Curious Snare Drum on Ebay

[O-Lugs]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7390681665&fromMakeTrack=true

Hi. I'm hoping one of the many Ludwig experts here can help me solve this dilemma.

See that nice blue sparkle snare drum? Well, there are a couple of "problems" with it.

It is stamped IN RED INK...and yet, the date of the stamp is "Dec 13 1969" . Sure enough, the picture would seem to indicate that date. If it was a '69, the stamp should have been BLACK ink -if it was stamped at all.

The badge is four-digits "3009" and that should correspond to a 1964 sequence -not a 1969 sequence (which would have had 6-digit number)

It is equipped with a "baseball bat" style tone control (muffler) with RED felt. If the date is correct, the tone control should have been a rotary style with a round, grey felt.

The interior is painted white. If the date is correct, the interior should have been clear maple by then.

Here's what I think....I think it's a 1964 snare drum. Either someone at the factory couldn't see the number they were loading and put in a "9" instead of a "4" or it's the oddest 1969 drum in the entire Ludwig world!

It might even be that the ink got smeared a little bit and the "4" took on characteristics of a "9".....?

I say it's a 1964 drum with a mistaken stamp date. What do you other Ludwig experts think?

[Webmaster]

I took the image of the date stamp and changed the lighting and
tried to color correct the date. It looks like 1969 to me so that
would indicate that the drum probably was stamped later.

I guess it could have sat around for awhile then when it was ordered they stamped it.

The drum looks all original so I have to agree that it was some type of Ludwig Inventory issue and stamped later. Or they had the parts laying around and just used them up that day. I guess the guy working the stamp could have even had the wrong year set.

Have you ever heard what type of stamp they used?

I see this a lot with Slingerland also.

Sweet drum!

David

[wvhill]

Hi David!
Just took a look myself as best I could on this laptop. I think I may have solved the red ink issue. It is not red ink, but a variation in color due to the cleaning solvent used in restoration. Look at how the white interior has lost a lot of the original luster and the wood is peeking through. I also have issues with the muffle and possibly the wrap, too. The wrap might be okay but it just doesn't seem to have the color depth I would expect. Maybe it was also a victim of using the wrong cleaning solution. Too many iffy things for me. Could this be a "Frankenstein" snare from many donors? Just wondering....
wvhill

[vadrums]

Definitely a 1964.

[O-Lugs]

Yes, vadrums. I agree. It's a 1964 drum with a goofed stamp. I see that it sold for far less than what I had expected it to sell for. I think if he had advertised it as a 1964 drum with a goofed stamp, then he might have gotten a LOT more money for it.

Woops! just saw that the reserve wasn't met.

[Rich K.]

Much more than $450?

[O-Lugs]

Actually, when I made my previous post, the bids were up to about $250...and I thought the auction had ended with the reserve not met. Then, I looked again and it sold for $450.00. I think that's about right for a 60's keystone DB in good shape.