Okay, these are some photos from the 2013 Chicago drum show and the pictures of this drum are posted here with permission from the owner who is a friend of mine. This is a drum that he pulled out of a barn (Literally farm fresh.) and restored to the condition that you see below. We have spent countless hours both on the phone and in person discussing this particular drum and have had several theories as to what it is and who the makers are but nothing conclusive has been determined yet. I know there are some historians on here that should find it very interesting at the very least so let the discussion begin.
The drum is an old "barrel drum" with a 25.5" head and 22" or 23" shell depth so if you include the hoops then this drum is almost 28" wide.
The tacks were black when he picked the drum up but after some cleaning it turned out that they were actually brass.
The label inside the drum reads
"O & H.L. Johnson
Lodi, 1802"
The heads on the both the batter and resonant side are currently goat skin.
Now here is where it gets interesting and the discussion can start. The next two pictures are form the resonant side of the drum.
Yep, those are snares and a snare bed and holes in the hoops to receive the snare gut. So, the question is.....................What is it?
We have a few theories but I am interested in what people here have to say about it before sharing.
Bop iT / Til U Drop iT.