Two Classic Snare Drums-The WFL Ray McKinley Snare & The Ludwig 1920's "Special" NOB Snare

Here is a video primarily about the WFL (William F. Ludwig) 14'"x 6.5" Ray McKinley snare drum. This was listed as No.902 Symphonic Super Classic in the late 1940's and early 1950's catalogs. There are rumors that Buddy Rich played on this drum for a short time in the 1950's.
This snare features a 3 ply mahogany shell with maple reinforcement rings. It also has the Ludwig P87 Classic strainer which is my favorite early strainer used by any drum company. It is very functional and tough and I have never had one break. The drum has 16 NOB (nickel over brass) lugs and no internal muffler.
I show you the drum, inside and out and then play it next to a 1920's Ludwig NOB snare that has similar characteristics even though it is a metal drum and has gut snares. They are both dark sounding drums and they have a different sound then most modern snare drums. This comparison will show you how much softer the Ray McKinley drum is. If you are in the market for a dark quiet drum this is the one for you. You can also hear the sharp attack that gut snares can create on the 1920's Ludwig drum.
If you want to skip all my gabbing and hear the drums you can skip to 13:10 in the video.
Time Stamps
0:00 Drum Description
13:10 Drum Demo