Just to add my two cents, I have some of the Martin and pre-Martin Fibes drums including snares, and though the COF drums are certainly bullet-proof, there are a couple seriously weak hardware pieces.
The first is the tom mount, which is a pretty poor design and often fails and is therefore often replaced in the sets you find today.
The second is the SFT strainer, which is a piece of cast metal with a long hole drilled through the weakest part of the casting. It is strong enough if used properly and will last indefinitely if not abused, but there is a tendancy for an inexperienced user to grab it and try to bend it hard expecting it to work like others strainers do. The casting just can't hold under this abuse. This, I believe, is why the SFT strainer has often been replaced with another throwoff in the snares seen today.
The third weakness is the BD legs. They are actually a very cool design and work very well. But they need to be removed from the drum to pack up, and therefore are easy to lose. And they are unlike any other BD legs made (basically hollow chrome pipes with fittings on the ends to fine-tune length) and the different BD sizes use different length legs, so when they have been lost they are often replaced with generics.
Unfortunately the Fibes company stopped making and selling parts (unless someone knows something I don't).
BTW, the Martin Fibes company also made acrylic shelled drums as well as the COF; though I guess BRich never used one so they aren't as collectable. The shells of the old Fibes acrylic drums are stronger than the Ludwigs though, and less apt to crack or spider-web so worth considering if you want a Martin-era Fibes drum.
