+1. I agree completely and those were the EXACT figures that I had in mind. I did a comment from a forum member/collector within the last two years. He mentioned that the solid green and the solid blue were the most uncommon ducos.

Mike

That's really interesting - it seems like solid colors would be the easiest and most economical to produce and I guessed there'd be a glut of those floating around, but it seems it's the exact opposite! I've seen plenty of the two-tone ducos in my researching - but very few solid colors from that era: a few pieces in black, but that's it. The wrapped jobs are far more prevalent.

Maybe the dual colors were thought to be a little flashier. Hard to say.

Mike

I have a 6.5" version of that drum, solid black Duco (no white stripe) with same early-P83, also stamped 1959. Killer, warm sound. Enjoy it.

That's a great looking drum, and I can say, I once again regret selling the kit in the picture.

Mitch

Beautiful drum.

I have a '58/'59 Barrett Deems in black/gold Duco. Well, it was Duco, but the finish was beat to hell so I re-did it. Same colors, but over-the-counter spray can black and gold Testor's airbrush paint.

This snare looks like a respray to me.

Unless it's just the photos, there's a bit of orange peel to the finish, and it's too glossy. The newer paint formulas are thicker, so more prone to orange peel. I got an intimate view of the kind of paint they were using around this time and it was lower sheen.

The indentation in the paint where the heads' flesh hoops have marred the paint look as if someone put a head on it before it fully cured.

Those things and the large amount of overspray on the bearing edge and interior suggest to me a rattle can refinish. A good one.

To help confirm one way or another, you could take off a lug and inspect the paint in the holes.

Either way, it's a great drum. I love mine. It's my go-to wooden snare. My "Ringo" snare. If I didn't already have one, I'd be looking.

There's a very slight orange peel effect on the finish, yes. I used a cleaner/polish on the drum before I took the photos which could possibly account for the extra gloss.

I took the batter head off and yes, there's some overspray. In removing one of the lugs, the holes were clean with no paint inside.

Hmm. No paint in the holes surely points to original finish.

BTW, what I meant by saying that I got an intimate view of that type of paint was that I very closely examined and removed what was left of the paint on my Barrett Deems.

Your having buffed out the finish explains the gloss. That is probably the best condition I've ever seen a vintage Duco snare drum's finish. The nitrocellulose lacquer they used was (as you probably know from the guitar world) thinner and less rugged than the modern polyurethanes. Guitar players almost fetishize nitro lacquer, believing it to affect the tonal qualities of 1 7/8" thick slabs of solid poplar. It did pain me to have to repaint a nitro finished instrument, but the kudos I received from those on this forum regarding the final product helped.

Also BTW, I repair and design musical instrument amplifiers for a living, and I'd love for someone to trade me such a fantastic drum for amp repair work!

I checked out Mr. Deems due to owning one of his namesake snare drums, and I agree that he had ferocious skills, what I have seen and heard of his playing.

I wonder how many musicians of later generations know about the players their "Clyde McCoy" wah pedals, "Les Paul" guitars, "Barrett Deems" and "Gene Krupa Sound King" drums are named after? Of course, unlike the guitar and the wah pedal, the drums do not have the gentlemen's names on them....