Sydney Recording Studio: To distinctly separate and identify each brand all the major drum companies designed and produced their own hand carved lug design. This new era of all wood drums was short lived though, as the end of the war virtually signified the end of solid wood shell manufacture.
Sydney Recording Studio: the Effect of World War II on Drum Making
World War II had forced the major companies, and their smaller less visible rivals, to experiment with wood in every means possible. The result of forced economic and resource restrictions was the use of Plywood as the major alternative in drum manufacture. Plywood gained rapid acceptance, it was cheaper and easy to use and soon dominated drum designs.
While all drum companies turned to plywood shell construction, Slingerland remained loyal to solid wood shell manufacture for the longest period, continuing to produce solid wood shells up until 1970 when they gave in to total plywood construction.
Sydney Recording Studio: the Early Drum Companies
The end of World War II also brought changes to drum company ownership. In the late 40’s the Leedy name, manufacturing tools and equipment were all sold to Slingerland. The Conn company which had dominated drum ownership and manufacture sold the Ludwig name back to William F. Ludwig who had succumbed to the lack of business in 1929, selling his interests along with Leedy and several other manufacturers who struggled with the times. This movement and shuffling of ownership in the market place gave rise to a new generation of drum companies, some of which had been living in the shadows of the majors for many years.
The companies Gretsch, Rogers, George Way (Camco) and Premier began to gain greater market share. Rogers became a leader in the design of new mounting systems with the Swiv-O-Matic hardware system and The Dynosonic Snare. Kieth Moons Premier drums were fitted with Rogers Swiv-O-Matic system hardware and mounts in the late 60’s and early 70’s, in an attempt to prolong the life of Premier drums subjected to Moon’s constant trashing at the end of live shows.
It wasn’t long before all the companies began to re-design everything, experimenting with hardware and drum configurations trying to catch-up on Roger’s reputation for quality.
Sydney Recording Studio: Drums in the 50’s and 60s
In the 50’s and 60’s music world wide was undergoing constant change. Be-Bop Jazz inspired and required the drummer to play smaller drums. Cocktail drum-kits became popular giving us smaller bass drums and more portable kits. Progressively the 24 inch, 26 inch and 28 inch bass-drums characteristic of early drum design gave way to 18 inch and 20 inch bass drums popular for their punchy sound, suitable for the music of the time.
