Hi,
Here’s another Black Beauty to enter the collection. I purchased this snare drum just before the 2016 Chicago Show. Thanks goes to Michael Cafasso who emailed me the photos and then put me in contact with a nice gentleman named Freddie who then put me in contact with the seller, a very nice man named Robert Camberlain of New Hampshire..We did the deal and here we are..
1931-32 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 5 x 14 ENGRAVED (10 PETAL) CLASSIC GOLD BLACK BEAUTY
My good friend and fellow collector Bill Wanser has done a lot of research to be able to date these drums, he has graciously allowed me to quote a recent email that he sent me regarding this drum.
“First I believe it is a drum from 1930-1933 for these reasons.
It appears to be a ‘one piece’ shell which came to be about 1932.
Next is the ‘Classic Gold’ plating, also introduced in 1932. The ‘Gold’ option was not offered (in the catalogs) after 1929. (In the 1930s the government passed a law restricting the ownership of gold and stopped issuing gold coins. I do not know what effect this had on things like gold plating but it might have influenced the use of gold for plating purposes.) I believe your drum has the ‘Classic Gold’ plating.
The 10 leaf engraving pattern I believe was introduced in 1928 and continued until the end of the engraved Black Beauty in about 1938 based on catalog research. However, there were a few variations of that basic 10 leaf pattern.
The 1928-29 version was more bold and heavily engraved with more lines. By 1933 the pattern became almost a single line with some lines being just straight, non-wriggle engraving. Yours is in between. The engraving on your drum is not as bold and elaborate as the earlier (1928-9) pattern but also not as light and straight lined as the 1933 version. It has the 4 squared off leaf pattern of the earlier version vs. the pointed leaf version of the later pattern. It has the parallelogram with ‘Ludwig Chicago’ the same found in the later version (1933) of the pattern.
The last dating feature is the lack of a tone control or muffler. Tone controls were offered or added beginning in the 1933 catalog. Your drum does not have this tone control. I have a drum without a tone control but with the lighter engraving pattern which I received from the original owner who was a Ludwig endorser. He claimed to have received this drum from the Ludwig company in 1932-33. If his memory served him well and making all the comparisons and adding in the research done using all the Ludwig & Ludwig catalogs known and available, I would date your drum to about 1931-32.
Bill Wanser”
The SHELL:
The shell had a few dents that were easy to gently pound out. The black nickel, 10 petal engraving were well preserved as was the clear coat, all were easy to clean. As Bill mentioned the engraving pattern on this shell is “in between”, not too bold or not too sparse. I like to be thorough so I have enclosed photos of the “1928-29 version was more bold and heavily engraved with more lines” (photo is from a 1929 L & L 5 x 14 Engraved DeLuxe New-Era Sensitive) and “By 1933 the pattern became almost a single line with some lines being just straight, non-wriggle engraving” (photo is from a 1935 L & L 6.5 x 14 Engraved Classic Gold DeLuxe Standard Silver Anniversary Model).
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The HARDWARE:
The Classic Gold hardware is all there and 100% original. A little cleaning and a little polishing brought everything back to life. As an historical artifact I photo’d the gut piece that had the original snare string showing how it was attached at the factory.
Of-the-era calf heads and James Snappi Snares rounded out this restoration.
Enjoy!
Mike Curotto