an historic designation, pad sticks are basically an invention of stick manufacturers and drum companies looking to expand their “brand”.

The oversize tip makes them risky to use on an actual drum, unless that drum is built to withstand the additional forces provided by a heavy stick. (The original pad stick from Vic Firth was not labeled as such in the beginning, but as model “Thunder Rock” for rock drummers.)

Moving away from Pad sticks — go back and read the post on those from a couple years back if you like — I was intrigued by the idea of pairing sticks with specific practice pads, the way Girl Scout cookies have recently been paired with strains of marijuana. This list is by no means exhaustive, and reflects the opinion of one Drummer, but is a good place to start.

1. Vintage pads (through around 1990). Older pads work best with the sticks in use at the time of their design and manufacture. Using a modern marching stick on a Real Feel tan rubber pad from over twenty years ago may not give the most ideal results for feel and response as using a stick in production in the mid to late 1990s. Likewise for pads made earlier, like this 1960s Remo pad. Promark was just beginning to make a splash in the US with their handmade Japanese oak sticks. Here’s an early 60s Remo pad with a pair of Promark Japanese oak 2B sticks, and the feel is very satisfying.

2. Marching-specific pad with marching sticks. Marching specific pads weren’t really a factor until the later 1990s and later, but their appearance in the world of practice pads changed a few of the rules for pad and stick pairings. Designed to take the heavier hits of newer marching sticks, marching pads don’t always offer the nuanced feel of a more standard pad (like a Remo, still on the market and used by students around the world even today). So if you have a marching-specific pad, you’ll be happiest with modern marching sticks. Below, a HUN adjustable snare pad and my VF Brian Mason signature sticks, which I use when playing with my local community marching group. They feel great and are sturdy enough for the craziest rim shots.

3. Custom/boutique sticks and tunable pads. When I use boutique, custom, small batch sticks, I prefer to use them on tunable pads with a Mylar head. That’s the closest to an actual tuned drum, and the least likely to damage the sticks. If your pad uses a coated head, it’s helpful to lightly sand the center of the pad to remove some of the coating (to reduce wear and tear on the tips).  Inculcate brush patterns mostly utilize the outer four to five inches of the head, so you won’t lose much brush coating where you really need it. 

Below: a really lovely pair of Cooperman concert sticks with a QuietTone tunable pad.

Again, this is only a starting point, and can get as specific or as general as you like. If you have lots of pads and sticks to choose from, it might be fun to consider which pair well, so you can get optimal use from each.

Happy drumming.

Coming soon to my studio: the OG Slimpad. Yes, really.

 I woke up much too early this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I got up, fed the cats and slipped into my studio to play quietly on a soft pad. I also checked my messages and feed, and I’m glad I did.

Because something popped up for sale I never thought I’d see. 

YeeeeUP. The one, the only, the very first Vic Firth Slimpad. A guy in the Facebook Drum Pad group had just posted one for sale. And I was the first in the group to see it. So of course I contacted him, and two minutes after that I pad for it. I should have it in my hands by later this week.

For an explanation of why this is such a holy grail among practice pad enthusiasts, feel free to check out my post from 2020 about the other offering from this series, the original VF Stockpad:

http://drumlove1.blogspot.com/2020/08/vintage-rewind-vic-firth-stockpad-first.html

These pads had a response that was unsurpassed. Designed by Bill Bachman and a couple other stars from the marching arts in the mid-1990s in conjunction with Vic Firth, and when they were introduced they made a big splash. Non-marching drummers discovered that the Stockpad, with its 1/4” gum rubber playing surface, could also be useful for concert and rock practice, while the 1/8”-topped Slimpad was pretty much strictly a marching-specific pad — possibly the first of its kind in the industry. 

Because kids in the late 90s didn’t have the kind of pocket money that today’s kids do, the pads didn’t take off quickly at first. Finally, when they did become popular, production costs forced the company to switch to a rubber compound, rather than a pure gum rubber used in the beginning.

While they swear there was no change in the rubber playing surface for either model, a few thousand drummers who’ve tried both still beg to differ. 

As a result of the change in rubber “recipe,” the original versions of the Stockpad and Slimpad are highly sought after by drummers and pad collectors, and especially hard to find. I scored my first Stockpad when it came out and I was teaching privately. One of my students stole it and I never saw him or the pad again. I was able to replace it a couple of years ago, but I basically gave up on ever finding the rarer Slimpad.

(The Slimpad is harder to find because, being marching-specific, it was slower to catch on, fewer were sold before the change in materials and most ended up being played literally into the ground by their owners.)

So when this one showed up, I was very surprised. And I had to act fast before someone else bought it.

I look forward to laying my sticks on this beautiful pad when it gets here.

Happy drumming.

