I have been restoring drums for quite few years and the problem I'm going to explain is a first for me.
I have generally repaired wood damage and re-wraped drums and in some cases removed the wrap and refinished it to a natural woof finish.
In my present project I'm gathering orphans to re-wrap with a very similar Ludwig Orange MOD wrap that I got from China.
I found a 13" 1968 Ludwig tom which was, according to the seller, originally black lacquer but that He refinished to a mahogany color.

I purchased it because it was a good deal. After the repair and the new wrap was installed I was surprised to see that the Aquarian Head did not fit; it was too tight and was due to the thickness of the wrap. I changed to a Remo head and that seems to barely make it. To the re-builder out there; have you dealt with this issue before ? How did you solve it ? Did Ludwig made different shell thickness according to the finish ?

You have stumbled into the re-wrappers dilemma. Yes, original painted drums, ie, drums that typically have a maple outer ply, have the same diameter as their wrapped brothers. This is especially true for pre-'68 ludwigs - recall that in that era the wrap was applied to the flat sheet ply, prior to entering the molds. If Ludwig used the same mold on a lacquered drum, the outer diameter would be the same.

Now you are using maple ply drum, ADDING the thickness of the wrap, however small, to the overall diameter. Thus it is challenging to get heads to seat.

Rogers and Camco are known for slightly undersized drums that make this less of an issue; Gretsch on the other hand is slightly oversized, so heads are sometimes challenging even with the factory wrap.

I don't recall if Ludwig changed their calculations post -'68 to account for the wrap thickness after the mold.

Bottom line is it is a challenge to wrap drums that were originally painted; some folks ensure that the new wrap does not go all the way to the edge, thus attempting to avoid the collar of the head. This has its own set of consequences at times.

Originally Posted by microswitch

Did Ludwig made different shell thickness according to the finish ?

You learn new things everyday.

Thank you for your input Level;

I will try to trim the wrap at the edge and see if that relieves some more.
But will use this lesson on my next Ebay Bid. lol

Typically what you do in a case like this is take a file and feather down the edges of the wrap until you can get the head to fit.

Maybe the wrap from China is thicker than Delmar USA wrap?

Originally Posted by vyacheslav

Maybe the wrap from China is thicker than Delmar USA wrap?

While this is a possibility, I've yet to see any wrap from China that is thicker than Delmar.

A possible cure to your issue is to get a Remo Classic Fit head. The metal hoop is much thinner than what is used on standard Remo heads and should allow the head to fit the wrapped shell. These heads have been the ideal "cure" for many vintage Gretsch drums! Just search for "Remo classic fit" and you'll find them!

-Mark

Originally Posted by idrum4fun

A possible cure to your issue is to get a Remo Classic Fit head. The metal hoop is much thinner than what is used on standard Remo heads and should allow the head to fit the wrapped shell. These heads have been the ideal "cure" for many vintage Gretsch drums! Just search for "Remo classic fit" and you'll find them!

-Mark

I think this is a good option and seem specifically for that type of issue.

The Evans level 360 heads have a steep collar that may work also.

Aquarian American Vintage heads are a little oversized for that kind of issue but have a calfskin look.

As has been mentioned, you can remove some of the wrap by the edge of the drum on both sides so the heads fit properly, usually about a quarter inch or more top and bottom. Measure it accurately. Once the heads are on, no one will be able to see the wrap doesn't extend to the edges. I've had this done, and it's an easy method so heads will fit.

Lacquered drums often had thicker shells, as you can tell.

Ok so i fixed the issue.

I purchased another 13" shell with a badly cracked Black pearl wrap and with the badge too for very cheap.
Will xfr hardware to new shell and will keep the other shell as a spare, who know fro another project.