SOLD. Here is an unusual drum. Wood dynasonics are rare in any size, but the 6.5x14s are the rarest of all. The collectible wood dynas were built during the swivomatic era circa 61-72. Wood dynas in sizes 5x14 are hard to find and the 6.5x14s are the least frequently seen. We have handled over 50 wood dynas in the past five years, but of those drums only 6 were 6.5x14. During the swivomatic era wood dynas were not offered in natural maple. Later during the Big R era of Rogers wood dynas were reintroduced for a short time. During the Big R era the shell structure was different and the only finish option was natural maple. The Big R era drums are not highly sought after, unlike the swivomatic era drums which are highly desired.  

During the swivomatic era Rogers would have built a drum in natural maple if the customer requested it, but there are no records to support any such orders. The drum we have is a swivomatic era 60s drum, serial number 10172 and the finish is natural maple. Initially, our thought was that perhaps this drum was a special order that had been finished in natural maple, however, after examining the drum extensively my opinion is that the drum originally would have had a pearl wrap and has since been refinished. However, the refinishing job is very old and was done very well. The work exhibits the usual checking you find in a lacquer finish that has aged for many years. It is an extremely good job and looks as if it could have been factory-done, but there is no evidence to support this. There are NO extra holes in this shell at all. There are some slight inner ply splits in the area around the grommet and in the panel to the left of the grommet as shown in the photos, but these are very minor. The splits near the grommet may have been caused by removing the grommet at one time, however, usually when someone removes a grommet the drum often exhibits some extreme roughness on the inside areas of the shell by the grommet hole itself. In this case, it is at least a possibility that the interior splits may have been caused by splintering when the venthole was drilled. I've seen examples of fully original drums where sloppy factory work resulted in splintering around holes that were drilled. Given the larger size of the venthole, it is a more likely candidate for splintering if not drilled carefully.The slight split in the inner ply in the panel to the left of the venthole is similar to the slight splits around the venthole. Could have been caused by some splintering from drilling since the splits are near holes that were drilled. These are the only two imperfections on the interior of the shell. Also, the tacks which attach the Rogers script logo badge to the shell have not been removed from the drum. Normally they would have been removed if the drum was stripped in order to refinish the shell. Most tension rods are original. Top rim is not a Rogers rim, but finding one is very easy. Snare frame was missing when we got the drum, so we added one from our stock and used PureSound snares. Bottom rim is an original Rogers. This drum sounds superb, with all of the sensitivity and projection you would expect from a Rogers wood dynasonic, and the added depth of the 6.5 shell gives it extra body.

Fully original 6.5 wood dynas bring $3500-$5,000+ depending on the finish and condition. This drum is a superb sounding example of a very rare drum. And, the shell has no extra holes, which is a definite plus. Was the drum a special order, or was it once a pearl wrap that has been refinished? My sense tells me that the shell was refinished. However, it's tougher to make that a definitive statement for this drum since there are some plausible explanations for the interior splintering. Additionally, as we mentioned, the tacks for the script logo have not been removed, and the lacquer work is extremely good. If it is a drum that was refinished, the work was done a very long time ago and was done extremely well, so it is at least possible that the work might have been done at the factory. This is not a sloppy finish job by any means. So, there you have it. Interesting drum that raises several questions that suggest at least the possibility of a special order. We think this drum is an excellent item to add to a collection , or to use as a playing drum, and the cost would be quite a bit less than a fully original 6.5x14 wood dyna since we will price it under the assumption that the drum was originally a pearl wrap. All in all, a cool, rare and interesting piece that sounds great.   

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