A little GEORGE WAY love... I don't consider myself a collector but these things are mutipling! SHOW YOURS!

[Fat Drummer]

I know the moment I say anything dealing with Ron Dunnett it will elicit a slew of dissenting comments and thats fine, I'm a big boy and dont really care. I have found myself on the opposite side of Ron's position more than once and in fact, the only person I think I every actually argued with on DFO was him! But dang it, the man can build some feakin' sweet drums! I have always thought George Way was the godfather of the modern drum set as we know it today. So many things we take for granted came from his involvement and I love seeing the relaunch of the brand with such attention to detail bring so successful. I think Ron was THE man to resurrect this brand and I for one have been bit pretty hard.

I picked up a couple of new models this past week and wanted to share them here and ask you guys to post your GHW drums here as well. I grabbed this Rosewood model from our own Blase and it's pretty darn sweet....

2016 Way 14x6.5 Pantages Rosewood

2018 Way 14x7 Carter McLean Signature Model, 2 ply Acacia

2015 Way 6 ½” X14” Elkhart Copper

2013 Way 6 ½” X14” Tradition Birch

And for fun I added my 2018 Dunnett 5 ½” X 14” 2N Modeling Series Brass to the family photo. I dont even know if I will even keep all of these drum but I can assure you that they will all not leave my hand.

Just having fun with them tonight, so now POST YOUR GEORG WAY DRUMS.... OLD OR NEW

 

[MrDrums2112]

They are, indeed, beautiful drums. Congrats on a great collection, especially that Carter McLean snare. I used to have a 6.5x13 Aero snare and it was pretty sweet.

 

[Radio King]

I'm in full agreement with you, Fat Drummer. They are exceptional snares at their price point, and at one time I owned quite a few, as seen here. All gone now, but I would bring another into the fold in a heartbeat.

(Bottom L-R) (1) Advance: Solid Ply Maple; (2) Studio: Maple; (3) Studio: Maple; (4) Studio: Mahogany
(Middle L-R) (1) Aero: Aluminum; (2) Pantages: Rosewood; (3) Elkhart: Copper
(Top) Hollywood: Brass

 

[dale w miller]

Ronn makes some great drums.

 

[bongomania]

I used to have the Elkhart. Loved the shell and lugs, HATED the strainer and butt. I was on the fence for a while about drilling to fit a different brand of strainer/butt, and I almost did it, but I ended up deciding I had a couple other similar drums and I didn't need to "spoil" (for a purist) the Elkhart. Sold it. But it was practically a coin toss; I'm sure if I had gone ahead and modded it, I'd be here in this thread showing it off as my prize pig.

 

[Fat Drummer]

I'm in full agreement with you, Fat Drummer. They are exceptional snares at their price point, and at one time I owned quite a few, as seen here. All gone now, but I would bring another into the fold in a heartbeat.

(Bottom L-R) (1) Advance: Solid Ply Maple; (2) Studio: Maple; (3) Studio: Maple; (4) Studio: Mahogany
(Middle L-R) (1) Aero: Aluminum; (2) Pantages: Rosewood; (3) Elkhart: Copper
(Top) Hollywood: Brass

See, THAT right there is what has me worried.... I go from none to a pile like you had!! What a beautiful collection you had! A wonderful mix of sounds and material as well... and you did not keep a single example?

I used to have the Elkhart. Loved the shell and lugs, HATED the strainer and butt. I was on the fence for a while about drilling to fit a different brand of strainer/butt, and I almost did it, but I ended up deciding I had a couple other similar drums and I didn't need to "spoil" (for a purist) the Elkhart. Sold it. But it was practically a coin toss; I'm sure if I had gone ahead and modded it, I'd be here in this thread showing it off as my prize pig.

I agree with you on the strainer... I have made peace with it but it's a little of a nervous peace. I truly like the vintage vibe of it and I think Ron's updates made it very useful and dependable but I am a ribbon guy and the string arrangement is pretty different, even from normal string set ups. But I am OK with it... so far. I agree, I have thought about changing a strainer on one but just like you, I dont want to change the instrument for future owners.

 

[Prufrock]

Lots of nice George Way drums in this thread! The OP asked for new and old drums to be displayed, and since I don't see any old ones yet, I thought I'd post a few for comparison. First are a couple of 6.5" Aristocrats with 3-ply Jasper shells. Next are four Studio model drums from the year or two just prior to George Way being taken over by Camco. These six-luggers with 4-ply Jasper shells are the first drums to have the streamlined "Tuxedo" lugs (there were other models advertised in the 1961 catalog, but I have only seen these on the 6-lug Studio models). The previous posts commenting about the strainer on the new George Way drums is interesting, since that "Economy" strainer NEVER appeared on any original George Way drums; it was only something that started showing up on Camco "Studio" model drums once the takeover happened. It is often referred to as the "George Way" strainer, and perhaps he designed it (although I have not seen the evidence for this yet). Up until the last year or two of production, Way used the same "Precision" (later named "Aristocrat") strainer for both the Aristocrat and Spartan lines of drums. For the "Tuxedo" line he designed a new strainer called the "WayCo." It actually works more like a Camco strainer (either the "trapezoidal" or round "Aristocrat" strainer), and I've never had a problem with one. As soon as Camco took over, the "Studio" line received the "Economy" strainer. Anyway, I love playing the tuxedo lug Way 6-luggers - excellent sounding drums with a strainer that works just fine; you can also crank the tuning, which you can't do with early Way drums with turret lugs, since they tend to "volcano" and crack. The green sparkle drum is one I play all the time. It can do just about anything.

