1937 WFL Dixieland Swing Twin Strainer Snare Drum

Intro - 0:00
History - 0:33
Demo - 3:45
Pre-restoration - 7:35
Credits - 12:25

During the mid- to late-1930s, William F. Ludwig and his crew designed and built the twin strainer snare drum, with two independently adjustable throws — one with 10-strand “sensitive coiled wire” snares, and one with 6-strand “wire-wound silk snares”.

This configuration results in four possibilities for snare engagement:
- Off (for a standard tenor drum option)
- Silk-wound only (very dry sound)
- Snappy only (full and tonal)
- Both silk-wound and snappy together (fat, yet crisp and articulate)

Marketed as the Ray Bauduc Dixieland Swing Model, these unique snare drums are the stuff of legend.It is said that William Sr. had filled up his station wagon with a bunch of these twin strainer snare drums and made the trek from Chicago to New England to distribute these drums to shops and drummers in the northeastern U.S.

I got this drum from its original owner out on Cape Cod, and although there’s no way to ever know for sure, I like to entertain the idea that it’s very likely one of the drums that William F. Ludwig himself had hauled in his station wagon in that famed trip from Chicago to New England in the late 1930s.

Model 405, 7” x 14” Wood Shell in White Marine Pearl

Apart from the obviously modern heads, the only non-original parts on here are the strainer’s snare-tension thumb screws (the drum came to me with only one, which was impossible to match, so I replaced them both with an appropriate facsimile), and the snare cord has also been updated (although, one end of the snares came to me with the original cord still present!).

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Informational Sources

Not So Modern Drummer
The WFL Twin Strainer Snare
May 16, 2017, Kurt Ekstrom
https://www.notsomoderndrummer.com/no...

Drum Forum
Late 1930s WFL Twin Strainer
October 2022, rkingston
https://www.drumforum.org/threads/lat...

1937 William F. Ludwig Drum Company Ray Bauduc Dixieland Snare
November 2015, lersch
https://www.drumforum.org/threads/193...

Vintage Drum Forum
1939 WFL 7 x 14 WMP/Full Dress Ray Bauduc Twin Strainer Dixieland Swing Model
February 2014 Modern Drummer article by Harry Cangany via Mike Curotto, April 2018
https://www.vintagedrumforum.com/show...

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Catalog Sources

Vintage Drum Guide
1939 WFL Catalog
https://vintagedrumguide.com/wfl.html

Drum Archive
1937 WFL Catalog
https://www.drumarchive.com/ludwig/

Olympic Drums
WFL Twin Sensitive
https://www.olympicdrums.com/wfl-twin...

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1930s Images, Video, Music Sources

FDR Image: https://www.britannica.com/money/topi...
Hollywood Image: https://theasc.com/articles/aces-of-t...
Big Band Video:    • Bob Crosby's Bobcats 1938 Ray Bauduc ...  
History Underscore: "Breezin' Along" Armand Hug & Ray Bauduc

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Fair Use Notice

This video may include copyrighted archival material, used here under the United States Fair Use Doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) and international copyright laws for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research purposes.

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Special thanks to Jeff Guerin. : )