1959 duco pioneer snare

[clubdate64]

Picked up this little snare today.
5.5x14 maple poplar mahogany
black and gold duco.
trans badge.
WFL throwoff and butt.
wire in plastic snares.
Nickel hardware.
Feb 13 1959 (just in time for valentines day)

It doesn't have tone control, and I'm usually suspicious of trans badged drums, especially when a duco looks this good, but the wear is consistent. It had a really old remo snareside head, but the batter was a new G1 Evans, ant the snare cord was replaced.

When transporting it home I lost two little chips of paint at the scarf joint.

[clubdate64]

More pics

[clubdate64]

And more

[Olddrumgeek]

Nice vintage snare. I wonder what these sound like.

[clubdate64]

It's pretty open and "ringy".
I was expecting a dead or boxy sound but those edges are like new and the lack of plastic wrap combined with the maple top ply this thing sings!

I actually bought a Remo vintage A head to mute it a little.
There is no baseball bat or knob tone control so I'm guessing it's from a jobber style kit.
maybe it came with a single tension bass drum?

[mlayton]

Most it not all of my trans badge snares do not have tone controls.

Mike

[clubdate64]

Originally Posted by mlayton

Most it not all of my trans badge snares do not have tone controls.

Mike

Wow I was unaware of that.
I actually went into....Gulp, guitarcenter and this fat (5 1/2")little snare was in there waiting for me with a $159 price tag. I was worried it was a repro badged drum at first but once i flipped it over and saw mahohany and a date stamp, I felt a lot better.
I just know somebody only got 60 bucks for this pristine snare.

It wasn't a great deal but prettymuch market for a pioneer.
The real gag is that I paid almost $30 for new heads, but I will only buy US made Remo heads.
But that's another story.

[vintagemore2000]

Killer price on a killer snare drum.

[Starship Krupa]

Beuatiful drum. Very much like my similar-era Barrett Deems, which also has no tone control.

[Retrosonic]

Clubdate: GREAT score, wish it had happened to me! I'm looking for 1959 drums, especially Nov 1959 drums.

Guys: If you want to hear what one of these snare drums sounds like, play The Ventures 1960 version of "Walk Dont Run".....the opening drum riff is this drum in all its ringy glory!!!