First of all...........WELCOME BACK!Clapping Happy2

Is this the "cut" badge that you're referring to?

This particular Supra was included with a 1970 Slingerland Red Tiger kit that I purchased earlier this year.

Unfortunately, I've got no idea as to how many of these are out there. I'd like to find out myself since I never considered this drum to be anything rare or unique. I'm sure that one of the Ludwig "experts" will chime in soon.

there is no way to know, as mentioned this was an Idea born out of necessity,typical Great American Companies thinking out of the box, WFL Sr wasted nothing just as a real business should, but that is one rare monkey you own! let me put it this way, I was with Dick Gerlach he was the ludwig head that started the Stainless steel program, I'm a super huge stainless steel fan, I asked several questions similar to the one your asking, and that was his reply, there is no way to know for sure! the first stainless steel kits that where sent to dealers for the test program,they had that type badge like yours but with hand scribed serial#'s, so my point is ludwig just did what they needed to to move the product!

I don't mean to get off topic but what do you mean by "hand scribed serial numbers?" They scratched them in by hand?

Sorry and thanks!

Yes. That's exactly what they did. It looks as though they used one of those vibrating engravers or a really sharp pointy thing and hand etched the numbers.

curtis, yes Only on the original stainless steel test Set's, only the top ludwig dealers in the country were allowed to have one kit to test the public's reaction to the S/S drums, so the ludwig rep would take delivery of a kit and personally deliver it to the proper dealer, and before the kit left the factory, the final inspector hand scribed the serial#'s onto the cutoff lugwig logo.

Good to be back, thanks.....

OK, if you check your drum, see if there is a "B" or "BR" stamped....(Usually over the round muffler knob)..maybe near the strainer..if so, you've got yourself a very rare drum....I'd take no less than 1K for it. it's worth every penny....Not so much because it might (matter of opinion) sound better than an alloy..but for the rarity alone.

I came across mine in much the same way...not with a kit, but from eBay..a guy had it for sale..not knowing what he had.."Picked it up in an estate sale, and if I got $100.00 for it, I'd have made a tidy profit"

Well, he got his $100.00 many times over as the bidding took off once he answered the question...."Is there a "B" or "BB" stamped on that drum?"

I'm anxious to hear back from you on this drum...hopefully it's there, and you'll have a very, very collectible drum!

Thanks! Yeah..very rare..You don't even see them for sale very often...actually, I've only seen one! I have a few Supras..and I can't tell the difference in sound between the alloy and brass...care to weigh in on that one as well?

Thanks,

Stixofire

funny you brought this up another forum member here Kevins is a neighbor and one of my best friends, he just bought a 402 luddie supra ludalloy, I took the 402 brass edition over and we did a side by side comparison, they both had ludwig heads, but mine has puresound snare wires, and kevins has steel ludwig wires, side by side I would play them both one with my right hand the other with my left, here's the stunner to me, you would be really hard pressed to tell the difference, here is why it stunned me this 402 That I have was a 1998 Namm Ludwig Display model it has a heavy brass shell, heavy brass triple flange rims and brass tube lugs, in fact the only thing that's not brass are the strainer, butt end and t-rods, my 402 probably is a good two pounds heavier than the stock 402 kevins owns, Yet almost zero sound difference, we are going to make a video and demonstrate this!

Ahem! I've been saying this for years on the forum, but everyone thought I was insane. "There has to be a difference in sound, they are made of different materials" was what I always got. I'm glad someone else figured this out as well......Cool1;)

The reason for Ludwig's switch from brass to aluminum shells was purely a cost issue, not a sound issue. If they didn;t sound right, they wouldn't have done it. Now....I bet you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference in sound between a brass black beauty and a bronze black beauty.......