I talked to the owner on the phone today for about 45 minutes. I might be going to see them first part of next week. They are about 2 1/2 to 3 hours away from me.

According to the owner (he's the second owner), the serial numbers are consecutive between drums except for a couple of them which are just a few numbers off. That would definitely imply a real "set" from the factory.

Here's the deal with me: The price he's asking doesn't sound bad to me at all. However, as I mentioned earlier, this would only be a "flip" for me. I've got some customers that may be interested... so I'm just sort of acting as a "broker" and then of course would either hold them for eventual pickup OR actually ship them (or, in the case of one customer, deliver them about 8 hours away). I just can't afford "collecting" a set like this!

IF anything more develops, I'll post it here...

Thanks,

Bill

Bill if they are under a 1K definitely flip room for you. There was a Oct o plus kit here in my area a year or so a go. I just didn't need them my kit is large enough, and I'm not a big concert tom fan, helped the guy sale his kit to a fellow in SC.

Well, if they were under 1K, I would have already made the trip!

I think Gary is right -- there is only a small market for these, so if I don't get one of my "regulars" interested, I won't be buying.

Gotcha !! good luck !

Wow! I had no idea they only made and sold five sets and the only double headed Octa-Plus set was a special order. Great research by they way! Hats off to you! It sounds like they are ultra rare and I would bet you could find a buyer in Europe willing to pay double what you would get from someone stateside. But then there goes another one of our sets...We need a Museum for American made drum sets!

Or Japan... Those folks are grabbing high end stuff right and left. And it's not just drums.

They are buying loads of vintage (read old) American made tube type Amateur Radio gear as well. Also, WW2 vintage, military stuff by Hallicrafters, Scott, National and others. All high end stuff in it's day.

Those guys know quality, and are willing to pay for it.

Oddly enough, a set just showed up on our local Craigslist.....feels like the Twilight Zone:

http://springfield.craigslist.org/msg/3830563942.html

thx for posting this !

I just seen one of thes kits yesterday morning while I was online window shopping LOL, the set however was not complete it was 4or 5 peice kit.and best of all it was really reasonable ok cheap is a better word! For some reason I want to say it was on Musicans Friend under used of course, But for some reason it didnt come up under a Ludwig search. Ill have to go back and see If I can find it again.

Chances are that kit is not going to be there long, I thought about just pulling out the plastic, but Im waiting for some certain items to come up for sale desicions , desicions what to do ? Screw it spend more money and buy more drums is what I need to do!....Rob

the problem in finding a unmolested ss kit is that most of the small toms are missing and they r the rarest of the drums(very pricy) the others can b found as orphans, most r running all over the place for a few hundred apiece the hardware was all Hercules with booms and in mint shape! also with speed kings, now that alone is a big price effort for the amount of stands 6 i believe, now add top of line cymbals, its way over the top, now it's not to say you cant add bottom lugs and hoops as they have re-rings on bottom but you better take them to a machine shop to set up a jig...,

heres some info on them the dies used to drill the lug holes on the wood drums would not work on the stainless, so Ludwig had to set up there own in house jigs (they lost money on most of the ss line the jig's cost a lot ) and this ss was of the highest marine grade available at the time. if you used the same methods today to make them the price would be astronomical ....

maybe some day as a historic set they will be in a museum somewhere representing the late 70's they stopped production in 1980 hope this helps