What a great reply! Thanks very much. I'm both a player and collector, and am not really interested in collecting drums that I won't play. I would prefer to find a nice early '70s model, but now I'm open to the Austin era drums as well. They really appear to be fantastic drums. I notice that they have a nice looking 14 x 8 Austin era drum on ebay for not a great amount of money. I like bigger drums, so that one just might be the ticket.

I appreciate your taking the time to give me your insight. You really seem to know your stuff when it comes to these drums.

Thanks again.

Stephen

Stephen/RickVieh!

A couple comments are in order!

Stephen!

If you do want just a "player" where the actual era/year drum that Buddy played isn't that important, then YES!... what RV talked about regarding the Austin Fibes built drums would be the way to go! However, if you're looking for the "Buddy Fibes", then you are going to want the rectangular badged model from say 1970 on 'till 75 or so. It was around 1975 that they introduced the SQUARE Fibes "mirror image" badge, and there seem to be quite a few of those around too. It is getting harder to find a rectangular badged SFT 690/COF, but many were built! As an aside, ALL these drums can be played/gigged!... they don't have to be relegated to a collection that is merely gazed upon. There are 14 different snare drums in my Buddy Rich snare drum collection.. ( every last one correct as played/endorsed by Buddy ) .. and I have gigged just about all of them! I have my favorites of course, as did BR, but again... yes!, they can and should be played. Course that plan of action is completely up to the owner of said drums. There is no wrong answer here.

RickVieh!

I want to flesh out a couple comments/statements you made regarding the ORIGINAL Fibes SFT 690 snare drum: The main reason you have not been able to find one isn't because " they lose the one thing that makes them so good - the strainer"... it's because there aren't that many out there! There weren't a whole lot of that model built. It was just Bob and John in a garage hand building these drums. There was very little dealer/distributor support then, and most all those drums were built to order. Also consider that Fibes at that time was a Jazz drummer's drum, as that is who mostly played Fibes back then as their artist roster will attest. The fiberglass shell on my 66/67 is most certainly "hand laid up", and not finished. It is kinda "gray/green" in color with no paint or clear coat on the inside, and of course chromed steel wrap on the outside. Also... the prototype strainer/throw actually functions quite well!. It is a very simple device. I have played/gigged my 66/67 SFT 690 quite a bit!, and the strainer/throw has always functioned perfectly, and still does! I honestly think that Fibes WANTED a snare drum with fully extended snares ala the Rogers Dynasonic, and the original/prototype throw wasn't of that design. Enter the NEW SFT, which interestingly was referred to as a "snare release"... not a throw or strainer. Anyway...

... all your comments about the Austin built Fibes are right on!, but jeeze!... haul that drum out play it! I know I would! I'll attach a couple more pics of my 66/67 ORIGINAL BUILD Fibes SFT 690 with a close up of the throw/strainer/release. Very simple device!, but certainly NOT as nice as what they finally settled on... nor quite as sensitive because of it. Still, a wonderful playing/sounding snare drum that actually sounds a tad "drier" that the final production model we have all come to know and love.. and that .. is most certainly due to the snares/wires on the ORIGINAL dampening the resonant head as they don't just lay gently on the head fully extended like the final production model. Both drums are fabulous though!, but I gotta say that I prefer the earlier/prototype!

Tommyp

Tommy,

Thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Yes, I would much prefer a BR-era drum, that would be like the one he played. I don't play or sound like him, but the collector in me prefers older drums. But I would insist that it be a good player as well, and would give it plenty of use. I would consider one of the Austin era drums only as a last resort, after exhausting a search for a '70s one. But it sounds like that might take a long time. I can be patient — to a point.

Take care.

Stephen

Tommy. I agree with you 99.5%. And trust me, I DO play it!!! It's my favorite, and I'm very careful with it. You are right that this is a limited production drum, and, while I'd love to have a "BR original", since I wanted the concept so that I could play it, I opted for the later drum with the now-standard SFT, because I simply could not find a quality example of an actual period-specific drum that was in anywhere-near mint condition (trust me - Bob R. looked for me!). Most of the ones I've seen for sale are without the original equipment SFT strainer, which to me makes the drum. They simply have been removed and replaced with, in most cases a Ludwig strainer. I've seen two like this, locally. Blasphemy!

Now, I was fortunate to see BR play one, a little later, and his was set up like mine, with the now-familiar extended snares and the SFT. I wasn't aware of the earlier design, so I thank you for that. Yes, I'd say that it would probably sound more like a Slingerland from the period. I'd love to hear it sometime.

Your collection of BR snares has always been of great interest. I don't collect anything specific, but if I did - that's what I'd do, too! Thanks, -Rick

I doubt anyone will believe me, but I just got this Pacific acrylic snare in a coke bottle green that sounds eeriley like the 70's Fibes BR snare I once owned. It has great snare response, a great crack and can get loud if you need it. The snare was at a good used price, so I picked it up, I never expected it would sound so good. I'm going to use it as my main snare and it looks pretty cool with my Slingerland green satin flame kit.

