Great news guys, I’ve decided to sell my house and purchase the gene Krupa Gladstone drum. I haven’t told the great news to my wife yet, it will be a surprise… she’ll be SO excited, and to top it off, I’m announcing it to her on our 20th anniversary day! Steve, I guess this one is pick-up in person only right? Or perhaps delivery by armored car? … OK kidding aside, this was a real treat, thank you so much Steve Maxwell and your great staff

All three are great... but that Krupa's snare. That's a complete new level of beauty.

Yeah, the drums. But, the mad skill of the drummer is what makes all this work. Well done Steve Sr.

That Buddy snare... What a gorgeous sound

Hi Steve, thank you for this incredibly rare comparison. The Krupa snare is just beautiful......but I can understand and hear exactly why the Bellson snare isn't going anywhere, and is staying safe with you. Fascinating channel, and so educating; congratulations. ❤

I can't play the drums, but THIS clip is one of many reasons i love watching them play!!!❤

Hi Steve, Bellson's and Rich's snare sound are the base line of what I've always used for over 50 years. That crisp thunderous sound that Buddy got to distinguish every single stroke of the sticks was unmistakable. Krupa's has that rock sound that's great for recording. Very rare and extremely impressive demo of having all 3 genius' snares all together! In all my years I've never seen anything like this. What a treat!!! Cheers!!

Gene's snare is outstanding. The overtone is so smooth and mellow from that drum, the snares are snappy, and the tone is butta! It is made for the record, it's a music producer's dream snare, just beautiful! Billy Gladstone, a master! 3:20 omg.

In 1996,I was a college senior working on my school newspaper as the arts and entertainment staff writer when I was asked to interview Louis Bellson for an article. I figured it might be five or six questions and last 20 minutes. I took my mom who was a fan of Louis. An hour later we concluded the interview. I could sense Louis wanted to keep talking but I told him I was on deadline. When the interview concluded he handed me his home address and asked me to mail him a copy of my review! Louis and his wife,Francine,couldn’t have been more charming! It’s a night I will never forget!

The Krupa snare has such a deep, almost tom sound to it. Such beautiful hardware as well. I just love the sound of the Louie snare though. It has a distinct aftertaste.

What an awesome demonstration and I am not a drummer although I am familiar with all 3 iconic drum legends. What a treasure to have all 3 snares together in one studio.

Thank you Steve. Great demo. I have always been a Krupa fan. He always played with such joy and enthusiasm.

I keep coming back to hear these drums and played so professionally. No endless rimshot backbeats here. Thank you.

Holy shit man...you emulated the styles of the original owners of those drums perfectly. I got to see Louis Belson in the 90s as a guest at a local jazz ensemble concert. What a monster. Buddy's snare is my favorite

Holy cow!! Not only I feel like a beginner now on a snare, but you also did open my eyes on how much important it is to listen back to guys from the past.

Man those super soft rolls are so smooth it looks like you're rubbing the drum It's like magic

Great demo... your skill in mimicking the figures that each one of those drummers used was superb. I had the privilege of setting up and chauffeuring Louie around for a weekend and he was kind enough to show me exactly how he tuned his snare which was cool because I was using a Dynasonic as well. Thank you!

I was fortunate to see Louie Bellson and shake his hand after the show in L.A. around the year 2000. Wish I could’ve seen Buddy and Gene live in concert as well.

Gene Krupa's snare sounded just amazing. In a category unto itself. Wow.

Terrific! From a 72-yr old former pro drummer. Or, in the words of someone we knew of, "How sweet it is!"

I lived in NW Indiana in the early 60's . One of my favorite memories was my folks allowed me to skip school to go hear Louie Bellson up in nearby Chicago . As a drummer myself I was in heaven .

Really nice job on the drums that was very tasteful and quite entertaining. 👍

Steve, you make all 3 of the those beautiful snare drums Sing Sing Sing!!!!!!!! Thanks for the demo

Excellent stick control Steve -- nice demo! Gene was the only one I never got to see live. Louie really impressed me, not only in his technical skill, but also in his musicality and enthusiasm -- a true gentleman.

Hi Steve. Ron Turner here in Seattle. We'll, the Three Kings would certainly approve of your royal treatment in showcasing their very personal instruments. Thank you so much for posting this. This is our Evolution! Our History! 🎶🥁

Beautiful drums all, and great playing on all of them. Yet, I could sense the familiarity and fondness you have with Louie's snare right from the first press roll that went on just a little longer because it sounded so good!

