Gladstone Society

A Lang Percussion Inc. publication serving owners and admirers of fine historical percussion instruments

Volume 5 No. 2 Fall/Winter 2001

Ten Years Making Gladstone Drums

It started with a rather naive question to a machinist friend-”Do you think that you could make these special drum parts?” “If you are willing to pay for it, we can make anything.”

I showed him a few pieces of my original 1950 snare- a tube lug, the three-way key, a tube holder. Two months and six hundred bucks later, I had in my hand the beginnings of a ten year love affair with a most beautiful and wonderful instrument.

To help finance the original production, I offered a black lacquered, gold plated replica for $500., half down with no guarantee of a delivery date. The offering of fifty drums was quickly sold out. Then the hard part began. The drum had not been made in 35-40 years and, to my knowledge all of the original molds and stampings were lost. I was obviously not a machinist, and so, most of the the parts were “reverse-engineered” to conform to my original. There was a lot of trial and error (with the emphasis on error).

After about a year I received a message on my answering machine from a young drummer from Philadelphia. “Do you think that I will get my drum before I die?” My answer on her machine “How old did you say you were?”

After we were able to finally ship the first drums, we expanded the original concept to include four inch and five inch sizes. We then made complete drum sets: with three-way tuning, replica Gladstone tube lugs and a Vintage set with wooden hoops. Then came a number of different shell configurations including one piece steam-bent shells, stave shells, titanium shells, and segmented exotic woods.

We have made a number of technilogical changes using the new epoxies and longer lasting and safer lacquers, non of which effected the sound of he drums.

To Celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of the Lang/ Gladstone Drum, we are offering a engraved brass shell with gold hardware. John Aldrich will be engraving the shells. Each drum will have a custom name plate, numbered and dated. It promises to be a instant collector’s item and of course, a great drum.

SPECIAL EDITION 2001

Special Edition
1997- Gold lacquer, ply shell, gold plated hardware, 6 & 7”
1998- Bird’s Eye veneer, ply shell, gold plated hardware, 6 & 7”
1999- Pecan one ply, gold plated hardware, 5.5, 6.5”
2000- Mozambique segmented, “Millennium” Maple inlay, gold plated hardware, 5.5 & 6.5”

Steve Maxwell Collection

Since our last issue Steve has turned his intense curiosity and vast knowlege of vintage drums into a business. Steve has been a supporter and of Lang Percussion for a number of years. He emailed me about the Rebeats web site and about the Vintage Show that he participated in. It seemed that he has an amazing collection of vintage instru-ments. I asked Steve to list some of the most historically interesting drums:

ROGERS
My collection of Rogers wood Dynasonics represent a chronological history of the drum. There is an example from each portion of the era that created what was one of the most unique and sought after drums ever produced. Production numbers for wood Dynasonics are impossible to verify with accuracy, but the quantities were very limited. They are rare in any color, but are especially rare in White Marine Pearl.

Wood Dynasonic- rare pre-badge, WMP
One of the earliest wood Dynasonics ever made (circa 1961-62). The first Dynasonics did not carry the oval badge on the exterior of the drum and did not have serial numbers. Instead, a paper tag with the word “Dynasonic” typed onto it was placed on the inside of the shell. The interior was varnished at the factory.

Impossible to verify actual quantities of pre-badge drums that were made, but estimates range from 50-100 total production. I know of a few other pre-badge wood Dynasonics, but I’m not aware of any other in WMP.
 
This drum was bought from the owner of a music store who purchased it new from Rogers and never sold the drum.
 
Wood Dynasonic, Serial #1068, WMP
One of the earliest wood Dynasonics made after the pre-badge drums. Serial numbers started with #1001 and were placed on the now familiar oval shaped badge affixed to the exterior of the shell around the vent hole. This stage of the Dynasonic’s history included retention of the high hoops and the clockface strainer, as well as the B&B lug design. Larger quantities of these drums were made than the pre-badge version, but actual estimates are difficult to determine. Excellent examples are very difficult to find, especially in the desirable WMP finish.

