I got skunked today. Thought I was buying a 1960 Ludwig Super Classic snare drum. The drum looks beautiful. 5.5X14, COB rims, WFL P-87 strainer, WFL snare butt. Transition badge, white interior, date stamped June 23 1960. 3 ply shell w/re-rings the wrap goes into the plys of the shell. After cleaning it up and starting to reassemble I noticed the re-rings didn't look right. It dawned on me that they were too small. and the white paint looks too new. Then I also realized that the gray sparkle wrap wasn't a wrap shown in either the old catalogs or the Ludwig book. I realize now that the drum is a almost perfect fake. The guy did a really quality job. It's still a beautiful drum and I feel it's worth what I paid for it but it's not the real deal. Proves the old saying, "If it looks too good to be true it probably is." I wanted it to be what I wanted so bad I missed some real obvious clues. Even though I'm an old dog I learned a good lesson today.
Got skunked today
O, really sorry that it isn't what you were hoping it would be. Bad Karma is around the corner for the seller if he was up to no good. You sound like you have a great attitude about it. Can't say that I would.
Better luck next time - Chris
unless you got a really,really good deal, i think i'd be having a chat with the skunker...
mike
So my limited knowledge tells me a transition badge drum shouldn't have a white interior, and the re-rings were larger back then. But if the wrap goes into the plys of the shell it is probably is a later Ludwig shell, isn't it? I'm not sure whether other companies did the same thing with putting the wrap on before curving the wood into a circle. And I don't know that anybody would make shells that way now, just to look like old ones -- and then use the inappropriate color for the wrap!
If it is a later shell, does the color fit the range of available Ludwig colors? In that case it might be just a case of somebody putting on a transition badge and a date stamp (which isn't hard) on say a 1963-1967 shell.
What about the hardware? Does the butt say WFL or Ludwig?
Any chance of some pics?
On a side note, if something like this is constructed from all Ludwig parts (but from different periods) I'm more likely to call it an "assemblage of parts" rather than a "fake". Others prefer the term Frankensnare, and I'm sure there are plenty of other terms in use.
Please, take some shots of the interior of the drum for me and post them here. I want to see if I (or one of the guys) can ID it for you. If the guy used a quality shell, all may not be lost if you can't get a refund out of the skunk.
John
agreed. i'd also love to see some pics. we'll get it figured out!
mike
Boy it took you guys a while to request pics,lol
Every picture tells a story. You have the right guys interesred in this now.
Jeff C
Thank you!
Jeff C
"Enjoy every sandwich" Warren Zevon
I can take pics and send them to someones email if you'd be willing and kind enough to post them for me.
I can take pics and send them to someones email if you'd be willing and kind enough to post them for me.
PM sent..............
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