I love this comparison. What I would also like to see and I understand why you won't do it, is to do a direct comparison of them using the same heads and snare wires. Thanks again for showing your mastery. Your mastery and body language are unique. I mean this in a good way. You make this look so easy.

Love the “snap” of the Buddy Rich snare!👍

Wow Steve,! you have such (great skillful hands) 3 great sounding drums in your control, a truly great demo.

That Gene Krupa snare is gorgeous sounding

Epic! Thanx Steve, Rare opportunity indeed. Skal, 🤘 ^v^

I absolutely love Gene’s snare drum. It’s always been immediately recognizable to me anytime one of his songs comes on. That snare looked like the most fun to play. Great vid. Gene is definitely one of my favorite drummers period.

A lifetime of perfection, and both the drums and the performer.😊

Steve you are a Treasure For Sharing to all of us the treasures that you come across. I was amazed at your Chicago store with all those famous drum sets including buddy riches that I used to see in Indianapolis. Meeting you at the Chicago show was very exciting for me. I look forward to my next purchase because I believe in supporting people who support the drumming community My next trip is going to be Forks in Nashville I’m already counting the days

Bellson’s snare sounded the most wonderful to me. Lovely playing sir.

Wow amazing sounds from all 3 snares. I never heard that sound present and so clear. I heard them on the old famous drummers back then but the quality of sound wasn't that great the way it is now and I hear more sound and dynamics. Thank You Steve for posting this amazing video. Wow those snares sound like no other snare I ever heard.

Playing all three of them together would have to top my bucket list. Thank you, kind sir, for letting me live vicariously through for about 5 minutes.

That krupa snare. Exactly why I love gut snares, synthetic or natural.

I appreciate to listen to these snares through current audio tech to appreciate better their sound. And they all sound beautiful and warm.

Thanks for sharing. That's something you don't see every day. Wonderful drums. Amazing playing!

Very Interesting. I am a guitar/bass player, but I love learning about Legends of Music. Enjoyed your great playing. Enjoyed them all, but preferred the Buddy Rich in the center.

Love when you started playing all 3 together! Beautiful sounding drums and great playing

I was surprised that I liked the sound of the sound of the Gene Krupa drum over the other two. I never saw Gene Krupa in person. I had the good fortune to see Buddy and Louie live. I even got to shake Buddy's hand! Thank you for putting this together. I like how you added in some iconic Buddy moves while playing his drum. I assume you were doing the same on the other two but I am much less familiar with their playing.

Absolutely love the history behind these drums! Three of the greatest!'

Very cool idea. An honor!

And there you have it, a little etude on snare drums. Masterful.

It's amazing what percussionists can hear in their instruments that so many others can't, but yet it is all so very important to the music. That's not disparaging, as every instrument has it's fine points for the artists themselves to understand. It just seems to me that even a simple snare drum can have so many more variable and distinct sounds when compared to a trumpet, for example. I was playing my set one day and my roomie came in, having been drawn from the kitchen by the various tones I was making on the cymbals. I spent about a half hour explaining and demonstrating the various tones you can get out of a ride, hat , and crash in various configurations, strikes, and styles, and that HS choir boy was amazed at what he had just learned and put together that he had been unable to clearly see before. The tones were just there, but he didn't know the mechanics of them. Never stop learning and wondering.

awesome, I remember listening to Gene on LP back when I was first learning how to play the drums in grade school. I only wish I had been diagnosed and treated for my ADHD so I would have been able to study and learn how to read sheet music. I learned how to play the songs we played by ear and by watching others play the bits. I had the hardest time multi-tasking the whole playing while reading thing. If I couldn't memorize an entire concert of music I couldnt play it, so I just memorized entire concerts of music for our schools productions and marching stuff, and yeah, played at every football game, which was cool, I got to see every football game for free, but I digress... great video, you really know how to make those skins sing.

I don’t know much about drumming in any real technical sense, but I really enjoyed this demonstration. Spent a couple hours watching Rich/Krupa videos tonight, so this was really just super cool. Can’t imagine what those things sold for.

Wow, immediately in my top 10 of all time favorite KZfaq videos. Fantastic work. My wish list for the next three: Keith Moon, Art Blakey, Max Roach.

