Why the Vintage Asba Trundle 1965 Drum Kit Remains a Collector’s Dream

The Vintage Asba Trundle 1965 drum kit was totally different from the big, heavy drum sets most drummers used from American or British companies back in the 1960s. 

Over in France, a small company named Asba didn’t just want to make a drum set that sounded good. They wanted to solve a big problem for drummers who had to carry their own gear.

This article will tell you all about this special drum set. You’ll learn why it was invented, how its super-smart “trundle” design worked, and what it sounded like. 

We’ll also look at the famous Caroline pedal that often came with it and find out why people who collect old drums love this kit so much today. This is the story of a drum set made for working drummers who needed a smarter way to get to their gigs.

What Made Asba Want to Build Such a Different Drum Set?

To get why the vintage Asba Trundle 1965 drum kit is so cool, you need to know about the time it was made. Asba was a company started in 1927 by a man named Alfred Boudard.

At first, they just made things like music stands. This taught them how to make smart, useful hardware for musicians.

After World War II in Europe, people had to be clever with what they had. This was especially true for musicians in big cities like Paris. It was really hard to carry a huge drum set on a bus or up the stairs to a small club. Drummers needed instruments that were easy to move around.

Alfred Boudard saw this problem and decided to solve it. He wasn’t trying to copy the big American companies. He was making things for his local drummers. He wanted to make their lives easier. 

Before the Trundle kit, he had already invented other smart things, like a new type of cymbal stand. Asba’s main idea was always to help the musician.

How Does the “Trundle” System Actually Work?

This is the coolest part of the Vintage Asba Trundle 1965 drum kit. The name “Trundle” means the drums could be packed up inside of each other. It worked like those Russian nesting dolls, where a smaller doll fits inside a bigger one. The biggest drum, the bass drum, acted like a carrying case for the other drums.

Here’s how they did it:

1. You would take the top skin (the head) off the floor tom.
2. Then, you could fit the smaller rack tom inside the floor tom.
3. Next, you would slide the floor tom (with the rack tom inside it) into the big bass drum.

Suddenly, a whole drum set could be carried in just one big drum case! For a drummer in 1965, this was amazing. Think about how much easier it made things.

The only catch was that you had to spend a few minutes putting the drum heads back on before a show. But for drummers who hated carrying heavy gear, it was totally worth it. Asba thought about everything a drummer has to do, not just the playing part.

Expert Tip: If you ever find one of these kits, check the special parts that let you take the drums apart. Sometimes they can be worn out or lost, and it’s very hard to find new ones.

Does the Asba Drum Set Sound as Cool as It Looks?

A drum set can be easy to carry, but if it sounds bad, it’s just a fancy suitcase. 

Luckily, Asba drums had a very special sound that people loved. Most American drums were made from maple or mahogany wood. Asba used a different wood called beech. Their drum shells (the round wooden parts) were thin, which gave them a warm and punchy sound.

Beechwood sounds different than other woods. It has a nice low thump, but the sound is still very clear. This made Asba kits great for all kinds of music.

• For quiet jazz music, you could tune them high, and they would sound light and bouncy.
• For louder rock music, if you hit them hard, they gave a big, fat punch without a lot of extra ringing noise.

The small, lightweight metal parts on the drums also helped the sound. Because there wasn’t a lot of heavy metal touching the wood, the shells could vibrate more. This gave the drums a lively, open sound that was great for recording in a studio.

Why Was the Caroline Pedal Such a Big Deal?

We have to talk about the amazing Caroline bass drum pedal. This pedal, which came out in 1965, was a true game-changer. 

Most pedals at the time used a leather strap to connect the part your foot pushes to the beater that hits the drum. These straps could feel a little slow or floppy.

The Caroline pedal was different. It used a solid piece of metal instead of a strap. This is called “direct-drive.” It meant that the second you moved your foot, the beater moved instantly. There was no lag or sloppiness. 

Drummers who used it said it felt like the pedal was connected directly to their brain! It let them play faster and do more complex rhythms.

The Caroline pedal was so good that the American company Ludwig started selling it in the United States. 

It showed how Asba was always thinking of new ways to make drumming better. For people who collect drums, finding a vintage Asba Trundle 1965 drum kit with its original Caroline pedal is the ultimate prize.

Why Do People Still Want This Vintage Asba Trundle 1965 Drum Kit Today?

The original Asba company closed down in 1983. For a long time, not many people knew about their cool drums. 

But thanks to the internet, the secret got out. People learned about Asba’s history and clever ideas, and a new company even started making Asba drums again in 2016.

Today, a real vintage Asba Trundle 1965 drum kit is a treasure for collectors. One reason is that they are rare. Asba never made as many drums as the big companies. 

But people want them for more than that. They want them because they tell a story. They are an example of clever thinking and problem–solving.

This drum set is special. It reminds us that you don’t have to be the biggest to have the best ideas. For a collector, it’s a piece of history. For a drummer, it’s a great-sounding vintage kit that you can actually carry to a gig. 

It’s this mix of smart design, cool history, and great sound that makes it so wanted.

A Final Thought: More Than Just Drums in a Box

The Vintage Asba Trundle 1965 drum kit is special because it was one of the smartest drum sets ever made. 

It shows that the best ideas often come from trying to solve a real problem. Asba cared about making life easier for musicians, and they did it without making the drums sound any less awesome.

For drummers and collectors today, this kit is a link to a time of clever ideas. It’s a chance to own a rare instrument that looks cool, sounds great, and is way easier to carry than most old drum sets.

So, the next time you see a drum set that packs into itself, remember the little French company that did it first. They proved that great things can come from thinking inside the box, especially when that box is a bass drum.

Not every great drum set comes from a big brand. Discover the value of non-brand drum kits and how they compare to vintage gems like the Asba Trundle.

FAQ

Here are answers to some common questions about the amazing Vintage Asba Trundle 1965 drum kit.