DIY Drummer: New Vintage -- Bower replica pads, small batch

I was asked by Mark Beecher (president of NARD and a brilliant drummer and drum historian) if I’d make up a few replicas of the first patented practice pad, designed by Harry Bower in 1919 and patented in 1921.

Other pads were in existence, and offered by various makers throughout the early years of the twentieth century. But the concept of “mass”production in the 1910s was at best, in the hundreds, not in the tens of thousands large companies produce today.

Bower’s design was simple, and by modern standards downright primitive. A wooden platform, a layer of wool, covered by a thin layer of tanned leather, all bound up by string or a shoelace. I. Still trying to learn what the retail price was but I can’t imagine it was more than a dollar or two.

After the patent was awarded, Bower contracted with another fellow to “mass” produce the pads and distribute them. I’m still researching the success of the enterprise — and the longevity. 

Anyway, here’s the pad.

I glued a copy of the original label to the underside.

And did this over again five times. Four of the pads are available at $50 each including shipping in USA, and my original prototype is available at $25 including shipping in USA. 

(I’ll keep the fifth pad for myself.)

It’s not a modern pad. There’s just enough response that you can use your wrists and fingers to pull out decent strokes from the leather. If you want effortless rebound, buy a RealFeel.

But if you want to try a pad that your grandparents or great-grandparents might have practiced on, try this. It will give you new respect for the drummers of an earlier age and help you appreciate how far we’ve come.

(Video, playing my finished pad according to the instructions on the label)

Sometimes things get tragic. The only thing to do is take photos and let go.

 Case in point:

Item for sale at eBay.uk is a vintage and rare practice kit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304207498914

Several exchanges with friends connected to the UK, and with the seller, proved fruitless. He wants pickup only, and right now, or he’ll throw it out with the trash.

After exhausting all my options, I had to let it go.

But I made sure to grab the photos from the listing first, so I’d have them to use in research.

It’s insanely cool, and rare even for those who live across the pond in Europe. And in a day or three, it will likely end up in the trash

..::sigh::..

Can’t have everything.

I’ll go drown my sorrows with a nice chopping session.

Happy drumming.

Vintage Corner: Slingerland Drum UPDATE 2: Rims and shell

Since I was gifted with this drum last summer, here's the progress:

1. I took it all apart so I could begin to clean the hardware and repair the cracks in the snare-side maple hoop.

2.  I gave the bottom hoop to my brother-in-law, a woodworker, so he could soak it and bring the cracked section back into round with the rest of the hoop. This process took a couple of weeks.

3. While I waited for that piece to get finished (in between Ron's professional woodworking jobs), I cleaned the rods and hooks using a Rust Remover stick and finishing with some Nevr-Dull.

4. I got the hoop back from Ron, and finished the repair by adding sections of bicycle spoke to strengthen the repaired crack. I also began removing the tape residue from the rims and shell.

First, the snare hoop. The repair looked pretty good, nice and solid; but Ron advised me that without adding some internal supports it would eventually weaken and break again from tension and repeated playing. So I found a drill bit the right size and carefully drilled two tiny holes through the center of the rim, across the repaired crack. Because the other side of the hoop was showing the beginning of the same fatigue, I drilled holes there too.

The holes were run directly crosswise through the crack and the glue used to repair it.




Then, I took an old bicycle spoke and measured off sections long enough to run through the hoop, with perhaps a couple millimeters counter-sunk on either end.
I checked my work by running a spoke through the hole. It fit perfectly.

Then I measured sections of the spoke and cut off four pieces.

I squirted super-glue into each hole, chased it through with a section of metal spoke, and made sure each end was slightly counter-sunk when finished. Then I set the hoop sideways to allow everything to dry overnight. (By using a thicker gel instead of liquid glue, I was assured that glue would not drip out all over the place.)

The next morning, everything looked fine. I'll need to decide whether or not I want to try and fill in the ends with some wood putty, or just let it be.

Then I turned my attention to removing tape residue from the shell. A friend in Seattle had given me a bottle of an environmentally-friendly solvent called "Best Cleaner Ever," and I tried it.
Following the instructions, I sprayer a little on, let it soak in for a few minutes and then tried to wipe it off. It did nothing to remove the residue; and in fact the solvent itself had to wiped down thoroughly with warm water to remove its own residue. In the end, it may have loosened the tape residue, but that masking tape had been there for fifty or more years, so it's hard to know. I had to carefully scrape it away with a pocket knife, applied gently enough to remove the tape without gouging the wood underneath.

When I was done, I was left with a shell that still show signs of use and abuse, but the luster of the mahogany also showed up nicely. So I've chosen to leave the shell alone, not removing the original clear paint. I will apply some clear coat to the spots or bare wood that need it, and let the "beausage" be a part of the drum's look. The mahogany itself is gorgeous enough, even with the damage.

