Ludwig Acrolite.., With Sound Clip!

[ArtyZ]

I bought this last month on eBay for $81 including the case and stand. The drum is from the mid 80s and sounds great. Why shouldn't it, it has the famous Supraphonic shell. Listen below.
Great drum for the price, heck just great drum.
Listen Here to Acrolite (http://ArtyZ.fileave.com/Acro1.mp3)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v354/ArtyZ/Acolite1.jpg

[mofle]

[B][SIZE="3"]it has the famous Supraphonic shell.]

I hope you are kidding

[fourstringdrums]

Why shouldn't it, it has the famous Supraphonic shell.

Were you drunk when you wrote this? :-)

Sounds nice. Tuned a little too low for my tastes on that drum, but sounds great none the less and especially for $80!

[boomboomda]

I have the same Acrolite then yours.Great drum, congrats.

[ArtyZ]

I hope you are kidding
Sigh. Whatever. It's not my job to school ya.

[Wavelength]

I hope you are kidding

The differences between an Acrolite shell and a Supra shell is the amount of lugs and the finish; the Acro has eight lugs and is anodized, painted or enameled, and the Supra has ten lugs and is chromed. Of course, there are different versions of the Supra, such as bronze or chrome-over-brass, but the aluminum shells of Supras and Acros are practically identical.

[TopCat]

That's a pretty good deal, congrats.

[Mendozart]

The differences between an Acrolite shell and a Supra shell is the amount of lugs and the finish; the Acro has eight lugs and is anodized, painted or enameled, and the Supra has ten lugs and is chromed. Of course, there are different versions of the Supra, such as bronze or chrome-over-brass, but the aluminum shells of Supras and Acros are practically identical.
Yup, same Ludalloy shell. BTW, nice pic ArtyZ.

[fourstringdrums]

Sigh. Whatever. It's not my job to school ya.

My apologies, I wasn't aware of the difference. I thought there was more to it than just the plating and the number of lugs.

[PinkZepplin]

You gotten tighten those heads up, it sounds so dead. The great thing about those snares is the crack you get when you tighten up, just ask john bonham.

[stickers]

Yeah its sounds very trashy.

Here is a sound clip of my acrolite which I did 5 minutes ago.

Tuned on the high side.

Ambassador coated batter, ambassador clear snare reso side. Standard snare strainer. No dampening

Mic is an sm81 placed about a foot away from the center of the drum 30 degree angle. Far enough away so there's no proximity effect (increase in bass response caused by cardiod mic patterns)

http://www.jetrecording.com/AcroliteSample.mp3

[Dr.Hook]

Stickers...man great job tuning that snare! And no after ring that my ears can hear, done with no dampening.

I'd LOVE to have my sanre sound like that, but with a Ludwig Accent I don't hear it happening anytime soon!

[stasz]

I'd LOVE to have my sanre sound like that, but with a Ludwig Accent I don't hear it happening anytime soon!

Well keep an eye on eBay. Acrolites are floating around pretty much constantly, as well as supras, although they usually get higher bids. Some of the drums may need some refurbishing or parts, but regardless you can get a great-sounding drum for a good price.

And sweet drum, Arty. The finish looks great.

[ArtyZ]

Yeah its sounds very trashy Here is a sound clip of my acrolite which I did 5 minutes ago.
There's no accounting for likes and dislikes with music and instruments. I also suppose that there is no right or wrong as well.
I listen to your snare and I hear a tight choked off sound. It's just not for me I guess. I re-listened to mine and I like what I hear. So what? Who really cares? The only important person is yourself when it comes to tuning a drum (well, if your not in the studio). Different strokes...

[ArtyZ]

I thought that I was being so cool...
Did anyone notice that I have the drum on a period correct Ludwig stand?

Well, I thought it was a nice touch...

http://img110.mytextgraphics.com/photolava/2008/03/13/stand-fdryymz7.jpeg

AZ

[Mendozart]

Well, I did comment that it was a nice picture, but now that I look at the stand, cool. I thought your drum sounded pretty good, I might have tightened the snares just a hair more. As far as who's is better, it's all what the individual wants to hear. That's why there's no drum better than another. I remember earlier on, I used to tighten the snares way too tight. I've learned to now open them babies up and let the drum breathe. What I used to like about my Acro, is you can run an Ambassador for a nice open sound, or put an Evans coated dry head for a more focused sound. Great drum either way.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Its clean, its gorgeous, and its crisp, but for me it would have to be a little tighter on the batter head. Congrats on the find. Thats my kind of deal.

[stickers]

I will say your clip is a lot louder than my clip. Maybe thats throwing perception off.

Its not choked.

The strainers are pretty lose.

Its just tuned on the high side and the heads just don't vibrate as long. I could be wrong though.

Anyways, PARTY ON.

[Tina]

Were you drunk when you wrote this?
I hope you are kidding
C'mon guys, the Acrolite and Supra Ludalloy shells are one and the same. The plating and number of holes may be different, but that's essentially cosmetic. The sound is unaffected by chrome or bowtie vs imperial lugs.
Fourstrings, yours was an especially rude response. You really need to do your homework before you stick your neck out like that. You got owned dude!!!
I also own a 80s or so vintage Acrolite and I love it's tone. I compared comparable era and size Acros and Supras side by side and there was little noticeable difference. Everyone in my band and at school said they sounded identical.
Acros can be bought all day on eBay for around $100. This is most likely the best deal around for a great sounding snare drum.
ArtyZ; great chops, I love the way you play. I think your drum sounds OK, but I would've tuned it a bit higher as well. But as you say.., different strokes...
One question; did you have to clean that drum up a bit or did you get it in the condition shown in your pic?

Later on!!
Tina-Tama Girl.

[LiveGoat]

I like my snares on the tighter side as well but it still sounds pretty good. Kind of like Charlies Watts's snare on a late 70's Stones bootleg that I have. Great find, Arty!

--LG

[ArtyZ]

One question; did you have to clean that drum up a bit or did you get it in the condition shown in your pic?
Later on!!
Tina-Tama Girl.
The chrome was dirty as was the shell. Just a bit of elbow grease put it right. All the parts are in fine shape.
Thanks for asking.

Arty Z