Small "Levon" set

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K.O.

K.O.

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A while back I picked up a Ludwig 14x20 single tension bass drum in natural mahogany finish. It's missing the badge but by the outline you can see it once had a B/O badge. Clear interior 3 ply so it's got to be near the end of the run for those single tension jobs. Anyway, it's cool.

I bought it with the idea that I could use it with my Levon Helm "tribute" set instead of the old 28" single tension drum I have. The 28" looks the part but would be a pain to haul around so when this smaller drum crossed my path I snagged it. Even though I have never taken the set out to gig with (yet!).
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Of course, finding this bass drum leads to "thoughts" of an impure nature. "What if I did a Levon style "Downbeat" set?" I have a marching single tension 10x14 for a "floor tom". But what about a 12" ? I do have one of the single tension 9x13 "Cub" model marchers....but a13 just won't do for this.

So I was working towards redoing an 8x12 shell I had laying around into the needed drum but yesterday luck intervened. I happened to wander into a little junk store yesterday and found the perfect drum. A 5x12 Ludwig kids drum from probably the 1930s. Single tension, wood hoops, maple shell. As soon as I saw it I thought "Oh no, what's this gonna cost me?" Fortunately it was only marked $65...and the store owner noticed me looking at it and offered it to me for $40! Sweet! Just the 12" wood hoops I was going to order from DFD for the other shell were nearly $50 each. Here's the real authentic made in Chicago (maybe Elkhart) deal.

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I haven't had a chance to do anything with it (gigging every night this week) but I think it's going to work out nicely. Honestly, while I guess I was vaguely aware that these existed I kind of figured it was a needle in a haystack sort of thing...but sometimes you get lucky.

I'll be sure to post pictures of the whole setup once I get a chance to set it up for an outdoor photo shoot (not too hot, not too wet, not too cold, not too pressed for time).
 
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I did something similar. These drums are actually part of my first set from when I was a kid. The bd is a 12x17 that was my grandfathers. I too was looking for a 12” but as you know they’re hard to find. I use a 13” and it works great (it was my first drum!). The “floor” Tom is 10x14. I recently added another Tom that is 10x15.5.
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multijd said:
I did something similar. These drums are actually part of my first set from when I was a kid. The bd is a 12x17 that was my grandfathers. I too was looking for a 12” but as you know they’re hard to find. I use a 13” and it works great (it was my first drum!). The “floor” Tom is 10x14. I recently added another Tom that is 10x15.5. View attachment 741345View attachment 741347
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Very cool!
 
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K.O. said:
A while back I picked up a Ludwig 14x20 single tension bass drum in natural mahogany finish. It's missing the badge but by the outline you can see it once had a B/O badge. Clear interior 3 ply so it's got to be near the end of the run for those single tension jobs. Anyway, it's cool.

I bought it with the idea that I could use it with my Levon Helm "tribute" set instead of the old 28" single tension drum I have. The 28" looks the part but would be a pain to haul around so when this smaller drum crossed my path I snagged it. Even though I have never taken the set out to gig with (yet!).

Of course, finding this bass drum leads to "thoughts" of an impure nature. "What if I did a Levon style "Downbeat" set?" I have a marching single tension 10x14 for a "floor tom". But what about a 12" ? I do have one of the single tension 9x13 "Cub" model marchers....but a13 just won't do for this.
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I'm a big fan of funky kits. Current set is '59 Ludwig bass matched with unknown {probably '80's} Gretsch toms. Haven't had one quite like yours, but this Radio King was pretty close. I did a lot of gigs with the 13/14 set up. One of the few sets I've tried to buy back. Bass was single tension, 22", cut down from 26 or 28. They sounded *so* good......
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K.O. said:
Of course, finding this bass drum leads to "thoughts" of an impure nature.
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Apparently not impure enough as those thoughts were answered.
That's gonna be a really nice kit. Photos when you have em.
 
I took the little drum apart today. It's quite well constructed despite being originally intended for youngsters. 3 ply with rings.

I removed a couple of black smudges on the outer shell and touched up a couple of spots where the clear coat had flaked off. Overall it's in pretty great shape for being probably 80-100 years old.

I'm usually mostly against modifying vintage drums but am toying with the notion of adding the center guide eyelets that most single tension drums have. It would ensure correct spacing of the rods around the drum and better match the other drums. It would be a modification of course. I haven't decided yet on how to proceed. I don't think those are the original rods and claws ( I didn't find this exact size in any vintage catalogs I have access to, but the similar drums had a more primitive tension setup) and these drums don't appear to be particularly valuable....but still.....
 
K.O. said:
I took the little drum apart today. It's quite well constructed despite being originally intended for youngsters. 3 ply with rings.

I removed a couple of black smudges on the outer shell and touched up a couple of spots where the clear coat had flaked off. Overall it's in pretty great shape for being probably 80-100 years old.

I'm usually mostly against modifying vintage drums but am toying with the notion of adding the center guide eyelets that most single tension drums have. It would ensure correct spacing of the rods around the drum and better match the other drums. It would be a modification of course. I haven't decided yet on how to proceed. I don't think those are the original rods and claws ( I didn't find this exact size in any vintage catalogs I have access to, but the similar drums had a more primitive tension setup) and these drums don't appear to be particularly valuable....but still.....
Click to expand...
I think I’d try discreet little markers on one of the hoops before I’d drill into it.
 
The beauty of single tension drums, especially with natural skin heads, is that everything balances itself out over a short time. The drums and heads settle into a kind of equilibrium. Little inaccuracies are not so important. You really should try natural skin on these; they make an enormous difference in sound. Either way it’s not realistic to expect a modern sound. They are what they are and that’s what makes them special.
 
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