 

[Buffalo_drummer]

I really loved the sounds I've heard online of the Aero model. The strainer system did make me think though. What's your experiences with it?

 

[Radio King]

See, THAT right there is what has me worried.... I go from none to a pile like you had!! What a beautiful collection you had! A wonderful mix of sounds and material as well... and you did not keep a single example?

Haha, thanks! I know what you mean. They just multiply. A couple of years ago, I embarked on a pretty ambitious snare drum purge, and the Geo Ways got caught up in the frenzy along with the others. I'm down to about 11 or 12 "keepers" now.

Out of all of them, the ones I probably miss most are the Advance solid ply maple 6.5x14 and the Hollywood COB 5.5x14. Man, they could sing. But they were all great snares.

I agree with you on the strainer... I have made peace with it but it's a little of a nervous peace. I truly like the vintage vibe of it and I think Ron's updates made it very useful and dependable but I am a ribbon guy and the string arrangement is pretty different, even from normal string set ups. But I am OK with it... so far.

Regarding the minimalist strainer, Dunnett made a video demonstrating the proper stringing method.

 

[wayne]

I get confused between GW and Leedy and Strupe. Was there an association between these three builders, and then a bad break up at some point?

 

[Fat Drummer]

I get confused between GW and Leedy and Strupe. Was there an association between these three builders, and then a bad break up at some point?

Yes, he was instrumental (sorry for that one) at Leedy for sure. Here is a nice quick article on him from Modern Drummer, but I would strongly recommend Rob Cook's book for more detail.

The George Way Drum Company - Modern Drummer Magazine

George Way may not be a household name to all drummers, but he was one of the greatest innovators in American drum history. From his first venture, Advance Drum Company, to working with George B. Stone, Leedy, Amrawco, Slingerland, Rogers, C.G. Conn, Leedy & Ludwig, and eventually his own...

www.moderndrummer.com

 

[dirtysicks]

I used to have a George Way Solid Maple that was great. I ended up selling it because at that time I was on a DW kick. I just kept adding and adding DW drums as DW was just “the best” in my mind at the time. I kept the DW Super Solid instead and then when the DW lure wore off, I regretted that decision. DW makes some amazing drums but for whatever reason other snares over the years just spoke to me way more and over time, I ended up selling and replacing my entire DW collection... should’ve kept that Peart R30 Edge tho.

 

[Fat Drummer]

Hum, I see what you did there... carrying the Way idea through it's logical conclusion to Drum Workshop. A nice DW collection to be sure.

 

[bellbrass]

Yes, he was instrumental (sorry for that one) at Leedy for sure. Here is a nice quick article on him from Modern Drummer, but I would strongly recommend Rob Cook's book for more detail.

The George Way Drum Company - Modern Drummer Magazine

George Way may not be a household name to all drummers, but he was one of the greatest innovators in American drum history. From his first venture, Advance Drum Company, to working with George B. Stone, Leedy, Amrawco, Slingerland, Rogers, C.G. Conn, Leedy & Ludwig, and eventually his own...

www.moderndrummer.com

I took a suggestion posted elsewhere on this forum and bought the book about George Way by Rob Cook. It was a wise decision - I love it so far.

 

[bellbrass]

I have a George Way Tradition mahogany 5" x 14" - I love that drum. I really like what Ronn has done with the George Way name. He has made a lot of effort to stay true to the tradition and the name. He could have easily parsed it out to cheap drums that bore no resemblance to the George Way drums of yesteryear. Instead, he took the higher road.
I'm waiting for the day when he issues a kit with maple/gum 6-ply shells & reinforcement rings. I'll be all over that one.
Oh, and by the way, he's making kits that feature lugs that are very similar to the Aristocrat (Camco) lugs.
Take a look at this inside label...classy. Nice move.

 

[Fat Drummer]

I like that throwback tag, I assume that is for the Advance Aristocrat Snare? The only Way snare I have ever had with a tag is the Carter McLean sig model....

 

[bellbrass]

I like that throwback tag, I assume that is for the Advance Aristocrat Snare? The only Way snare I have ever had with a tag is the Carter McLean sig model....

It was on eBay; solid-shell maple 6.5" x 14" snare....not sure of the official model name.

 

[Fat Drummer]

The one I let get away...

 

[bellbrass]

The one I let get away...

View attachment 411065

Looks a lot like the one I have.

 

[Fat Drummer]

Looks a lot like the one I have.

It could be maybe? Mine was signed by Ron and given the name "Wayford" best I remember in silver Sharpe inside.