Wow! Do you have any pics of this set? It's not a jazzette but a custom order of some sort or a pieced together set. What do the shell interiors look like? The bass drum with the dial on the rail most likely has a white interior. The other bass drum sounds like it might have a clear interior. Do any of the drums have date stamps?

The jazzette configuration must have a 12x18 bass drum to make it a true jazzette. Ludwig offered the rock duo set but that was a 20,20 12,13,16 and the bass drums were virgin. Sounds like you have one hell of a cool set though! Tell us more? What do the mufflers look like? Very cool sounding for sure!

Thanks for the reply! I have had this set for many years (purchased for $200 in 1987). I can tell you that all of the interiors were painted white when I bought them (I can't find any date stamps on the interiors). Also, (unfortunately) I painted the shells when I purchased the kit; I was a just a kid at the time and did not know anything about vintage drums so I didn't know what a mistake it was to do that! I'm in the process of removing all of the paint so I can get back to the original wrap. Its actually going fairly well, the paint is coming off with just a little effort and I can see the nice, original wrap underneath. I already finished reconditioning the Supraphonic, its got some pitting, but it came out great. If I can get my hands on a P83 throw, it'll be ready to play!! I'll post some pics and badge serials as soon as I can!

Forgot to add: the mufflers are all baseball bat style.

ya man that kit sounds so cool. those my dream sizes right there. plus it's ludwig. might just be my dream kit actually. and you have two of them!

it's no big deal about painting them too man. i've played around with different things for removing paint from shells and preserving the wrap and it's not really that bad.

my dad gave me his 1969 ludwig kit at a young age. i was such a fidgety kid i was always taking things apart and modifying. for some lucky reason i never touched the kit. i'm glad that i didn't...but also surprised that i didn't.

but let me know if you want me to bounce some ideas off you for removing that paint.

I'd love to hear some ideas on removing paint! I'm using a spray-on adhesive remover...I spray it onto a rag then get to work rubbing it on small sections of the shell until the paint comes off. On my test spots I didn't notice any damage to the original finish underneath the paint; I'm being very conservative with the adhesive remover so I don't think I'm doing any damage. For the chrome parts I'm using Zildjian cymbal cleaner and its working great! How about hoops? Someone removed the bottom hoops of all the drums but the lugs themselves are all still there...is it a bad idea to buy replacement hoops for such a kit? Should I just leave them all-original and do without bottom heads? (I would rather put bottom hoops/heads on these, I don't love the sound with no bottom heads). Thanks!!

it sounds like you're doing pretty good with getting that paint off the shells. that's how i would do it too.

as far as the chrome. this is this spray stuff that i have that i accidently found works great for easily getting grime, tarninsh, and paint off of any chrome pieces and making them shine brilliantly. i'll check what it's called when i get home today and let you know. i forgot off the top of my head.

as far as the rims. ya you can totally get replacement ones online. in fact, if you're in need of a 60s ludwig 14" 8-hole chrome rim, i have one. pm me if you're interested and we can work it out.

Need pictures.

Also, the fact that you bought it in 1987 means that any number of things could have happened in the twenty years since it left the factory. The information indicates, to me, the bass drums are likely converted marchers. But, I reserve to say more until I see what we're talking about.:Santa:

Short of pictures, details such as: Color of the muffler felt inside the drums; pictures of the rail mounts; serials (if any) on each of the badges, etc.

Sounds like you may have 2 jazzettes, depends on if the 2 12" and 18" are from different era or not. They did make a double bass set but generally no tom mounts on the basses on that and it would have different size rack toms.

But, if I understood the OP, he has two 18 X 14 bass drums -which are not Jazzette size.

True that, so even though they're not "jazzette" sizes, they were available. Ludwig did allow one to order whatever size they wanted, so in this case, it may have been either a Jazzette set with a 14" deep bass or a Downbeat with an 18" diameter bass (minus L-arm cymbal mounts?). maybe the extra 12" and 18" was ordered later, or at a different time.

If you're planning on splitting them I'd look for the 12" and 18" that don't match as far as serial numbers and then sell those first and keep the 18/12/14 together. An 18x14 bass is still very, very rare and will net you a nice chunk of change.

Ludwig catalogs were not intended to become historical documents. They were used to sell drums.