I put tube lugs on a 60's supra (see photo) and I found that it opened up the sound of the drum a bit and it also seemed to dry it out some as well. The Imperials made the shell sound 'wetter' and more focused.To my ears...John
That snare looks great John! What I don't like, is when those tubes are on a 402 (6.5" deep) Ludwig snare. They just look too short for the drum.
BTW, if this were a poll, I would be voting Imperial lugs.;)
I put tube lugs on a 60's supra (see photo) and I found that it opened up the sound of the drum a bit and it also seemed to dry it out some as well. The Imperials made the shell sound 'wetter' and more focused.To my ears...John
Yes, i find that Imperial Lugs are vital to the Ludwig sound. i haven't tried it on a snare yet, but when you tap on a "naked" Ludwig Tom shell it doesn't have as much tonality as a Tom shell with mounted Imperials... I guess having the Tube Lugs on a snare might have the same effect as a "naked" tom shell...
It ain't even close: Imperials. I really do not like tube lugs.
IMO, as much as Ludwig offers in the way of options on their high end kits these days, the one glaring omission is being able to order an entire kit with Imperials on it. They really need to bring back the Imperial in a big way.
It ain't even close: Imperials. I really do not like tube lugs.IMO, as much as Ludwig offers in the way of options on their high end kits these days, the one glaring omission is being able to order an entire kit with Imperials on it. They really need to bring back the Imperial in a big way.
Here, here, well-said. Bring back heavy, flat-back, solid Imperials for toms/bass drums.
John
Also...I'm fond of the blue olive badges more now. You can tell it's a Ludwig when you have Imperials and that badge...nothing like it in the world! Gosh I love Ludwig stuff. They are just timeless classics, you know?
I have two 60s Ludwig kits, and now I'm getting the bug to grab another one from 70s. My very first kit was a 70s Ludwig that my parents bought me right before my 6th grade year. Wish I would have kept that one!
Tube all the way. I'd rather see the drum not the lugs!
It's a snare drum. Chances are you're not going to see much of it anyway.
Something to keep in mind is that tube lugs don't have swivel nuts and
any tension rod splay will have to be compensated for by shimming the
lugs or changing the rims to a set with more forgiving dimensions.
OEM Ludwig tubes seem to be OK but aftermarket models may be another
story.
I'm not a fan of tube lugs on metal shells anyway because the shells tend
to bend easily and the tubes concentrate any stress right at the attachment
point. Metal shells tend to be soft; I've owned several Ludalloy Supras and
COB SoundKings that have been dented in the strainer area by being dropped
or knocked into something by a previous owner.
I'd guess that the Imperial lug would spread any stress over a much larger
area.
Plus, with Imperials, it looks like a Supra!
Just my take on this.
MW
No right answers, but I see the point of having things that are characteristic and unique to a brand...in this case, Imperials with Ludwig as an example. For me it comes down to cosmetics...which I think is still really important!
