Leedy speedway strainer info

[P-pangdrums]

Hi!
I’m about to pull the trigger on a 30’s Leedy snare with speedway strainer. The strainer is complete and in working order. Having never used a snare with this strainer I have a few questions:
-Is this strainer fragile and prone to breaking?
-Is it a reliable strainer or will it disengage during playing? I’m not a super heavy hitter but I play mostly rock and pop, hence it needs to able to take a bit...

Anyone have experience with this particular unit?
Any help is much appreciated!

/Jonas

[Mike Curotto]

-Is this strainer fragile and prone to breaking? Yes, these are the worst strainers as far as reliability and performance. A lot of times the grommet connecting the arm will be broken or missing. This is an easy fix btw. In your case it is a good thing that the strainer is working.

-Is it a reliable strainer or will it disengage during playing?
Not reliable at all in my opinion, they don't engage well and are just a lousy strainer.

On the positive side...it's original equipment and keeps the value of the drum in place. If you plan to play the drum I would look into fabricating some type of plate --not altering the original hole pattern though-- so another/better strainer can be added to the shell. You don't need strainer problems while you are gigging.

Just my opinions.

Mike Curotto

[P-pangdrums]

Thank you so much for this info Mike Curotto! Just what I needed to know. I’ve seen so many Leedy drums with missing speedways, broken ones or just unoriginal strainers. I figured something must be up. Now I know

/Jonas

[leedybdp]

Won't this one work for every day use?
This is by Gibralter for $21.95

Looking a little further at this apparatus, I have come up with a fix for it if--as someone posted somewhere else--the bottom hole does not line up correctly with the hole in the shell. One thin piece of metal can attach to the bottom bolt on the strainer. Then, another hole in the added metal strip can be attached to the shell.