RISING UP TO THE CHALLENGE OF A WHITEHALL

Here I have a Whitehall snare drum with "Tiger's Eye Pearl" wrap* that I acquired in a transaction much too complicated to expound upon here.  I really don't feel like taking the time to explain it all and you wouldn't care anyway, so let's just move along, shall we?  I know you people only want to see the pictures.

After getting over the initial excitement of this rather rare and cool-looking wrap, I began to take notice of the obstacles I would have to overcome to successfully complete this restoration project.  Most obvious was the condition of the Strainer Assembly: not only rusty but missing the little pinch plate that holds the strings or the strap that "strains" the wires.  That little part was not something I could just hop on the internet and order.  That plate is usually unique to the assembly and comes as a component of the mechanism.  It doesn't have a separate part number or come in standard sizes.  I couldn't just order up a pack of those and have 'em handy whenever I needed one.  Nope, that little booger was a major loogie of a problem, pardon the phlegmatic analogy.

Apart from finding a whole new matching strainer to replace the existing, the only other solution was going to have to be the barbaric and horrific act of cannibalizing another assembly, something I absolutely hate to do.  However this was my preferred course, assuming I could find a similar Strainer Assembly with a pinch plate the correct size and with screw holes that lined up, and with screws that were the proper size and had the proper threading to fit the existing holes.  That's a lot of assumin'.

Continuing around the shell with my examination, I then came across this pair of small holes.  This is where the "muffler" should be, otherwise known as the Tone Control Assembly.  Many drummers carelessly remove this mechanism because they think it's unnecessary or superfluous (I guess), but that means there is a plethora of them for sale on Ebay, which meant it was highly likely that I would be able to find a perfect match for this drum without too much trouble.  Also, from my experience I know the two-hole muffler mechanism is quite common and simple to replace.

Now, moving along, what do we have here, class?  Can anyone tell me what is wrong with this picture?  We are looking at a Whitehall drum, remember?  So why does it say "Ludwig" on the butt plate here?  Hmmm.  Improper Butt Replacement Surgery if you ask me.  Egad!  Someone has stolen my butt and replaced it with an impostor!  How embarrASSing!  That must be rectumfied, pardon the anal assumption.

So that's my Distressed Drum Diagnosis: New Pinch, TC-Ass, Proper Butt, Thorough Clean & Polish.  I will also replace the old drum heads, well-worn wires and rusty tension rod washers.

Here is the drum after I have severely serviced it.  The wrap and the chrome are shining like new again, and a new Tone Control Assembly has been installed.  As evidenced in this photo below.....

.....the Tone Control Knob matches the knob on the Strainer Assembly perfectly.  Exact match.  Although there is still a spotty area on the strainer, it looks much better and has a new pinch plate to help secure the strings so the wires underneath stay tight and flush to the bottom head.  This creates a nice pop with no lingering rattle.

And finally here is the new Butt Plate that duplicates the one that would have been on here originally.  Another fine restoration perfectly executed.  My work here is done.
_____________________________________________

*Yeah, see?  You get it?  Tiger's Eye Pearl?  Eye of the Tiger?  "The thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of".....a Whitehall?  That's some topical humor there.  Quite witty.