Hi all,
Here's the latest to enter into the collection:
1929 5x14 Ludwig & Ludwig Streaked Opal New-Era Sensitive
This drum came out of the Fresno, CA area from the grandson of the original owner. A special thanks goes to my friend and fellow collector, Dana Bentley, for offering me this drum. I always appreciate it when someone alerts me to, refers me to or offers me a drum for sale so keep those cards and letters coming folks!
As we all know, the New-Era Sensitive Model was a short-lived endeavor that was never catalogued and was only mentioned in the 1929 Ludwig Drummer magazine. Streaked Opal was around from 1930-1935 and is one of L&L's rarest finishes. So this combination makes for an ultra-rare drum.
Man this little puppy was a mess when I got it. There was dirt, cob webs, spiders, cocoons and moss growing on top of the already rusted and patina'd nob hardware and Streaked Opal wrap. This restoration was a challenge but I knew there was a diamond in the rough here.
The shell/wrap:
The Streaked Opal was in very good shape structurally but had layers and years of accumulated schmutz on it. My usual regimine of GooGone, Maguire's Plastic Cleaner/Polish and a lot of elbow grease did the trick. The clear maple interior was in great shape and only needed a basic cleaning after all of the "vegetation" was removed.
The hardware:
The nob hardware was a mess. A thank you goes out to Les and Brian at Avenue Plating for cleaning up the tube lugs and getting them ready for polishing. The rest of the hardware I was able to take care of myself but it wasn't easy. (Simple Green, full strength, is a great product for cleaning hardware before you start to polish). Both Sensitive mechanisms work perfectly, one set of wires was missing but a trip to my parts stash handled that situation. The tension rods were completely rusted out so another trip to my parts stash was needed. A nice set of era-correct calf heads rounded out this restoration. Enjoy!
Mike Curotto