I still have some residue to remove from the batter hoop tonight. After that, I'll probably sand both hoops lightly, apply something to seal the bare wood spots, and let it all dry for a few days.
Then I'll begin reassembling the drum.
I don't plan to use a leg rest with this drum, but will instead just let it hang against my leg at a tilt. It will be a fair-weather drum only, or if I use it indoors it will be on a stand.
This was an unexpected gift and I'm glad I've had time to learn from repairing and rebuilding it.
Next: video of the finished drum. Coming soon!

Vintage Corner: Slingerland Deluxe Practice Pad #958, circa 1960's

Here's a really nice vintage pad from the early 1960's or so, from Slingerland. The Deluxed Pad # 958 could be used on a tabletop, or fitted with screws for attachment to a dedicated stand (very much like my older Radio Kind model from the late 40's which I acquired with a stand).

  This pad came to me without a stand, but with the little rubber "feet" intact.

The playing surface is lively and has plenty of rebound.
And the solid oak plank construction has a pretty nice finish, too.

It's just slightly smaller in size than my Radio King, but sounds terrific and, with thicker and livelier rubber, feels better.

Note: When demonstrating older pads, I try to use a stick size more appropriate to the pad's period. While I practice daily with my Jeff Queens (my go-to rudimental/marching stick), I don't want to destroy an old pad! Here, I opt for a smaller stick and get a great feel and sound. On a vintage pad that's sturdy enough for more regular use, I might go as large as a 1S stick if the pad warrants it; but most of the time I'm content with a 2B concert stick.
Happy drumming.

Restore? or Leave alone? When to meddle in the vintage stew

So when is it appropriate to leave a vintage pad alone simply because it’s vintage? And when is it appropriate to repair a vintage pad to make it playable again?
This is definitely a case-by-case situation. But I’d offer my own personal parameters as a starting point for discussion.

1. I’d consider repairing an old pad if:

— it looks like dozens of other pads of similar design;
—there’s no identifying logo, decal, badge or distinctive design element to set it apart;
— it’s identifiable as one of thousands manufactured;
— you didn’t pay much for it;
— it meets at least three of the above and someone would enjoy playing it.

2. I’d leave the pad alone if:

— it has a logo, badge or distinctive design element that sets it apart;
— it’s a long shot but you want to research it further;
— you paid more for it;
— repairing or otherwise altering it would diminish its historical and financial (because let’s be real) value;
— there’s nothing else like it in your collection;
— it’s a double you might use to trade later for something else (I try not to keep much on hand for this purpose as it clouds my reasons for collecting to begin with).

Below is an example of a pad I’ve decided to make playable again. It’s just like the three other pads I have that are in better shape and have intact decals or badges; it’s condition was poor/unplayable but repair would make it useful to someone; and it wouldn’t end up in a landfill.

I’ve removed the original rubber disc, which will serve as a pattern for its bouncier replacement after I clean the old glue out of the recessed area.
I covered the underside with repurposed gaming pad, rubber side showing as a non-skid surface.
(I’ll save the old disc as another non-skid surface for a future repair.)
And when it’s done, I’ll have a nice no-name practice pad to keep or re-home.

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!

Vintage drum: Slingerland parade drum, 14 x 10

My friend dropped off a stack of drums today.
The four concert drums with metal shells I'm going to clean up for him to use with his radical drum corps. The fifth drum, a wooden parade drum, he said was mine to keep.

It's filthy and needs a lot of cleaning, along with replacement heads.
I'm guessing from the hardware and badge that it's probably from the 1960s.

Here are photos of the drum as I received it today. As I take it apart and clean it up over the next few weeks, I'll post periodic updates.

  

The hardware appears to be all original, which hints at a 1960s vintage.

I love the old-school drum key slot (below).
If this comes back I'll want to look for a period-correct key. It's filthy and looks either paint- or mud-splattered.
But I think it should clean up nicely, especially with some replacement heads (Ambassador top and bottom).

Not sure what I'll do about the finish. One friend has suggested I simply clean off the dirt and apply some wax. There are a few places where the stain has worn away but I think it's honest wear, and I may just sand it lightly and let it be. I'll ask the guys at Revival Drum Shoip what they recommend.

I think this will be a nice project to distract me from the pandemic over the next few weeks.

drum joy: The finished 15, played at volume

If youve been following my progress with this drum, I scored it many months ago and finally had time during the shutdown to take it apart, clean it thoroughly and rebuild it with new heads. Add to that my old, original Ludwig webbed strap from high school (I helped myself to one just before graduation, as they were no longer being used in 1981) and a recently-acquired Perfect Leg Rest, and I now had the ultimate drum to chop on.

Only thing was that it's hard to chop at full volmue when your partner is stuck at home just like you and the studio doesn't have any sound-reducing foam on the wall or door.
So when Sweetie told me she was running errands and would be gone "a few hours," I leapt at the chance to do some drumming on an actual drum.

