There a quite a few singles and sets from the 60's that surface and/or are advertised for sale that use the words Club Date(s) to identify them. I want to present this article to give some expanded information on them in case you find a set for sale.

But first, let me make a statement about modern drums. Today's drum manufacturers are a little bit like car builders. Chevy has at least five or so models that stairstep up in price. You can buy an $11,000 Metro or you can buy a $45,000 Corvette. And there are lots to choose from in between.

Likewise, Pearl can sell a Forum on one end, all the way to a Masters on the other with four additional choices in between.

And now... back to the Club Dates. Back in the 60's, Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers, Camco and Gretsch only made one shell and the buyer got to make a hardware choice. That was all there was to it. Either get separate tension lugs at the top and bottom of each tom tom and bass or have a snare lug placed in the middle of the shells and use longer rods to attach the heads. The shells were the same as those on the more expensive separate lug models, but the overall prices were lower. In both examples the drums were tightened using separate tension.

The only variant was a limited number of sizes. Ludwig offered 14x20, 14x22, 8x12, 9x13, and 14x14. For awhile in the late 50's to early 60's a 12x15 was available. Slingerland called their version the Stage Bands; Camco used Tuxedo; Rogers used Tower; and Gretsch used Renown.

But, or course, Ludwig's name became the one that is used for every company's example. So if you see the words "Slingerland Club Dates", you'll know what they are.

They will sound just as good as their "big brothers" but won't be worth as much. If you buy a set unseen, be sure you ask about the snare drum. Many Club Date sets have six lug snares. And just for information sake, ask about the bass drum rods to make sure that two of them thread into each lug in the middle of the bars. There are some single tension relics out there. Single tension drums have practically no value because the heads cannot be tuned independently. A single tension bass will have one long rod with a T handle on one end and a threaded hook on the other. The lug in the middle is hollow or there's only a stud.

Last bit of caution- the floor form brackets, the lugs themselves and the ride tom mounts are often lighter weight (and cheaper) versions that those on the pro drums.

So now you know. There's more information available in my book for Modern Drummer called The Great American Drums ! . E-mail us today or call our order line at (888) 594-3786 and we'll make arrangements to send you an autographed copy.