Wood Dynasonic “TRANSITION”,Serial #3132
This rare WMP drum was made at the beginning of the period when Rogers migrated from B&B lugs to beavertail lugs, and just prior to the migration to the straight-sided strainer and lower hoops. By discontinuing the beautiful, but crack-prone B&B lugs and replacing them with the attractive, sturdy beavertail design, Rogers was ready to pave the way for the Dynasonic to make its mark on snare drum history. During this period Rogers used up the inventory of the original clockface strainers and high hoops on drums made with beavertail lugs.

This holds true for both chrome-over-brass and wood Dynas made during this time. Both are very rare, but the wood shell transition Dynas are extremely scarce. This drum is original and is not a B&B drum that was drilled out to accommodate beavertail lugs.

Dynasonic- Custom ordered- No Tone Control
This Dayton era drum (circa 1966-67) is an excellent example of the most popular version of the wood Dynasonic drum. This particular example is extremely rare since it was not drilled for a tone control at the factory. I am not aware of any other existing examples of this design. Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson, both prominent Rogers endorsers, felt that tone controls interfered with the tone quality of the drum. As a result, Rogers made special orders for Buddy and Louie, and possibly a few other select endorsers. These custom drums were typically distributed through Ellis Tolin’s Music City drum store in Pennsylvania. Ellis was one of the originators of the Dynasonic snare drum and his design ideas, combined with Joe Thompson and Ben Strauss’s input was critical in creating the Dynasonic.
Historical fact: Buddy’s input sparked Rogers’ desire to initially offer the Dynas without a tone control, however, music retailers didn’t like the idea. They told Rogers that the public would view this as a cost cutting measure that wouldn’t be accepted on a high priced drum. As a result, all production Dynas had the tone control built in.

Wood Dynasonic, Dayton Era, WMP
This last WMP Dynasonic is the standard Dayton era configuration which included a tone control.   

Wood Dynasonic, Fiesta Pearl
Although we’ve talked mostly about WMP, it’s worth noting that wood Dynasonics in this finish are also extremely rare.
This drum is a B&B lug drum from the early 60s. Fiesta pearl was a “festive” color. It consists of a black background onto
which small “confetti-like” objects of various colors are applied. The effect is truly unique. This finish was only offered for a few years and as a result, examples are very scarce. I don’t know of any other wood Dynas in fiesta pearl.

Ludwig
Black Beauty
Almost every drummer over the age of 25 knows about the legendary Ludwig Black Beauty snare drums. These drums, with their heavy brass shells, beautiful engraving, and legendary sound have graced more recording sessions and concerts than many would expect. These drums made their appearance initially in the 1920s. They are rare, but they are available if you are willing to pay the price. There were several different sizes made over the years and the engraving patterns varied as well. The 4” and 6.5” sizes are the hardest to come by. The “scroll” engraving pattern that was used formed a flowing design that repeated over the entire shell. The “floral” engraving design creates a floral pattern in each panel between the tube lugs.

Super Ludwig Black Beauty, Late 20s: 5x14
Heavy brass shell. Black with “gold” engraved 12 point floral pattern and plated rims and hardware. Super-sensitive style snare strainer with individually adjustable snares.
(This drum recently made the transition from my collection to the collection of a very good friend who will cherish it)

Black Beauty: 4X14
Rare 4x14 black beauty. Late 20s. Rare double scroll pattern “gold” engraving on heavy black plated brass shell. “Gold” plated hardware and rims. (This drum has also just recently gone to the collection of a close friend)

Black Beauty, Scroll Pattern: 5X14
This drum is an 8 lug black beauty with the “standard”
strainer.
Black Beauty, Floral Pattern: 5X14
Identical to the drum described above, except that this drum has the floral pattern engraving.

LUDWIG & LUDWIG SOLID SHELL DRUMS
In the 20s and continuing on for many years, Ludwig made solid shell wood snare drums. Many of these are highly sought after today, especially those that have rarer finishes and are 100% original. These are solid shell drums with 10 tube lugs.

Rare “Rainbow/Peacock” Wrap: 5X14
This drum has the rare “rainbow” pearl finish (called peacock by some). It is a totally original drum including the original calf heads and snares and the “standard” strainer.

