Did all Valje have a band at the bottom

[kdarshan]

I've got a Valje that I believe is from the early to mid 70s. You can see in the picture that the rim has the Sunset Blvd sticker on it, and the drum is 31" tall which usually is a dead giveaway that it's an original Valje. But, there's no band at the bottom or any signs that there was one. So was this drum refinished? Perhaps the marks where the band used to were buffed out? Or were there Valje's that weren't made with the band at the bottom?

[No.2-1820]

More relevant to the age I believe is the address number, 3314 or 3312, one is an earlier address than the other, also Ralph can tell by the hardware. I can't remember the details though. Ralph will tell you if you call him and describe the drum.

Barrie

[bongosnotbombs]

Yeah give Ralph a call. He did tell me that on the inside of the drum, where the bolts for the lug plates go through, if there is a rectangular backing plate the drum is from the 60's, if it has typical washers the drum is later than that. Ralph did tell me that some of the earlier Valjes did not have bands, and that Tom added them later by request to "finish the drum off". Actually you can see in earlier photos that some Valjes had 3 bands typical of Cuban drums, these were also removed by customer request because drummers did not want to "scratch their clothes" on them.

Your drum looks a little different than most Valjes. It does not seem to be made from quarter sawn wood that is so typical of Valjes. Maybe this makes your drum an earlier one? Also this is the first Valje I have seen with a mounting bracket for a stand.

The bottom bands fr Valjes are just for looks, they never seem to be attached very tightly. I have an old Valje from the 60's and 3 of Ralph's newer drums, Resolutions. I talked to him quite a bit about these bands, because my Resolution drums were the first to feature bottom bands, previously Resolutions were made without.

Call Ralph at Resolution, he is a very nice guy and loves to talk about Valjes. He also makes one hell of a drum!

Here is a shot of my 60's Valje.

[Jerry Bembe]

The mounting bracket is a Gon Bops mounting bracket to a stand. Perhaps this is from the Flores an Mariano period?

Just my 2 cents

[Ernesto Pediangco]

Your Valje is missing the crucial bottom band , without it, the drum can & will crack easily ! This early model is from the original garage shop and is out fitted w/ a Gon Bops conga mount which if you find a way to complete a up graded version of the stand ( I have the mount ) is a better choice than Asian models w/ extended ears that scratch and dent adjacent drum shells. It is a great drum, but be cautious not to mount to thick of a head on it since the side plates lud saddles are known to bend out of position and damage the hook threads. I hope you find a match !? To make a new band ~ I would tape light carton board to the bottom circumference, very tightly and including an 2 " overlap ( representing the metal band over lap which was rivited ). Trim the excess off the bottom, measure and cut an inch & a half ( 1 1/2 " ) band from this template until it represents the original band. Now... lay it out flat & it will look like a curved blade. This is the shape to have cut from 1/16 th " stainless steel ( perferably ) and wrap it around the base of the drum, measure where it fits w/ the over lap. drill 5 evenly spaced very small holes in the center line of the band for the furniture tacks that will anchor it into place later. Now, you need to drill 2 holes into the over lap portion about an inch apart so you can use flat head rivets to join the band securely. It should resemble the original band now. use autu wax on the drum at seal the wood and lubricate the band for mounting. Press it on by hand after you align the overlap to be under the handle as a bench mark for any other bands to be simularly aligned. Hand press it on as close and tight as possible, next, use a wide strong metal plate laid over the band while the drum is upside down ( the drum head and hardwares should be on and tuned med. tight to keep this process from cracking the drum, a few adjustable starp should also be used at the waist to hold the drum tightky togeather as well at the waist ) Place the drum head side on a carpeted floor to cushion the drum. Now...use a hammer to tap the steel plates u placed on the band untill its flush w/ the bottom, and cont tapping while using a straight edge on the edge of the band , a bit passed the wood bottom., secure w/ furniture tacks, by pressing then tapping w/ a mallet or hard wood...not a hammer !

[Ernesto Pediangco]

The mounting bracket is a Gon Bops mounting bracket to a stand. Perhaps this is from the Flores an Mariano period?

Just my 2 cents

Ernesto says : All congas require a tightly fitted bottom band to secure the staves friom cracking ! Also, a cushion of rubber or nylon tubing / hose is usefull when wraped around the botton tone hole to act as a bumber, for non slip and to protect floors. This allows the drum to resonate more freely even if on a concrete floor ! Metal bases rings like LP uses, are not tight and many Lp drums have sliped and fallen on stages as a result. Regardless of brand, many thoughtless short cuts are the reason for damage to drums to occur. Copying old design flaws are just lame and lack insight !