Vintage Ludwig kit info.

[hellacopter]

Hi all!

I recently bought a vintage Ludwig kit or I belive it's a Ludwig kit.

There aren't any badges on the kit at all and no stamps or marks on the inside. All hardware like lugs and such are Ludwig.

Sizes are: 14"x10", 15"x11" toms, 18"x16", 20"x16" floor toms and two 26"x14" kicks. It's coated with fake plastic wood.

To my limited knowledge of Ludwig drums I would place them in the first half the 70's.

Here are some pictures of them.

http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/ludwig/smallhead.jpg
Click for large image (http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/ludwig/head.jpg)

http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/ludwig/smallnohead.jpg
Click for large image (http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/ludwig/nohead.jpg)

http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/ludwig/smallkit.jpg
Click for large image (http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/ludwig/kit.jpg)

Does anyone here have some kind of info about my kit?

[Webmaster]

Are there any holes where the badges should be???

Do they all have the same interior color?

David
Webmaster

[hellacopter]

The only holes in the drums are the air holes. The holes are located just under the mounting of the internal muffler (can be seen on the first image) and I can't se any marks that they have been removed and no old holes for badges can be seen from the inside of the drums.

Yes, all have the same interior color.

[crash]

Hi. The badges would have been around the airholes. The interior finish and curved spurs look like you're right, ealy to mid '70's. Looks like a fun kit! I dig the single tom and double basses look. Besides, then you could get it low enough to reach it! congrats! Bill D.

[Webmaster]

When you take a lug off are the holes clean?

It would not be uncommon for lugs to fit other drums and if they were slightly different sometimes people make the holes a little bigger.

Take a lug off and let me know. Ludwig did have a finish in the 73 catalog called Mahogany Cortex
and that is what your finish looks like.

O-lugs knows more about Ludwigs then me so let's see what he thinks.

David

Here is the Ludwig 73 color section.

http://www.vintagesnaredrums.com/images/finishes/ludwig/ludwig_73_finishes_th2.jpg (http://www.vintagesnaredrums.com/images/finishes/ludwig/ludwig_73_finishes.jpg)

[O-Lugs]

Interesting.

The kit is definitely Ludwig....mahogany cortex looks right....The badges would have likely been paralleogram badges...but the gray interiors suggests later 70's or 80's Rockers shells...they still are the famous 3-ply shells, but were likely painted because they had a blemish of some kind.

The badges on the mounted toms would have been located directly under the knob for the muffler...but the floor toms would have had the badge/vent in a separate location apart from the muffler knob.

My area of "expertise" ends at about the first part of the 70's...so I will try to look at my reference material to see if I can come up with some clues. In the meantime, I think your guess at mid-tolate 70's may be right on the mark.

In any instance, you will not find a bigger, fatter tone in any modern drums! Those HUGE sizes best embellish the Ludwig sound, too. I would hate to haul them around due to sheer mass, but they would be cool to play, I'll bet.

I'll get back to you later with more information. Stay posted!

[hellacopter]

Many thanx for the answers...

When you take a lug off are the holes clean?

I took one lug off the 14" and the holes were clean and the lug fitted the holes like a glove. I also examined the all the lugscrews inside the 14" and they had no marks or scratches that suggests that they been removed in the past.

the gray interiors suggests later 70's or 80's Rockers shells...they still are the famous 3-ply shells, but were likely painted because they had a blemish of some kind.

Hmm... My previous Ludwig kit (se pic below) looked identical on the inside with the grey color as this one does but that had the badges and serial no (1215894) that placed them in 1974.

http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/speedfreaks/smallDSCF0014.JPG
(click to enlarge) (http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/speedfreaks/DSCF0014.JPG)

The badges on the mounted toms would have been located directly under the knob for the muffler

Are there really room to fit a badge under the muffler knob (se pic below)? Also I saw that there were a repaired crack going from the edge down to the airhole (red arrows). Sad I didn't saw that when I bought it, could have saved a couple of bucks on that...

http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/ludwig/smallcloseup.jpg
(click to enlarge) (http://hem.bredband.net/b123173/ludwig/closeup.jpg)

Regarding the missing badges. I examined the area around the airholes to se if I could se any traces that there has been badges mounted on them but I found no traces of badges at all. Is it possible that they've been custom ordered without badges?

Comparing the 14" from my previous blue kit and my new 14" there's a difference in the placement of the airholes and badge. On my previous the muffler and airhole weren't above each other (can be seen on the pic of the blue set above) but they are on my new...

In any instance, you will not find a bigger, fatter tone in any modern drums! Those HUGE sizes best embellish the Ludwig sound, too. I would hate to haul them around due to sheer mass, but they would be cool to play, I'll bet.

I agree on all above and they are cool to play. They have a loud, massive sound and are a pain in the a** to haul around... :)

[O-Lugs]

Well, I looked in all my books and unfortunately, I can only get to about 1970 and then I become just another pedestrian! lol ;) I do think the badge would have fit, though. It's a tight fit, but that's the spot that my B/O 13" tom has it's badge.

Nice drums!

[Ludwig Guy]

Hi Hellacopter,

First of all I would like to say Congratulations on your amazing Ludwig kit! Now that's an awesome drum kit! It is an exact replica of the drum kit that Carmine Appice used in the late 60's with Vanilla Fudge. Only his was maple cortex. Your drum kit is indeed Ludwig, and because of the grey speckled interiors, it dates back to 1974-75.

I have a 1974 "Bonham" style Ludwig kit with grey speckled interiors (14x26, 10x14, 16x16, 16x18 and 6.5x14 supra). The serial numbers begin with 103xxxx and they have the date stamped inside the bass drum. The color is maple cortex just like Bonham's 1969 Ludwig kit. The badge on the 10x14 rack tom is on the side instead of the front. Very common for mid 70's Ludwig rack toms. Also, the muffler knob is directly above the badge just like yours.

If you'd like to hear those drums really sing, why don't you try putting Remo coated Emperors on the batter sides of all toms and Remo coated Diplomates on the resonant sides?

I hope this helps. Enjoy your huge Ludwig drums! It sure is a monster of a kit! Hey, if you ever want to sell it, let me know? LOL!

[Beth5012]

A w e s o m e !

[hellacopter]

@ Ludwig dude, that's a really nice kit. Looks like mint condition, far better condition than mine. One can se that mine has been used and thankfully not abused but then I wouldn't have bought 'em...

I actually used coated Emperor heads before but after using my pervious blue Ludwig kit on a studio job the studio tech turned me on to using coated Ambassador on batter side and clear Ambassador on resonant side and I haven't looked back since then. But Ambassador doesn't really cut it on the kicks so there I'm using coated Powerstroke on batter side and smooth Ambassador on front side.