Rare Streaked Opal Pearl: 5X14
The streaked opal pearl finish was offered for only a few years starting in 1930. I know of only one other streaked opal snare,
although there could be a few more out there. This finish is extremely hard to find and commands a very high premium. This
drum has the “standard” strainer and is completely original except for heads.

SLINGERLAND
I’ve added some noteworthy drums from Slingerland to the collection.

DuAll Snare Drum
Ultra rare Slingerland DuAll snare drum. Slingerland’s top-of-the-line solid shell drum in the late 20s. Referred to as the “lawsuit version”. This is the version of this drum that sparked a lawsuit against Slingerland by Ludwig. Ludwig stated that the parallel snare release mechanism too closely resembled the mechanism on the Danley snare drum for which Ludwig held the patent. Slingerland discontinued production of this version of the drum and very few examples were produced. Estimates indicate that there are less than 6 in existence. Production occurred in only one calendar year. Drum has a tone-flange, which was a device developed by Slingerland that sat on the top bearing edge under the head and provided a focused “chamber” through which the sound would travel. This concept was thought to provide a cleaner, more focused tone to the drum. This particular drum is a natural wood finish and is completely original.

(Lots More To Come!)

ABOUT OUR FOUNDER (President, Machinist, Floor Sweeper, Telephone Receptionist

Morris “Arnie” Lang will be inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame at the PASIC Convention on November 17, 2000. Arnie was thrilled by the honor, but heard to murmur, “You have to be real old or dead to be nominated- and when I last checked I was still breathing”.
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The Brooklyn College Percussion Ensemble, director Morris Lang, participated in an exchange program with the ensemble from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. The director of the RIAM Ensemble, Richard O’Donnell, is a big Gladstone fan, owning three Lang/Gladstone snare drums.

While in the New York area in March, the RIAM and Brooklyn groups played a joint concert which included Boulez- Improvisation sur Mallarme #1 & #2, Varese- Ionization and Marta Ptaszynska- Siderals. While in Dublin in June, the group played three concerts, including the Irish premier of Ionization.
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Carl Fisher Publishers will be publishing a new edition of the Dictionary of Percussion Terms by Morris Lang and Larry Spivack. It is being reformatted, but will keep the small pocket-book size, which is so easy to throw into a stick case.

Sandy Feldstein is the new director/manager of Carl Fisher, and he is working to revitalize this venerable company. They will be publishing a new book by MAL tentatively titled “Etude and Repertoire for Small Percussion Instruments”. It has been in the works for some time now and awaiting the latest rewrite.
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There is an extensive bio of MAL in a new book entitled “Percussionists: A Biographical Dictionary” by Stephen Barnhart, published by Greenwood Press. There is also a photo ca. 1977- “I swear, I didn’t inhale.”

What’s New at Lang Percussion

We finally have our web site up and running (at least walking fast). Look for “Gladstone-drums. com”. There is some history, our latest snare drum products and material about the Lang Timpani. A very hot young drum set player, Danny Aviles, will have a featured drum track, played on his new Gladstone drum set- black lacquer, three-way tuning.
Send your comment on the site (we can take it).

NOTE: Gladstone-drums. com has been changed to langpercussion.com
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We keep looking for new suppliers of shells to expand our line of Gladstone drums- although we love the consistent and beautiful eight-ply Keller shells.

We have recently found a maker of stave constructed drums and ordered a complete set made of solid Black Walnut and snare shells of exotic woods. If you want to be the first on your block with a rare and incredible drum set call for pricing.
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Artie Lieberman, owner of Vintage Percussion in Matthews, North Carolina, has recently purchased two drum sets, a copper snare, a Craviotto “Lake Superior”, and a number of ply drums. Who are those drummers with great taste down in North Carolina? Call Artie to see what he has in stock. He also restores and sells vintage mallet instruments. His telephone is (704)849-8040.
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Mike “Ding” Lorenze, from Percussion Services Ltd., recently ordered 34” Chain Timpani. We have never made a drum that large and have had to special-order all of the parts. Mike is an avid collector of vintage percussion instruments as well as a player in the Wisconsin area. He also has a new tenor/field drum with gold hardware and three-way tuning on order. Call Mike at (414) 762-6073 to see what he has in stock and talk about vintage percussion.