"B" = brass..."BR" = bronze...

MC = Mike Curotto

So were they still stamping B's on the shell a decade ago or is it possibly a NOS shell from the 70's?

Exactly, I thought someone here might know if this is true. I mean, back when I bought this drum, you coula actually CALL Ludwig and speak to someone, which is what I did. He said with no reservation that these shells were from the Chicago warehouse and that they were NOS from the 70's.....

Can ANYONE verify this? Or at least tell me how to get it check out.

I have the same situation. A 1989 14x5 bronze BB with a "B" stamp over the muffler knob. 1988-1994 all BB's were made from bronze. So why the B? Could it mean B-stock? (It has a NC keystone badge). Thanks for any info.

Not entirely correct......while the late 80's "black beauties" were made of bronze, true, around about 1991 they switched to a brass shell and have been ever since. The 1993 catalog I have confirms this. The catalog I have from 1988 states they are bronze.....If yours is stamped with a "B" chances are it is actually brass and not bronze. You can also tell by the finish of the drum. The bronze ones had a more satin finish that was actually a powdercoat finish. The brass ones were black nickel plated and were glossy in finish due to the plating.

Also the sound of the two drums differ greatly......the brass is a more cutting sound....the bronze a drier sound, more wood like.

hi all

anyone know what i may have? , i bought a 14 x 5 black beauty brand new about a month ago from a shop, it has a BR stamped behind the throw off (no muffler) it has a Monroe badge , serial number 3444XXX . i was led to believe it was brass.

i also have a supraphonic 14 x 6.5 with a Monroe badge serial number 3233XXX , i was told this was an early eighties model .

i noticed the 2 numbers aint that far apart so does this mean the new black beauty is infact "old" (pre 91 bronze) and somehow i managed to buy it new ..

or

or is it that the supraphonic is just 'newer' than early eighties ..and the black beauty is a new model and brass

cheers if anyone can help out

forgot to add , the finish on the black beauty i would call glossy

thanks

:)

Hi,

I have an original 1979 Black Beauty Supra Phonic (serial number starts with 199####) with a B/O pointy badge, that I bought new with my Gretsch kit at the time. It is in actual measurements a 6" x 14" and the Ludwig box is stamped 6" x 14" as well. I haven't looked for a "B" on it yet, but I will. These snares seem to be described by many as being 6.5" deep for some reason? I also have an older Tama MasterCraft Imperialstar Chrome 6.5" X 14" snare, which is actually 6.5" deep. Anyone know why some snare drums are described as 6.5" deep when they are actually 6"? In any event, my Black Beauty is a real gem and I have purchased (last Saturday) a 1981/82 Ludwig 7 piece modular kit that came with a chrome Supra Phonic 6" x 14". The snare has a serial number starting with 205####, which would date it around 1980 or so? These two snares are great! Here's a picture or two of my new vintage Ludwig's with my BB. I also had some matching Ludwig Hercules/Atlas hardware to add to the existing stuff that came with the kit. No cymbals, so the ones in the pics are from my Gretsch kit.

mono-plane did ya check your stamp ?

everything i have researched corresponds with this statement.

this is why i dont know why my brand new black beauty has BR stamp