Need help identifying Leedy & Strupe 14 x 6 1/2 COB snare

[Paul Belanger]

Greetings fellow enthusiasts,

Just got my hands on a really nice condition Leedy & Strupe, 14'' x 6 1/2'' COB snare. Pretty well kept, not pricey (paid 400 CAD, which is the equivalent of 312$ US), although the strainer is a Leedy 4 point strainer, not original. It does hide the original holes. Sounds like you would expect from a COB dating from the 30's.

I've been searching everywhere for information on L&S, probably came across all links you guys already know about (Not So Modern Drummer, etc).

Does anyone, anywhere, have a catalog or new information to share?

Attached are a couple of pictures of the drum.

I thank you in advance for your knowledge,

Paul

**************

1986 Yamaha Recording Custom 8 - 10 - 12 - 13 - 16 - 18 - 22
1972 Ludwig Maple Classic 14 - 16 - 18 - 26
Snares of various vintage years

 

[dtk]

nice score...handsome drum... I have no knowledge to lend...but keep us posted.

 

[richardh253]

Hi here's the little bit John Aldridge has in his great book "Vintage Drums" hope you can

expand the photos to read the text!

 

[Paul Belanger]

Good evening guys,

Thanks for the replies. From what I've gathered, there were a few models produced during the short-lived Leedy & Strupe era. The Dictator - I think history soon proved this was a bad idea for a name, especially considering the 30's... - which is not this model (because it had a wooden shell), but was considered the higher end model. Another model - which I think this one ''might'' be - was the Service Model. Only, I can't find any catalog anywhere that would come as proof of either models existing and, more significant, any picture of what their respective features were.

I think I didn't mention it in the original post: to add to the mystery, this snare drum has 8 lugs. Considering the era, 8 lugs snare drums were typically the higher ranked in quality, as opposed to 6 lugs snare drums.

Plus: every picture I have seen of Leedy & Strupe snare drums similar to this one have the butt plate somehow located around mid height on the shell. This one has the butt plate located in a more common place, near the snare side hoop. Maybe because it's a 6 1/2'' shell? I would not know.

Hoops are the stick chopper kind, COB.

I managed to take a picture of the inside of the shell (see attached), to show what the original - or not? - strainer holes looked like. The four bolts you see here are the ones from the 4 point strainer. I am in the process of rebuilding a 1st generation Leedy Broadway Parallel snare, and the slotted hole reminds me of this. So far, I haven't been able to identify a single strainer that would fit this hole pattern.

 

[richardh253]

Here's a L&S posting from NotSoModernDrummer.com 2.1.21

1936 Leedy & Strupe (L&S) Drum Kit — Not So Modern Drummer

One day in late 2020, I was doing my usual browsing through vintage drum-related social media posts and came across a 1936 Leedy & Strupe (L&S) white marine pearl drum kit for sale. This L&S kit consisted of a white marine pearl 14 x 28” bass drum (with calf heads), 9 x 13” t

www.notsomoderndrummer.com

 

[Paul Belanger]

Hello Richard,

Thanks for the link. I did get a look at the pictures of the catalog that are included in the NSMD article. The badges on the snares look like the one on mine. Only: none of the snares displayed are available in a metal configuration, they all appear to be wooden shells.

The search continues.

Paul

 

[campbellh]

Hello Richard,

Thanks for the link. I did get a look at the pictures of the catalog that are included in the NSMD article. The badges on the snares look like the one on mine. Only: none of the snares displayed are available in a metal configuration, they all appear to be wooden shells.

The search continues.

Paul

I have the 1936 L&S Catalog (and the author of the above article on the Dictator outfit). Please send me pics & I'll check through my catalog. If I find a match, I'll send you scans of the page. Bob Campbell: [email protected]

 

[campbellh]

Based upon the bottom snare gates, tube lugs, and hole pattern of the strainer, I would guess that this is a L&S Rhythm King snare (see catalog pic)...Best wishes, Bob

 

[Paul Belanger]

Hello Bob,

Just sent you pictures of the snare to the e-mail address you provided. Let me know if you need some more.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Paul