In 1944 an Amsterdam trader, Mr. Premselaar, asks both men if they can make little screws for musical instruments. Premselaar sells (snare-)drums amongst other things. In the end of the year 1944 Looise and Vogel produce so much parts for these snare drums that they decide to design one for themselves. The first wooden drum is born … and for quite a while it is the last one too.

When the war is over in 1945, Mr. van Wouw, a importer of Spanish guitars steps into the little basement in the Jordaan with a Swiss ‘Imperial’ snare in his arms and puts the question: ‘Please, make me such a thing because I want to sell drums as well’. Looise and Vogel design a new snare drum and the new brand ‘Triumph’ is born. It is the brand of Mr. van Wouw. Production starts and within a few months the company grows to a number of fourteen workers! Business is going very, very well and the snare drums are sold to musical societies and marching bands all over Holland and Belgium. The two next-door basements on number 64 and 66 are rented as well.

Here is an early Triumph Marching Snare Drum

That first Triumph snare is a beautiful, handmade, brass snare with slim six-hexagonal lugs, a ingenious, casted snare mechanism, a graceful throw-off and everything is fully and beautiful nickel-plated. Also very unique is the way how the snares are attached to the mechanism; not simply glued on a strip of metal, buy one by one guided through a brass piece and fastened with a tiny screw. A hell of a job to make, but a perfect example of the attitude of Looise and Vogel: ‘We only want to make the best of all’.