When we think of popular vintage drum makers, most of us think of Ludwig, Slingerland, Leedy, and Gretsch. The mid-western cities of Chicago, Illinois, Elkhart and Indianapolis, Indiana were the original homes of Ludwig, Slingerland, and Leedy. C.G Conn acquired Ludwig & Ludwig in 1929, adding Leedy in the 1930s. This united the production in Elkhart, Indiana, but kept the names distinct. With Ludwig’s corporate offices in Chicago, Conn merged the two brands into “Leedy & Ludwig” around 1950. Slingerland started in Chicago, IL, and stayed there from 1928 until 1959. They moved production to Niles, IL, from 1960 until 1986. In the 1990s Fred Gretsch bought the Slingerland brand, then sold it to Gibson in 1994, who sold it to Drum Workshop (DW) in 2019. We can see that over time, drum companies have changed significantly. They have been bought, sold, and moved to different cities. In this article […]

January 2026 Issue