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1965 Ludwig Bass Drum - Purchase Advice Last viewed: 22 hours ago

Posts: 17 Threads: 6

Hello

RE: Should I buy it?

1965 20" Bass Drum for $150

I need some advice. There is a 1965 Ludwig 20x14 Bass Drum. The wrap is an Oyster wrap that looks rather greenish, maybe it used to be blue?

The shell is white on the inside and does not have any cracks and is very clean on the inside. The wrap looks to be in decent shape. The only issue I can describe is that there is quite a bit of wear on the edges where the hardware digs into the drum to keep the heads on, and some of the wood is literally gone, (not talking large chunks here, just some scrapes, guages, and mostly just missing paint where the hardware and wood intersect. There is also an area on one side where the drum is not perfectly round and looks to have been slightly bent in (approx. 1/7th of the circumference). You may be able to detect it in the first pic on the high left part of the drum.

Would this be a good backup for my 1967 Ludwig Hollywood 20" Bass Drum?

I know the wrap is different, but if there are no cracks, can the edges be used as is or "repaired" and is it possible to re-shape (with steam?) the "less than circular" area of the drum?

Thanks for any advice for this newb !!!

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[IMG][img]http://d.imagehost.org/0856/luddie_2.jpg[/img][/IMG]

[IMG][img]http://d.imagehost.org/0210/luddie.jpg[/img][/IMG]

Posted on 14 years ago
#1
Posts: 17 Threads: 6

Bump

Anyone? Sumo Dude

Posted on 14 years ago
#2
Posts: 4715 Threads: 299

Welcome! First off, are you talking about the hoop being out of round? If so, that is normal as many people leave them set for long periods of time and it just flattens out, so it will make no difference as to the overall performance of the drum. The wood that is missing, particularly in one area, is normally what we call "pedal rash". So, if the bass is in good condition other than the hoops, then yes, 150 is an OK price. If the wrap is faded really badly, the only question is, can you deal with it?

If, on the other hand, the edges you describe are the BEARING edges of the shell itself, then I would pass, unless you know what you are doing. The hoops can be replaced much easier and cheaper than trying steam them back in round. I use this site for replacement hoops: www.aitwood.com the hoops you would need are 20" 12 ply maple, 1 3/4"

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Posted on 14 years ago
#3
Posts: 17 Threads: 6

Well, something is holding that drum head on. It really looked like it was the bearing edge and I didn't even notice a hoop being there. It's like the claws are all digging right into the bearing edge itself and there is no hoop.

Anyway, I'll have to check it out again to clarify. If the edge of the shell (not hoop) has some structural wood damage from the claws digging in, it would not be worth the expense to have it repaired. If the damage is minimal, and a hoop will gladly fit on the edge, then we have music!

Hey,

Thanks for the response. I really don't care what condition the wrap is in, I just want it to sound good on recordings. That is the only thing that matters and I should be able to re-sell it for about what I paid for it if the time arises.

Posted on 14 years ago
#4
Posts: 621 Threads: 41

That bass drum has both hoops on it. The claws sometimes dig into the hoops if the heads are tensioned too tight, but that's immaterial. That bass looks nice, should sound great, just like your other Ludwig 20, & the price is fine. Keep your eyes open for other blue oyster singles, & pretty soon you'll have a nice vintage set. One warning: this color is sometimes hard to match; there were many different batches made. They're all pretty close, but often not the same. It also fades easily, so more color variation can be present. Of course, none of this affects the great sound of these drums. I'd go for it....marko

Posted on 14 years ago
#5
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