I had always enjoyed vintage American drums from my first Ludwig Standard kit in the early 70s. I played a Pearl kit in the 80s for a while but it felt like I was wearing somebody else's shoes. Good kit,just not me. I stopped playing for a few years and didnt even look at drums. One day I was browsing CL and found a free Leedy 24" bass drum and fell in love all over again. I have 12 kits and 37 snare drums that I have picked up since August of 2010. I was bitten hard!

About ten years after I quit playing I decided to sell off my equipment. In the process of researching values I discovered there was a vintage market. That was more than a decade ago and I'm still at it.

Walking

Mine hit hard when I decided to take back up drumming after a long hiatus. I had bought an import set to get my feet wet, then a new set of Ludwigs (imports as well). I set up the Ludwigs, hit them about twice , and threw up.

This was not what I remembered drums sounding like in the 70s, for sure!

I sold the imports and Ludwigs as fast as I could, losing a good bit of money as I recall, and hit eBay looking for some 70s drums.

The first week, I found an outfit I wish I could have afforded to buy brand new in the late 70s, a Slingerland Modern Solo Outfit with all the original hardware. This was the set I drooled over in the catalogs way back when. I started bidding, and ran out of my money from the sales of the other drums before the auction ended.

I was beat by one bidder there toward the end, dammit!

I had joined this Forum probably a month or so prior, and what should get posted up the day the auction ended but RogerSlings' recent purchase on eBay.... he and I had been bidding on my beloved Slingerlands.

Turned out that RogerSling was only looking for the hardware from the deal, and was willing to sell the drums themselves to me.

He made me a Very Good Price on them, truly an act of kindness, and the drums sounded marvelous......

It was on then, and we have been friends ever since!!!

We've traded and bought from each other, and shared a lot of messages back and forth about drums and Life ever since.

The other pivotal thing that finished firing me up was buying my first Radio King snare from Vintagemore2000.

I answered a Clist ad right here in my home town, and turned out to be right around the corner from where I lived.

VTM had turned down selling the drum to eight other prospects cause he just felt it wouldn't be a good match for their purpose.

We had a long discussion about music and drummers and he sold me the drum.

Turns out, VTM has had the bug for thirty years, and was extremely forthcoming with sharing his knowledge about Slingerland and all other brands of Vintage drums. We've had many a discussion about all things drums and other topics during the past few years and have become great friends. We hang out or talk almost every day.

So, I guess it was really two acts of kindness, both of which developed into friendships that fueled my fire in the direction of re-kindling my passion for drums, and Vintage Drums in particular.

This Forum, also, has been an underpinning glue of knowledge and fellowship that helps keep the fire going on a daily basis as well.

I've met a lot of fellow enthusiasts and friends here in the past few years.... I wouldn't trade them for anything.

The Administrators have been generous with their guidance and knowledge to a fault with me.

Tommyp helped me acquire my first Dynasonic through a recommendation to a friend of his. He's been extremely helpful and supporting in many types of situations I've parked at his doorstep since then as well.

David and I worked together for a period of time going through all the posts and getting pictures posted directly to the threads so they won't get lost when off-site imaging hosts are changed or eBay auction pictures expire. That was a heckuva experience, one that can never truly be completed, but I got to read every post on the Forum, new and old, for about 9 months. Talk about a wealth of knowledge, these posts can be an immeasurable asset to anyone who cares to dig in and study them.

I love drums, and thanks to a sequence of events beyond my power to construct, I find myself able to participate in something I love every day.

HAVE FUN, BEAT A DRUM !!....:)

About 6 years ago I decided to buy a "beater" kit so I didn't have to worry about taking my DW kit into sketchy venues, on tour, etc. I came across a deal for a 1970 maple Ludwig kit on craigslist. I bought it and thought to myself, "Man, this thing looks like it's just slapped together! Will it fall apart?" As soon as I cleaned it up and threw some new heads on it, I was hooked! It's the same Ludwig Downbeat I play out to this day.

For the "deal" guys...I bought it for $800, complete with a random array of cymbals, crappy hardware, and a Pearl snare. After selling off everything around the kit, I ended up paying just under $300 for the 12/14/20 setup. I think this is also the transaction where I started looking for deals everywhere I went. Some to flip, some to keep, but I'm always on the lookout now...

Ahhh... A GHOST pedal. I've got the original one (pre Ludwig) I purchased around '71 or '72. I don't use it regularly, but every so often I drag the thing out and stomp it for a week or two. It's a great pedal when it's adjusted to fit your needs.

Legacy; ...it felt like I was wearing somebody else's shoes...

Ya know, I have picked up a few import kits from the 60's and 70's. I REALLY like the weird wraps! (My wife on the other hand...)

I don't mind setting them up every now and again and thumping them, but I always find myself putting those back in the bags and setting up one of the Ludwig's or the Camco after a short while. Your shoe analogy is spot on!

It all started with Listening and Collecting records from the 50's and 60's. Especially hearing Pretty Purdie's drum solos.D' Drummer

Fishwaltz, mine appears to be pre Ludwig as well :)

[IMG]http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.310537825.jpg[/IMG]

image from the add on etsy

Wow, those are some really great stories guys - keep 'em coming!

Kevins - thanks for sharing that. That's what I like most about the vintage drum community, the friendships that come out of it. Truly a great bunch.

caddy - ah yes, the 'Deal'. That's a whole other bug! That one bit me shortly thereafter as well. The deal bug bit me at a musical instrument auction where I went hog wild buying vintage snares, hardware and many orphan drums. I filled up a room and it just got worse from there (or better, depending on how you look at it).

Hee hee...

Yes, I know some vintage drum collectors who started out as vintage drum enthusiasts, and then transformed into deal hounds somewhere along the way. Now, it's almost as if the drums don't matter anymore. It's more about the thrill of the hunt and negotiating "the deal". Here's a conversation I had lately:

Them: "Oh yeah, I picked up a 1920s black nickel over brass Ludwig snare the other day for a great deal!"

Me: "Awesome! What's the condition? How many lugs?"

Them: "Um...I don't know. I'd have to check."

DOH

A couple of years ago a buddy owed me 200 dollars and change. Super nice guy, but I started coming to the realization that I would never see the money. One day he starts talking about selling a couple of his snares, and mentions a Slingerland RK he has. After a little thought, I offered him an extra 150 + relieve his debt (sight unseen) and the snare was mine the following day.

Needed a general cleaning & polishing plus heads and wires - she's seen quite a bit of battle, was once gold sparkle, now faded to ginger ale (at best), but the shell, rerings, edges, wrap seam, and strainer/butt were all in great shape. The lugs are all scratched and the hoops had quite a bit of corrosion, but I did my utmost to clean her up while respecting the history of the drum. She is now my go-to snare for recording, without hesitation, every time.

Here she is - she is the cause of it all!

[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/trackthegreyhound/Slingerlands/Slingy1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/trackthegreyhound/Slingerlands/Slingy2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g125/trackthegreyhound/Slingerlands/Slingy3.jpg[/IMG]