That was great...and it's Buddy's snare all the way. The absolute, quintessential, perfect snare sound. (Mr. Maxwell done knows his rudiments, don't he!! Well done!)

Amazing playing dude! Genes sounded different than most snares I’ve heard which is epic

Wow, the history in those drums. Amazing.

Extraordinary voicing emulating each master on his drum. Superbly done! Thank you!

Hi Steve. I've played just about every snare out there through 50 years and have always wanted a 7x14 . My main snare for the last 30 years has been the Ludwig Supraphonic snare 6 1/2 x 14 . LM 402 . 1972 model. When I'm playing a trap set , I play a Ludwig Acrolite 10 lug 5x14 . Krupa was my favorite drummer growing up but have learned from all the greats . Larry London, Hal.Blaine , Buddy Harmon were some of my favorites. Reason being , I didn't care to be the fastest etc , I played for the feel of the music . All genres . However I loved them all , Buddy Rich , Louis Bellson and You my friend . Awesome playing , God Bless You and Yours always, sincerely, Ben*Ben Adler

Muy buen video comparando las herramientas de 3 grandes. Muchas gracias por compartir. Very good video comparing the tools of three huge drummers of all times. Thanks a lot for sharing. (From Buenos Aires)

I still use my black rubber Billy Gladstone snare pad I've had for 45 years. Awesome video.

Thank you! Gene Krupa was my first drummer inspiration (amazing drummer) (The Carmine Appice) Got to see and meet Buddy Rich Clearwater Fla, in the 70s, and saw and met Louis Bellson also in the 70s...thank you!

Sir, you my friend are awesome! That brought a smile to my face! Very nicely done. Thanks for that.

Thank you , what an honour.👏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

That was cool and fun. I used to own a Rogers chrome dynasonic snare drum in the 70 & 80's

Hi Steve,man as usual presenting us yet another premium video.Great stuff. To me the winner is the Buddy Rich Dyna- Sonic.

Thank you for all that it's very good info for me my dad went to grade school with Gene Kruppa he told me to listen to the greats so we always watched Lawrence Welk every Sunday nite peace brother your a great stick man

That Krupa snare is a beast !

I love all three ! 3 great drummers. (Louie Bellson was my favorite of the 3) !

Very cool! Thanks, Steve!

That Krupa snare is just fabulous sounding. My younger brother Ron RIP was a huge Buddy Rich fan and had the Slingerland Buddy Rich signature snare chrine over wood. That drum was loud and would cut through anything, but also has great dynamics. Just a really nice snare. I don't know what it's worth but my guess is there might not have been a lot of that particular snare sold as most people wanted chrome over brass rather than chrome over wood so it might possibly be worth something. His grandson has it now and of course to him it is priceless.

What an interesting video! Though I’m a huge fan of all three drummers, I am not one myself, so I was ignorant that, besides manufacturer differences in drum kits, that individual drummers would “individualize” the snare! And while the Krupa snare is “dryer” sounding, my fav snare is Buddy’s - seems richer, no pun intended! Thanks for the comparison!

Beautiful drums and playing! I'd also like to hear how these three drums sound in direct comparison with the snares off, and how the batter and resonant heads each sound in relation to each other.

as a non-drummer...... this is sorcery!!! amazing

What an awesome display of snares. Thank you sir!

It would be interesting to hear that Gladstone with modern heads. The Dyna-Sonics rule here, though, especially Louie's.

Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni. I had the absolute pleasure of seeing him perform with Dom Famularo (RIP) at the Michael J Fox Theatre in Burnaby BC

All three sound great, and you sound great on all three! Beautiful! But the press rolls on the Buddy Rich Dynasonic? Amazing.

Wow! I see why the Bellson isn’t for sale! Sounds like a less in-your-face Rich. So awesome. Thanks for the demo!

Thank you Steve, Sir. Much appreciated and much respect for such priceless visuals and sounds. Your hands are incredible as well :)

A little back story on the Krupa drum. The photo Steve shows of Krupa was taken by bassist Milt Hinton. He included the photo in his book "Bass Line" and tags the photo with "1963 Thelma Carpenter session, NY". However Krupa scholars claim it was probably the 1963 Louie Bellson Gene Krupa "The Mighty Two" session also shown by Steve. The background of the photos is the same and based on my not finding a Thelma Carpenter session that included both Krupa and Hinton and that Hinton was the bassist on "The Mighty Two", I concur. The "dry" sound of the Krupa drum can be heard in "The Mighty Two" recording as both Bellson and Krupa execute rudimental passages. Being a loyal Slingerland endorser throughout his career, Krupa more than likely switched out the snare for the cover photo.

