c.1920 George B. Stone 14" Snare Drum

Drums are one thing I really don't work on ever too often, but I found this fellow in a disassembled and grungy state and thought it needed to get back to business. This is a 14" snare made by the Boston manufacturers George B. Stone & Sons, and it was probably made around 1920-1925 or so. Patent date on the stretcher for the snares is 1909.

Badge on the beater side tension hoop. This drum is a single-ply maple shell with maple tension hoops and (not pictured) it also has its original flesh hoops if someone in the future desires skin heads on it. I've put a new pair of Evans heads on it and the sound is lush and big, especially tasty with brushes.

This drum was often sold as part of a set from their catalogs "back in the day."

I've spruced up the hardware (corrosion removal, polishing, etc.) and cleaned up the rim, and despite years of sitting around probably in the corner of a barn, the finish was in pretty good shape.

Here's the interior label seen through the snare side.


Nice looking maple on this drum.


I would love to make a banjo out if this huge pot... but I won't!

Due to a lack of original snares (they were sort of a wound cord back then as opposed to the wires we know now) I've attached just three strands of dead old classical guitar wound strings (similar to the wound cord, but not really "true") to hear how it sounds.

If anybody is interested in this, feel free to contact me. It's just hanging out in the studio at the moment.