Snare of the day

Ludwig Supraphonic 400

This fine Ludwig Supraphonic 400 snare drum arrived at the shop this week with some more gear….

The most recorded snare drum of all time, this drum has loads of tone; together with the invention  of the plastic drum head, this drum was the sound of Rock & Roll. This particular drum dates around 1976 by the serial number on the Blue/Olive badge. All hardware is original and fully functional. Some chrome pitting on the shell which is common on these drums.

It tunes up and sounds great right across the tuning range. We have more coming soon, but right now this is the only one in stock – don’t miss out! More details here.

Snare of the day

Camco No. 99 Super

OK, so this rather rare & stunning Camco snare drum arrived at the shop a couple days ago…

Appearing in the 1965 catalogue with the name No.99 Super, this drum is a lovely example in original condition. Chrome over brass shell and hoops, original key mounted in the shell, original internal tone control dampener, original fully functional snare strainer. The drum is cosmetically in great shape, with a small dent where the tone control knob it; One for the collector as well as the player.

Sounds wise, it tunes up nicely and does what you’d expect from a chrome on brass drum. Nice and open, but with a control and a warm bit. More information on the website and a short video of the drum in action on our Instagram.

Snare of the day

Bespoke Copper shell

This copper shell custom snare drum recently came into the shop and has been sat in a heavy duty flight case, overlooked. That was a mistake…..

This drum is seeking a new home and needs to be played loads and enjoyed. I don’t have masses of information, other than it was built by a gentleman named Clive Adams in 1997 (who owned and ran Mercury Drum Co. in the UK). The shell itself was made by a copper smith Steven E Schifer, the solid brass hardware assembled by Clive I assume. This drum is absolutely stunning; great attention to design details like the leather washers separating all hardware from the shell. Yamaha strainers in gold complete this outstanding drum.

The drum tunes up beautifully, and the tone…oh, its like biting into a bar of your favourite chocolate or sipping your favourite beverage after a long hot summer day in work! It’s just….

More details on this drum on our website where we offer international shipping. There is a short video of this drum being played in the shop on my Instagram.

Stunning. Someone please treat themselves to this, it’s a bit special.

Snare of the day

Slingerland Radio King ‘student’

This stunning Slingerland ‘student’ Radio King arrived at the shop in great condition…

This snare drum dates to around 1950 and is in great original condition. Rather than being a solid shell drum, this student model is a 3 ply shell. It still features those lovely, fat, maple re-rings that help give it that vintage tone. All hardware is original including the brass hoops and three point strainer. Note that these student models don’t have the Radio King snare brackets.

These drums are by no means rare, but it’s the first I’ve seen in a glitter finish, and on this drum the blue glitter is very well preserved. It tunes up nicely, with no flat spots, and sounds great. More information on the website and a short video of the drum in action on my Instagram.

 

 

Snare of the day

Ludwig Classic Maple

This awesome Ludwig Classic maple snare drum recently arrived at the shop about 6 weeks ago,  I’ve played it a couple times previously and fallen in love with it!

I picked this drum up a couple months ago from a collector, who let me have a load of Ludwig snare drums! All kept cased, dry, in lovely condition. Sometimes I myself find it a bit overwhelming walking into the shop as we have a huge stock of vintage snares; so often, great drums get overlooked for more common models. This is one of those drums. 14 x 6.5″ 6 ply Maple shell, in black wrap, immaculate – not a scratch on the drum, all original hardware and best of all it sounds amazing!

I’ve got the drum tuned medium with a twin ply Remo PS3 coated and Puresound wires. It gives a lovely classic rock tone, with plenty of weight and warmth. Tune it higher and you’d achieve a much brighter sounds; tune it way down low with a gel and you can get that fat, low punch.

There’s a short video of it on my Instagram and more details with International shipping options on the website.

Snare of the day

Corder

Today’s featured snare drum, is a brand very rarely seen here in the UK, Corder.

In 1979, Jim Corder bought the Fibes drum company. He moved the facilities to Huntsville, Alabama, and rather than continue with the acrylic drums Fibes were famous for, he began producing wood shells. The lugs, strainers, hoops remained Fibes. He sold the company in the early 90’s,  so these drums were produced for just over  a decade, at the most.

 

This is the first one I’ve seen, but we have a full kit coming into the shop very soon. This drum is 6 ply maple in a 14 x 5.5″ in immaculate condition. Everything on this drum is original, and great! It tunes up nicely and sounds phenomenal – great response. More info on the website.

 

Snare of the day

Leedy ‘Shelly Manne’

This lovely Slingerland era Leedy snare arrived at the shop recently and is now on the website….

This drum was available 1958 – 1965 and was among the last Leedy drums manufactured. These Slingerland era drums feature 3 ply shells with chrome hardware; this model is fitted with a 3 point strainer and Slingerland’s stick saver hoops.

Finished in White Pearl, this 14 x 5.5″ snare drum is in lovely original condition – with the exception of new heads and snare wires. It tunes up nicely and has a nice, bright response. Although a long way from the original solid shell Ulysses Leedy drums of the early 30’s, this drum is fairly sought after by players and collectors alike.

More information on the website.