Rick!

I was able to see BR play LIVE 5 times between 1973 and 1978, and with both performances I caught in 1973, well... there was the Fibes SFT 690/COF sitting proudly behind his Slingerland's! I remember this so well as it is indelibly marked it my memory: That Fibes snare drum got over his big band like no drum I had ever heard. Of course I had NO IDEA what it WAS at the time, but I knew it wasn't a Slingerland snare drum as I had a nice close look at it during the break between the band's 1st and 2nd set. About a year later.. ( while I was attending Berklee College of Music in Boston ) .. I was able to get into what Fibes was all about... and ended up buying a set! Alan Dawson and Billy Cobham also had something to do with wanting Fibes in addition to BR, but I digress. Anyway...

I kept the 1973 Fibes SFT 690/COF, and only discovered much later that Buddy had played Fibes earlier in his career as well. I actually have a pic in my collection of BR sitting behind his Rogers Buddy Rich Celebrity's with the prototype Fibes 690/COF snare drum! I also have pics/film of BR playing the entire Fibes COF set in 1967... and they sound great! Buddy HATED the Fibes drums though, except the snare drum of course. He thought the rest of the drums were thin and lifeless... but not that snare drum though!, as he continued to play that drum right up until returning to Ludwig in 1977, and for the 3rd and last time at that. So...

The hunt began for an ORIGINAL Fibes SFT/690 Buddy Rich model with prototype throw/butt as I had indeed seen this drum in pics. I swear it took over 5 years to find ONE!, and that drum was all there, but needed a restoration... the results of which you have seen in the pics I put up. VERY RARE. Near impossible to find as again, not that many were built in this configuration. I had to have one for the BR snare drum collection though as otherwise it would be incomplete. Buddy played that model more than long enough to qualify for the collection. Thing is, I also LOVE the drum! I like it better than the full production model as again... it's just a "taste" drier, but still retains that COF sensitivity.. articulation.. and projection. Note that the shell depth is a little more shallow as well back in the 60's. It was a true 5X14, whereas the final production 10 lug/SFT model is 5.5X14.

Stephen!... sorry if this thread was hi-jacked, but I thought you might enjoy some of the back story on BR and this particular model snare drum too!

Tommyp

I know I enjoy the back story! When it comes to a Fibes snare, the back story really is BR.

I have the video of BR playing on a full (chrome) set of Fibes, on the Mike Douglas Show. I'd agree, a little thin. Not sure why, either - you'd think they'd project like nobody's business.

I have friends (a writer in the biz, as well as a former player who knew BR) who both say that BR used Diplomat heads on everything, including toms, and that could account for it. I've never had that confirmed by anybody else, though.

Thanks again - I always enjoy your "BR moments". I for one would love to see those pics of BR behind a Rogers set with his Fibes - I recently blogged about that and was asked who was my source. A pic is worth a thousand words!

Stephen - good luck on your search for a perfect Fibes!

Rick!

So sorry that you blogged... and then "they" wanted your source! Problem is, "they" are going to have to wait because... I have a HUGE article/presentation upcoming where I am going to show a lot of these hardly, if ever, seen pics of Buddy using different snare drums with his Rogers!, and to a smaller degree, Slingerland sets. I have been researching/collecting this stuff for DECADES! I honestly believe that a lot of this is "one of"... as a few of these I haven't ever seen anywhere else. Then there's my "Buddy Rich Snare Drum Collection" in which I have collected ALL the MAIN snare drums Buddy played between the years of 1950 and 1982. There are 14 snare drums in this collection, and a few would be near impossible to find today, especially in this condition! ALL these snare drums are near MINT condition. This collection will also be displayed/presented in the near future. As to "they" wanting to know your source, well... patience is a virtue! By the way...

... I do believe that Diplomats WERE the head of choice for BR early on, but... I had the opportunity to CLOSELY examine his drums back in '73, and all the heads were Ambassador weight. But you know what... I'm sure that changed based on what was available when heads were needed too. It's probably not an absolute. Fun stuff regardless! Oh!... I also have the MD shows featuring the Fibes set, as well as still pics with the Fibes.. ( one of's ) .. and his Ed Sullivan performance with the Fibes, and it goes on and on, and on, and on, and...

Tommyp

I am a huge fibes fan. no fiberglas(yet), but a complete marine pearl 1999 5 pce and a corder concert tom 5 pce all maple shells. i have purchased lugs to put bottom heads on the corders. i like the diamond shape of the lugs and the quality

Amazing Fibes background, especially on the snares. You have an incredible collection. The most complete info I've read.

I have a 1970's Fibes fiberglass kit,that was my first kit, in a brown & black marble color (not sure of the color name). It's still in great condition and sounds incredible. I just picked up a 1970's fiberglass/chrome kit and it came with a matching snare. The drums and snare are in great condition. I was so unbelievably happy to get the snare. It works perfectly and I have, what I believe to be, the original snare wires. I'm trying to find pictures of the snare side of the snare drum so I can make sure it's complete and how it goes together. I want to hear the awesome sound of the snare...