How to Age Sonor Drums
- 1). Look at any Sonor badge or stamp that appears on the exterior of your drum. A stamp including a year and the phrase "J. Link" dates the drum to between 1900 and the 1930s. A triangular stamp with the word "Sonor" inside dates the drum to the early 1940s. A triangular badge was used in the 1940s, and a text-shaped badge was used in the 1950s. Since the 1950s, a variety of rectangular badges have been used.
- 2). Examine the metal hardware attached to the drum shell. At different times in the company's history, Sonor used different types of drum hoops, snare strainers, throwoffs and lugs. If the badge does not help you date the drum, the hardware may provide clues. Sometimes drum companies used old hardware on new drums -- for example, using leftover lugs from the 1930s on drums produced in the 1940s.
- 3). Look for a serial number on the drum. Where a serial number is present, the date of manufacture can be pinpointed. From the 1970s onwards, serial numbers were stamped on the badges of Sonor drums.
- 4). Use your drum key to completely loosen all the key rods, then remove the drum hoop and the drum head. Look inside the drum shell -- the date or even day of manufacture may be stamped on the wooden shell.
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