The Dahlen Company
Sometime in the 1990s, Bill Ludwig II told me something that, at the time, just stunned me.
I was given my first Ludwig drums in 1964, and have only played two brands of drums in front of the public (unless I “Sat In”), even though I have owned and played every major new and vintage brand made. I was a “Ludwig Man” and a “Rogers Man”. My snare drum of choice, for the longest time was the Ludwig Supraphonic, AKA “the 400”.
It is probably the most recognized (and copied) snare drum ever made. I named it the number one snare drum in my Top Ten list for Modern Drummer in 2004. Who even can guess how many of these drums have been built since the introduction in 1959? This is a snare made of aluminum or brass or bronze or as the basis for the equally famous Black Beauty. I simply love this snare in all of it’s forms.
What did Bill Ludwig tell me?
He told me that Ludwig never built one Supraphonic! The shells were outsourced to a Chicago company known as the Dahlen Corporation. It was a big seceret.
Dahlen is gone but Ludwig still out sources the Supraphonic. Ludwig just assembles them. Dahlen also made snare shells for Slingerland and Camco.
If you would like to learn more about vintage drums,
then I invite you to order my book for Modern Drummer. We’ll send you an autographed copy of
The Great American
Drums ! Email us for details. | |
