Hi,

Here's another recent addition to the collection. This one comes from my friend and fellow collector Chip Butler. I'm not a big Gretsch collector, this one is only my 4th Gretsch snare. I own 3 other Gretsch snare drums; a 1920s-30s WMP/gold plated 4x14 Gretsch-American Model, a late 1960s gold plated/engraved RB model and an early 1970s gold plated/engraved SSB model. I don't know much about this drum so feel free to weigh in. I am told that Gretsch didn't make many drums before WWII and that they used Slingerland parts from time to time. In 1927 the Gretsch Drum Company introduced the Gretsch-American drum series that featured the industry's first multi-ply shell..

LATE 1920s-EARLY 1930s GRETSCH 5x14 8 LUG SEA GREEN AMERICAN MODEL

The Shell:

Well, Ludwig & Ludwig's Emerald Green was around from 1928-30, Slingerland's Sea Green 1928-38 and Leedy's Green Pearl was around for one year, 1930 so I feel good on the dating of this drum. The Sea Green Pearl on this drum is very clean and just needed a good cleaning and polishing. The shell is a 3-ply shell with a clear interior that is actually 4 7/8" in depth. The square Gretsch-American "foil" badge is clean and attached to the shell via 4 very small brads that do not penetrate the shell.

The Hardware:

The nickel plated hardware is in very good shape and cleaned/polished up nicely. This drum is equipped with a Slingerland 3-pt. strainer (extension lever is not stamped), a Slingerland/L&L/Leedy-type butt plate, Slingerland short, square tension rods and Gretsch style steel collar hooks (that are much stronger than the nob collar hooks that were used on Slingerland/L&L/Leedy drums of the same era). The tube lugs are 2 1/2" c-c as compared to a 5x14 Ludwig & Ludwig of the same era that has 2" c-c tube lugs and curiously (at least to me) is the fact that these Gretsch tube lugs have a wider center-center hole pattern than a 5x14 Slingerland snare drum of the same era. Another difference that I noticed was that the Gretsch lug is flatter at each end where the eyelet is as compared to the Slingerland/L&L/Leedy lugs of the same era that are completely round at each end. So, who supplied Gretsch with their tube lugs and why did Gretsch not use Slingerland tube lugs along with the other Slingerland hardware that was supplied for this drum? Another interesting oddity that I noticed was that on the bottom of each Gretsch rim there are what looks to be 8 holes that have been filled in, these holes line up perfectly with the tube lug spacing on the shell. Finally, the Gretsch rims seem to be beefier, especially at the bottom of each double-flanged rim.

All in all this was a very easy cleaning and I enjoyed discovering the subtle differences in the hardware.

This drum came with Earthtone heads so I decided to keep them as the flesh hoops are small and look good on the shell; the sound...that's another story.

Of-the-era James Snappi Wires rounded out this cleaning.

Enjoy!

Mike Curotto