I spent some time working up a new exercise I'd written, playing the Malik-styled practice "drum" just for fun. After filming a good take for my HONK! friends, I jammed on it for a good hour or so.
Then after lunch, I switched gears and picked up my great big Ludwig.
Even with only 8 lugs, wire snares and a very simple strainer, this thing sounds awesome.
I can't wait to take it out and march with UBB when the shutdown ends.

Here's a little something to enjoy: a compilation of street beats from the Pratt book, strung together with a couple of my own, plus the opening bars of the overture from "1776" -- a drum solo I learned by ear in seventh grade and have loved ever since.

At some point on another lovely day, I'll have to take this over to the park and annoy the neighbors.
Cheers! And happy chopping.

A big, old Xymox pad. I kinda like it.

Since the shutdown began a few weeks ago, I've been stying at home and woodshedding on various practice pads pretty much every single day.
This week, I snagged an early-days model from Xymox Percussion. Now, I already own a few pads from this company, and I will admit I have another one on order. (I know, how many pads does one drummer need? That's hard to answer definitively.) It's all good.

This pad caught my eye because it was a light gray rubber VERY similar to what's been found on the Real Feel pads (now from Evans). But thinner. Since the price was right, I decided to buy it and see how it felt when compared to the Real Feel pad I own.

It arrived today, and I was surprised at how BIG it was. I was expecting a similarly-sized version to the other Xymox pad I own from the rubber-top-with-snare-sound era, roughly 15-20 years old.
But this thing is 14 inches across and seems designed to sit on a drum or tabletop.

Below: Both older pads, side by side. I've never seen a Xymox pad of this style this big before.

I set it on another pad already in a stand, and began to play. And while the feel is similar -- both pads use rubber of the same thickness, though the rubber on the smaller pad is recessed into the wood a bit -- it's not identical. The small pad feels a little livelier. The larger pad feels closer in response to the Real Feel, and that just means I'm really playing into it more -- sort of like the difference between playing on Kevlar and Mylar, respectively. Once I started playing on this new arrival, I actually liked it and didn't want to stop.



This does beg the question of age as it relates to "vintage."

Xymox has been in business for a little over 25 years now, and their initial design for a pad with a "snare drum sound" was granted a patent twenty years ago.
Xymox models have evolved over time, first with these rubber-topped models and then progressing into a two generations of Kevlar-topped model with snare sound.
(Interestingly, the mechanism for how the snare sound is produced has not change radically; today's kevlar-topped Reserve" model still utilizes metal beads inside the pad, though additional features now offer the option of reducing or canceling out the "snare" sound by inserting a rubber mute.)

A fourth generation of snare pad was recently released, though it may instead be a first-generation product of another kind. This new item actually plays and feels more like a miniature hi-tension marching drum, complete with an adjustable panel that allows one to alter the sound of short, actual snares against the underside of the head. (I bit the bullet and ordered one for myself. I look forward to trying it out when it arrives.)

So within the confines of a single company which designs and makes its own product, how does one regard the earliest models from that company when they may be over twenty years old? At what point does the early stuff become "collectible" or "vintage" in determining scarcity and value for both collectors and players?

I welcome comments.

Vintage corner: Ludwig model 337 Tenor mallets

In seventh grade, I got a timpani solo on a piece our middle school band was playing. It required the use of very hard wooden mallets. The only pair the school owned was a pair of combo tenor mallets, with a hard felt ball on one end and a long, olive-shaped wooden head on the other. They were odd-looking and I never forgot them.

Recently I came across this NOS pair of Ludwig tenor mallets from the 1970s, and in truth the only reason I bought them was that the wooden head was the exact same size and shape as my old middle school mallets.
Only these mallets were shorter -- only 13 inches long! -- and had the classic knurled Ludwig rubber-wrapped handle on the other end. (I loved the feel of that knurled rubber when I was a kid.)

They're very light in weight, and their short length means they're not going to give you a ton of volume. But they were designed for old-fashioned single tenor drums, where the volume came from the low tuning as much as how you played them.

They're also very, very short. Below is a photo of one of the mallets alongside one of my modern snare drum sticks (Vic Firth Jeff Queen signature model, for anyone who's curious).

Holding them is a revelation. I probably haven't used a stick or mallet this short since, well, middle school. My hands were smaller back then.















Just for fun, I tried them out on a few different pads. Right off the bat, let me say that these are useless on a rubber pad. The bounce just isn't there, owing to the length and weight (or lack thereof).

But play them on an old-fashioned Remo tuneable pad, and they respond a lot closer to the way you'd expect them to on, well, a regular drum head. Here's a sample.

I think it would be fun to try these out on my band-mate's little tenor trio, a kid-sized set he bought to save weight on his back during our community performances. Though if I'm not careful, he might make me an offer for them...