As a follow up to my dating guide for Gretsch drums released in 2011, I am proud to announce that I have written a new (and I think much improved) serial number based dating guide for Ludwig drums. It covers Ludwig’s main line drums produced from late 1963 through 1984 and Ludwig’s second line Standard brand drums produced from 1968 to about 1973. I relied upon a database of more than 6,300 drums when preparing this paper. I provide methods for estimating the date of Ludwig drums based upon their serial numbers and summarize major changes in characteristics like badges, hardware and interior finishes, linking each to date and serial number ranges when the changes occur. I also evaluate the strengths and limitations of each of the dating guides already in print.

I provide a lot of background about my methodology and data gathering, so the reader will know precisely how I reached my conclusions. If you have seen my Gretsch paper, you will recognize the approach. Yes, that means it looks like a research paper complete with footnotes, but this one is in full color with many graphs and pictures.

I want to thank the many forum members who reported their drums and particularly mlayton, zenstat and K.O. who shared large volumes of information and/or pictures from their collections.

More information is available at www.GretschDrumDatingGuide.com (click on the Ludwig Serial Number Projects tab). I hope that you find my latest effort worthwhile. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.

Rick