Help Identify Field Marching Snare

[niart17]

Hey all, This is my first post here. I've been a drummer for a good 25 years. Never got into vintage but definately am considering it after seeing what you guys can do with old sets.

Anyway, I do have a question. I am trying to locate a field marching snare like the one in this photo to restore for a lady who used to march in this high school marching unit. The date of the pic is 1949 if that helps and the marching group started in 1939 so I'd imagine the drums are from around that period. I know this isn't the best photo to help but it's all I have at this time. Is there any idea of a manufacturer and time period this drum might be? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill

[SkyDog75]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like that drum might have hollow "airline" style lugs, which were used by Ludwig & Ludwig and Leedy in the '40s.

I've attached a pic borrowed from this page on the Cooper's Vintage Drums web site.

[tubelugs]

I think SkyDog nailed it. Separate lugs top-and-bottom are unusual for this era.

[niart17]

I think you guys are right. I have found a recent pic of one of the drums someone at one their reunions had and it too appears to have those lugs (the drum on the far side). I've never seen anything like that. I am assuming those would be very hard to come by? I have seen that Slingerland made a field drum in the early to mid 40's that had seperate lug casings, perhaps I could find one of those. Anyway, thanks again for all your help. If anyone else has some insight that would be awesome.

Thanks,
Bill

[SkyDog75]

Marching snares with separate top & bottom lugs weren't the norm before the 1940s. Looking at the catalogs on the Vintage Drum Guide, it looks like Slingerland introduced a separate lug model around 1940 and WFL followed around 1948.

But the lug placement on this particular drum is a little unusual. I don't think I've ever seen a marching drum with separate top & bottom lugs that were placed so close to the drum's center. And if it has those hollow "airline" lugs, it's even more unusual. I've been around marching drums pretty much my whole life and can't recall ever seeing a drum like the ones in your pictures.

If you're not looking for a perfect match, it shouldn't be too difficult to find a separate lug drum from the '40s or '50s. Ones from the '60s and '70s are pretty easy to find.