Excellent examples of stick control using the traditional grip we grew up learning

The holy trinity of snare drums. Great video is an understatement. Thank you!

One of the biggest regrets in my live selling my Rogers Dynisonic snare drum. I included it with the sale of my Pearl 5 piece drum kit for $800. I wish I had that snare drum still 😢

Great stuff Sir. Thanks very much for the demo.

Bloody wonderful. Thanks Steve for this amazing presentation of these Gods .

Very nice work! Excellent sticking! Thanks for posting!

Gosh, that was fun! Great playing too.

Magnificent video demo! A triumvirate of tonal splendor. Beautiful playing, Steve.

For Gene, the calfskin head gives that fuzzy warmth, almost complimenting the archaic recording methods of that time, the 20s through the 50s. The added shell depth adds to the warmth. The Buddy/Louie snares, the shorter shell depth and the plastic heads give a MUCH faster response, which is why they sound so clear and sharp, more suited to Buddy's intricate riffs (and Louie). I was dicking around in the 80s with whatever was on the radio then when my dad played Sing, Sing, Sing from the '38 concert for me. It was my only jazz album for the first couple years I was playing, so that calfskin head tone (and the legendary Krupa rimshots) is near and dear to me. 🤘🥁

I just love those old vintage Slingerland and Ludwigs!! Nothing like em!

When I was eleven years old in 1972, my mother and father took me to London Steak House in Chicago, where my father could feast on a massive porterhouse with a thick rind of perfectly-cooked fat and two massive broiled mushroom caps on top... and I got to sit ten feet from Buddy Rich and his band, listening to that ever-smiling genius making those skins sing. If you think the recordings you've heard of him were impressive, they can't hold a candle to him live. He might have been playing this exact snare drum that night, in fact. I remember it was a white trap set. As another surprise, seated at the next table was Maurie Lishon himself, the owner of Frank's Drum Shop on Wabash in Chicago. He was a big fella who loved his cigars, which were in custom-printed cellophane wrappers that read "Maurie Lishon -- Frank's Drum Shop". He gave one to my father. I had been a drummer for only about a year when all this happened, and my father -- an amateur drummer -- had been telling me tales for years beforehand and I had watched Buddy Rich on The Tonight Show lots of times, so I was WAY pumped for all this. My father would die from cancer less than two years later, in a hospital not far from the steakhouse, which itself closed, too. My mother went a little crazy and sold all my things including my snare drum (a Slingerland) while I was away at summer camp, and things were not as free and easy after my dad died, so I never played the drums again. But to this day fifty years later, whenever I hear Norwegian Wood played by a truly great horn section, I half-expect to hear Buddy Rich's unique style on the drums. And to see him smiling. Always smiling.

As I have said before, I could listen to Steve play and speak for days and not get tired. There's no no one who can touch him for knowledge and presentation. Steve, can I please ask how you knew how to set up each of those drums the way that the masters had them? In particular, are the two Rogers Dynasonics identical apart from setting them up? Many thanks.

An update someday with Neil Peart’s snare would be great. Neil stayed constant with an old Slingerland snare throughout his career and many kit changes. Great video!!

All three are beautiful but my ears preferred Louie’s snare. This was my first time hearing plastic heads side by side with calf skins. VERY enlightening! Thanks for a special video!

Damn... Krupa's snare is no joke...

Brilliant! Thank you.

Great demonstration, playing all three at the same time, really highlights the differences.

WOW! Krupa was my first drumming hero!

When he is playing Gene's drum at the end it reminds me of the synth drum sound at the beginning of "Hot for Teacher" 🤔

Love this! Was fortunate to meet both Louie and Buddy due to their relationship with my drum teacher Joe Pulice. All of them gifted drummers!

Great demonstration. Thank you.

Fantastic job contrasting the sounds so cleanly and stylishly! Informative and entertaining!

Rich used Fibes snare with the Rogers kit (early 70s). He asked Rogers could they better the Fibes but they couldn't. His later Ludwigs sounded superb