The Other Duplex
I will have an expanded story in Modern Drummer on this
topic, sometime in 2002.
The first Duplex, based in St. Louis, in the
late 1880s by Emile Boulanger existed at least until World War II. That Duplex
was a small drum builder and the first company to market separate tension drums.
Then
the name disappeared... Then, sometimes in the late 1960s, it was either
resurrected or started anew by Henry Grossman, owner of Grossman Music. He had
sold his Rogers drum division to CBS and built a number of singles and sets
using the Rogers shells and finishes, but with different lugs and holders. These
were called Duplex.
I have seen only a few. The Grossman Company then
started importing drums using the name Dixie. Today, as a division of Trophy
Musical Products, Grossman still uses the Duplex name for imported drum parts,
snares and mallets.
If you'd like to read more about the first Duplex
and other American drum companies, order an autographed copy of my book for
Modern Drummer,
"The Great American Drums". |
|
