cabalumnidrummer Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Tommy: After I had left Hawthorne, they did something with lights inside bass drums, in the mid-to-late 1970's. Similar idea: lights triggered by the impact of the mallets on the heads. Some of the guys in our Alumni corps were in then. I'll ask more about it this weekend. Pearlsnaredrummer -- No apologies necessary -- We're talknmg estimates here, but I'd venture a guess the weights might be even more than we're talking about if we ever got a chance to weigh them. My last year in the Cabs (1973) we had 12" X 15" TDR's in black, silver and red. Very nice drums, but very heavy! Our first Alumni corps drums were Pearl 12" X 14" free-floaters. Possibly one of the heaviest drums I ever wore! We got rid of them after a little more that a year, partly due to weight, and more to do with the sound. Just not what we wanted, even with Mylar heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearlsnaredrummer77 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Tommy: After I had left Hawthorne, they did something with lights inside bass drums, in the mid-to-late 1970's. Similar idea: lights triggered by the impact of the mallets on the heads. Some of the guys in our Alumni corps were in then. I'll ask more about it this weekend.Pearlsnaredrummer -- No apologies necessary -- We're talknmg estimates here, but I'd venture a guess the weights might be even more than we're talking about if we ever got a chance to weigh them. My last year in the Cabs (1973) we had 12" X 15" TDR's in black, silver and red. Very nice drums, but very heavy! Our first Alumni corps drums were Pearl 12" X 14" free-floaters. Possibly one of the heaviest drums I ever wore! We got rid of them after a little more that a year, partly due to weight, and more to do with the sound. Just not what we wanted, even with Mylar heads. Yeah, I think there are so many variations that it's hard to say about actual weights without considering all of the factors. For instance, when I was playing the 15 inch TDR, since we were a matched grip line, we used the xl harnesses. In the 80s, the xls held the drum in very close to the body, and I would suspect the weight was better distributed than the j-hook type of carrier. It would seem to be less of a pull on the lower back than the j-hook. While that set-up was popular (probably b/c you could use it with the old strap holder bars, so no hardware adjustment was really needed) in the 80s, it wasn't universal at the time. Another thing, I thought of is that for awhile in the 70s, some corps were using plastic see through kind of drums. A drum and baton corps that I taught had those drums, ten luggers, 14 inches, they had to weigh about six pounds-or less. Not sure who in DCI or DCA used the see through drums, but I seem to recall that someone did (it was a little before my time). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabalumnidrummer Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Those 'see-through' drums were Ludwig Vistalites. The 27th Lancers had them in the clear model, the Muchachos had the red, and the Schaumburg Guardsmen had the Amber color. I know they were also available in light blue (a local standstill/parade corps had them) and green. I don't know of any other DCI or DCA corps who may have used them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyfromhowardst Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Those 'see-through' drums were Ludwig Vistalites. The 27th Lancers had them in the clear model, the Muchachos had the red, and the Schaumburg Guardsmen had the Amber color. I know they were also available in light blue (a local standstill/parade corps had them) and green. I don't know of any other DCI or DCA corps who may have used them. There was a connection between the Guardsmen and the Kilties back in the 70's with members going back and forth--Kilts had amber Vistalights as late as '75, I wonder if those were the sames drums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabalumnidrummer Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 I don't know if they were the same drums or not, but I do know that the Guardsmen had them in the 1976 VFW Nationals here in NYC, the first time I saw them in person. That's around the same time they were becoming known for that now-famous KFC commercial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearlsnaredrummer77 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I don't know if they were the same drums or not, but I do know that the Guardsmen had them in the 1976 VFW Nationals here in NYC, the first time I saw them in person. That's around the same time they were becoming known for that now-famous KFC commercial. Wow, I had completely forgot the word "vistalite." As I recall, they didn't sound so hot, although I'm sure the drum and baton corps I taught didn't have the best available, lol. But they were really light weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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