ABOUT ME : A tiny footprint with considerable thump. Simply put I do not buy much. And the focus of what I do buy falls mainly within the 1960's, sometimes delving further into the past. And then I only buy the best and what I think can be transformed into something far better than its present state. I love winding the clock backwards as much as possible which means fully detailing without ever modifying. The considerable time and effort from dismantling to cleaning to polishing to prepping and putting everything back together again can be daunting. But when all's said and done and another cap gets flicked off the Guinness, well, the toils 100% worth it.

Speaking of not getting any better ... of the handful of vintage drums and guitars available in my shop, some of which you are simply not going to be able to find a commensurate instrument anywhere else. Except, maybe, in a museum or the finest private collections.

Check back ... you never know what might show up next.

And now a little something about this listing ...

Ludwig OYSTER BLACK PEARL Jazz Festival Snare

5x14" {actual shell depth is 5 3/8"} ~ 1964 #105288

SHOWROOM CONDITION

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Before I get into the finer details of this snare I'd like to say a few things about 1960's OBP drums. Every last one of them is anything of note simply because of Ringo. Furthermore, and arguably, they might possibly be an even a bigger deal if Ringo had selected Pink Oyster instead. Because Pink Oyster was about as DOA as Oyster Black Pearl (and now Pink Oyster is way rarer than OBP): from their inception in 1959 these wraps (among others) were considered the unfortunate red-headed step children that nobody wanted. Then bingo, Ringo! come 1963 with his 1st Downbeat kit. Except, not so fast ... because no one really caught Ringo Fever until 1964 with the Ed Sullivan Beatles appearance. And then game over. Or, rather, game begun!

But that ain't so much a good thing as one might expect. Good and bad. And bad because production whipped into high gear because suddenly everyone wanted an OBP kit and with increased production came decreased quality control. So what does that mean in the case of this snare? What it means is that any OBP drum specifically produced between 1963 to 1964 (sorry, but if you go backwards with an OBP drum from 1962 to 1959 interest and value dip accordingly as it does for OBP drums built 1965 to 1970) is of particular interest to collectors since those are the dates of Ringo's first 3 kits; that and they are mother%$#*ing rare!!!

ALL vintage Jazz Festivals are special orders. If you see a Jazz Fest with any kit it was a special order. Oyster Black Pearl Jazz Fest (or Pioneer) snares are not all that common. If you were in a drum shop in the 60's and wanted a kit you were going to get Supraphonic UNLESS you requested a matching Jazz Fest, Downbeat or Pioneer.

The hardware has been cleaned & polished with Simichrome polish and is in VERY GOOD+ TO EXCELLENT condition with light micro-pitting of a few lugs. Extremely light fading to wrap. The wrap has been polished with NOVUS 1 & 2 and it is extremely smooth with a few light scratches that could not be completely buffed out. Bearing edges excellent.

Original COB hoops, original red muffler, original Ludwig heads and snare wires ALL in excellent condition.

Please view and listen to the video which will indicate the spectacular sound of this drum. You may wonder, Don't all vintage 60's Ludwig snares sound alike? Emphatically, no! One may sound far better than another that for all intents and purposes look exactly the same. This snare is one of the best sounding 60's Jazz Fests that I've had; it may be the best sounding.