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K - let me try again. Bought this Pioneer & it has the copper (on left) & the other kind (right) - are either of these original - especially the copper?

Thanks! Chris

My '65 Pioneer does not have them but with Ludwig who knows.

I have a few Ludwig snares ,and none of them have copper washers.

Steve B

I have over 20 Ludwig snares and none have copper washers.

I have owned several Ludwig snare drums including Pioneer models and never have they had any copper fasteners, washers of any kind. I would say copper is not original to that drum.

Thank you all for chiming in. I have not, either. Bought it off ebay & am getting my gloves on real soon -

Chris

Just found this thread, and I too have just discovered copper washers on my '65 Ludwigs. They were painted the same white interior paint as the shells, and certainly look to be original. The only reason I found out they were copper is because a few of the lug bolts on the bass drum were rusting, so I gave them a brief white vinegar bath. As the rust dissolved, so did the fading white paint, revealing...copper washers! I have no reason to suspect these were not original.

Brian Blade bought that snare & I always note anomalies on everything so am leaning toward this being another one of those vintage drum peculiarities.

On another note: he was emphatic that he wanted the BDP Pioneer and not the matching badge J-Fest; the Pioneer was a year earlier or so. Haven't made up my mind on P's & J's, but I always have a hard time digging the J's as much as I'm supposed to be,

Chris

As I'm slowly restoring these drums to their former glory, I've decided to "bathe" all the lug screws and washers in a white vinegar solution, but it begs the question: Why would Ludwig (or any manufacturer) use copper for washers instead of steel? Maybe I'm missing something, but isn't copper softer AND more expensive than common steel?