Carlton slot head tension rods, circa 1960s or early 70s
A noticeably oversized tall slot head with a wide slot. Possibly used on other UK brands.
Duplex
Duplex tension rods from a 1920s or 30s snare drum. 12-24 threads, very similar to 1910s Ludwig & Ludwig.
Gretsch
Gretsch tension rods, 1950s-60s. Similar to concurrent Slingerland, matte finish and taller washers
Gretsch tension rods, 1970s-80s. Very similar to Slingerland from the same period.
John Grey
John Grey tension rods, probably 1960s or 70s
Medium height slot head with a slight dome and a shallow but wide slot cut. Likely used on other UK brands as well. 12-24 threads.
Leedy
Leedy slot head tension rods, 10-24 threads. Early 1900s.
Leedy slot head tension rod, 1920s
One of several slightly different head styles they employed in this era. 10-24 threads.
Leedy tension rods, late 1930s. 10-24 threads. These fit some of the last box lugs that Leedy produced.
Leedy & Strupe
Leedy & Strupe tension rod, 1930s, standard 12-24 threads.
These rods had hexagonal heads with a slot. They are the same diameter as Walberg & Auge's hex rods.
Ludwig
Ludwig & Ludwig Band & Orchestra Dum tension rod, 1912
These very early and very rare tension rods are the only 1/4-20 rods Ludwig ever produced on concert drums. They are likely the same as those on the very first Ludwig Metal Drum snare from 1911.
Ludwig & Ludwig 1910s tension rods and washers
This head style would be used throughout the Conn era but with a thicker, stepped base.
Ludwig & Ludwig/Leedy & Ludwig tension rods, late 1920s-50s. Found on other brands as well and perhaps made by an outside company.
Ludwig & Ludwig tension rods, late 1940s. Tall square head with no slope at the base, unlike most Conn-era Ludwig rods.
Ludwig tension rods, 1960s-70s.
Later rods were very similar with taller heads.
Pearl
Pearl tension rods, 1960s-earl 70s. A spartan style used on a wide variety of stencil brands.
Premier
Premier slot head tension rods, 1960s-70s
Notable for a short threaded section wider than the upper shaft.
Rogers
rogers tension rods, 1950-early 60s
Bread & butter lug era. Matte plating, with a diamond-shaped indent on top
rogers tension rods, 1960s-70s. Similar to Ludwig but with a steeper pitch on the head
Slingerland
Slingerland tension rods from an Artist model snare drum, 1930s
Tall square head with a slight taper, no band below the collar.
Three different styles of Slingerland Radio King tension rods, 1930s-50s.
Slingerland post-Radio King rods, 1950s-60s. Earlier versions were taller, later ones had rounded heads.
Sonor
Sonor slot head tension rods from a teardrop lug tom. 1/4-20 threads. Very similar styles are still in use today on their top lines.
Star/Hoshino Gakki/Tama
Star/Hoshino Gakki/proto-Tama tension rods, 1960s. Star was alone in using the 5mm-0.9 thread for their toms and snare rods.
Another Star tension rod style, presumably later. Shinier finish with a slope at the base of the head. These are still 5mm-0.9 thread.
Four styles of Star tension rod heads, all are 5mm threads. 1960s and 70s, their precise chronology is unknown.
Tama tension rods, late 1970s-90s. By this point the company was called Tama, and they used standard 12-24 threads on their tension rods. This style is similar to a ton of other brands including Ludwig and Rogers.
Trixon
Trixon tension rods, 1950s-60s.
These are a fine metric thread
WFL
WFL tension rods, 1930s-40s. Likely made by Walberg & Auge.
These WFL rods have a similar contour but a slightly shorter head height. They are likely from an earlier drum.
WFL tension rods, 1950s
This became the Ludwig design after Conn sold the Ludwig name
Yamaha tension rods, 1960s-?
Zickos
Zicos tension rods and lug inserts. 1/4-20 threads.
Zim-Gar
Tension rods from a Zim-Gar center lug floor tom, 1960s or early 70s. These ones are 6mm threads, 12-24 examples exist as well.