Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Beverley Super De Luxe (New Standard) snare, circa 1964


In early 2017 I snapped up a Sonor Vintage Series with Red Ripple Delmar wrap. A few months later a similarly wrapped Beverley snare popped up on eBay UK that seemed to be begging to be united with my Sonor kit. 

The snare looked a bit rough, but the seller claimed that the wrap was intact and that the drum seemed to have no major issues. Fortunately the seller was totally correct. The drum arrived quite dirty, but everything was in working order. Within an afternoon I had it cleaned and polished. 

Before and After - Same light conditions
I was particularly impressed by the ultra-smooth birch shell, with the usual Premier-style beech rings. Also worth noting is the extra deep snare bed. I'm not enough of an expert to tell you the measurements, so I posted a shot below. Most of the little "star" washers broke apart when I removed the lugs. Not the end of the world.

Lovely birch shell with deep snare bed (top-right), before clean-up

Fortunately the snare matches the much newer Sonor kit almost exactly. The Sonor's Delmar Red Ripple wrap has a bit of a brighter overall tone, but the Beverley wrap has held up incredibly well and has plenty of shine. 

Sonor Vintage Series with Beverley Super De Luxe Snare
Click for higher resolution - Notice some chrome pitting
Foe even more photos, you can visit my gallery on OneDrive.

As you can see in this 1964 catalog, this model is indeed "Super De Luxe" despite the badge that says "New Standard."
1964 Beverley catalog
Regarding the name of the wrap, at first I thought it was Oyster Wine, but Joe Cox pointed out my mistake. Now I'm thinking it is Sunset Pearl. Drop me a note or leave a comment if you know the definitive answer!
Sunset Pearl listed in a 1964 catalog (BE = British Edition?)

And the sound? Superb. Fat and woody at medium/low tuning. The snare has high rims, so I have to focus on hitting the center lest I hit too many rim shots. Also, the high triple-flange rims don't work with a Sonor slotted key. I have to tune it with a screw driver.

A little video...

4 comments:

  1. In 1973 I bought a 4-drum Beverley kit in that finish. I understood it to be red oyster, but maybe I'm wrong. Now considering a Sonor Vintage kit in that same finish. Full circle - seems appropriate!

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  2. Very interesting topic, thanks for posting.
    Super blog! buy rollup drum

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  3. I have just purchased a Beverley New standard 12 inch (think it is a snare). Got it from a junk shop. It is the colour on pictures (deep red colour) in excellent condition apart from the skin on the bottom which has a very small tear. Any idea what it is worth.

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