Just finished restoring this one. It's a WFL Chicago marching snare 10 x 14 The classic keystone badge dates it from 1955 to 1959. 6 single-tension lugs. Maple hoops with a mahogany multi-ply shell. Since it's a marching snare, it has two strap lugs. LOTS of WFL logos on the hardware. Nickel-plated steel, except for the center lugs, which are nickel-plated brass. We took her apart and restored her from the ground up. We cleaned and buffed the nickel hardware; retapped all of the tension rod threads; installed a new snare. Early Evans Parade heads. We sourced and acquired replacements for some missing hardware: two claws and one tension rod. There are two tiny holes next to the badge; probably for a clip to hold the drum key. No other extra holes. We didn't want to sand out the battle scars on the wood. We wanted to keep all the patina and character, so we mixed up a custom mahogany stain to color the scratches on the shell. Then we did a light French polish on the shell and hoops. Look at the photos for the condition. Got her all reassembled, tuned and adjusted. Plays very nicely and has tons of character!
Date:
Oct 22, 2026