I have observed by participating in drum forums for the past few years that there seem to be general trends of favored brands of vintage drums and cymbals. I have no scientific or mathematical proof to back up the general impression that I have detected.
I prefer wooden shell factory-wrapped drum sets from the early 1950's through the late 1960's with matching wooden shell snare drums. My favorite brands are Slingerland, Leedy (including SlingerLeedy and Leedy & Ludwig), Rogers, and Walberg & Auge. There are a few Slingerland and W&A sets from the early 70's that appeal to me. Those 1970's drums are the same as their 1960's counterparts. I also prefer A. Zildjian cymbals from the 1940's through the early 1970's.
Those preferences put me in good company on this forum. There seems to be another--perhaps larger--contingent of vintage drum lovers who are devoted to Ludwigs and/or Gretsch drums, metal snare drums, and non Zildjian cymbals of either the A or K varieties.
Both camps seem to peacefully coexist on this forum. We even keep a fairly open mind to something that I once never thought could ever be considered to be vintage drums--older Asian imports. There are also some lovers of the British and European vintage drums.
Maybe I'm just imagining it. But, it seems to me that the Ludwig and Gretsch camps tend to overlap a lot. And, the Slingerland and Rogers camps overlap some of the time. I would be interested to read what the rest of you think. Maybe I'm just imagining this? Maybe not.
