I recently acquired a late 70's SS kit with pointed b/o badges and the tom has the muffler mounted directly above the badge but the floor toms have the badge opposite the mufflers. When did Ludwig start mounting the badge and muffler on the same side and when did they stop doing this?
Ken
I think it was late in the 3 ply era (so around 1976-1978) that Ludwig started putting the badge and muffler on the same panel on mounted toms. They put them directly opposite the mount. This made the tom "omnidirectional" in that whichever side of a double mount you put it on the badge faced outward from the set (but generally not towards the audience) and the muffler was to the side. I don't think they did this on the floor toms as that issue wouldn't exist on those. I recently re-did a late 3 ply tom and it had this set-up as do others from that time frame but I'm not sure how long they did it that way.
Thanks KO, I looked up some pages from some 70's catalogues and saw what you are talking about. Only the mounted toms had the badge and muffler in the same spot. I had originally wondered if maybe I had a mismatch, but I don't think so, as now I think all the drums go together.
Ken
I have been recording serial numbers for non-marching drums which had the tone control mounted above the badge. I have recently been discussing this issue with another forum member who has been doing the same thing. We are in the process of exchanging information and hope to be able to present our results. Hopefully that forum member will chime in on this thread.
Rick
CHIME, CHIME, DING, DING.
I've been compiling a list of 12", 13", 14", and 15" 3-ply, 6-ply and vistalite B/O Badge Ludwig toms and there tone control placement.
Here is what I've found so far in a nut shell.
The lowest serial # I have found so far on a B/O Badge tom with the TC NOT OVER the Badge is 761575. The highest is 1257642.
Now Here's where it gets interesting.
The lowest serial # I have found so far on a B/O Badge tom with the TC OVER the badge is 11926XX and the highest is somewhere into 220XXXX area.
As you can see there's a bit of an overlap in serial #'s. And it doesn't end there. I have serial #'s of toms in the 121XXXX, 123XXXX, 124XXXX area with TC's OVER and NOT OVER the Badge.
As far as what year Ludwig did this I could only guess. Looking at the serial #'s I'd say maybe around late 1974 early 1975 to sometime in the mid 1980's when they discontinued tone controls in there drums. Again this is my guess and not fact.
And of course, you could always order your drums with or without tone control and even tone control top and bottom.
Hi all,
I can add a little to this thread and contribute a higher badge number to those toms with the tone control NOT with the badge...I purchased a brand new Pro Beat set in the summer of 1976 at a dealer in Jacksonville, FL. (24, 13, 14, 16, 18), upgrading the snare to a 6 1/2" Super Sensitive.
After about 3 months, I took the bottom heads off the toms, as was the fad in those days, and noticed that the 13" tom had a clear varnished interior, whereas the rest of the drums were granitone. Disappointed, I called Ludwig and they said to send it back. I did, figuring they'd just spray the inside of the tom. No, they sent me a brand new tom.
It wasn't until decades later that I even realized that these drums had serial numbers. Long story short = the original 14" tom is 1146018 with the tone control one panel over from the B/O badge. The replacement 13" tom is 1590289, and it also has the tone control one panel over from the B/O badge.
I enjoy learning from you guys on this forum. Hope this little bit helps, Marty Black
I special ordered some drums in 1981. Hollywood set and two concert toms to replace drums that were destroyed in a fire. The 12" and 13" tom had the badge and tone control on the same panel. The floor tom did not. So when I put the mounted toms on the bass drum tom post the badges do not face the audience. Wish they had not done that. I had much rather had the badges facing out with the tone control facing me. They are 6 ply maple with clear interiors. The ones they replaced were 3 ply African Mohogany.
Serial number on the 13" tom is #2062011
