Question about Vintage Ludwig finishes......

[Skitch]

While I have some knowledge of vintage drums, it is quite limited to what some of you know! Did Ludwig ever offer a finish called Maple Cortex? I know that they offer a Mohagany Cortex at one time and this was an actual platic wrap on the drum, not a lacquer finish.


Mike

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[bermuda]

Yep, Maple Cortex was part of the line-up, and was actually a rather light, 'white' maple, not yellowy or blonde.

Here's my Educator kit:

http://www.bermudaschwartz.com/images/edukit2.jpg

Note the real maple hoops against the fake maple wrap!

Bermuda

[harryconway]

Note the real maple hoops against the fake maple wrap!

Bermuda

Kinda like a real blonde standing next to a "bleach" blonde. Beautiful kit, Bermuda.

[Skitch]

Kinda like a real blonde standing next to a "bleach" blonde. Beautiful kit, Bermuda.

Or just a blondeon the beach!


Mike

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[drumhammerer]

My first kit was a maple cortex mid 70's 3 ply kit. I didn't like that color when I was a kid, so of course I had to paint over it like a genius.

Yeah, and they did also have the mahogany "mobile home" cortex. I never did like that finish, because it reminded me of the cheap paneling on the table in our old motor home. Come to think of it, it was probably the same material.

And speaking of 70's finishes, I still find it strange the psychedelic colors didn't do well in the 70's, when everything else at the time had all those wild color schemes. I think I would've preferred those to "mobile home" cortex.

[Skitch]

Here is the new acquisition:

Bass Drum is 14 x 22" and appears to be a 3 ply shell
Rack Tom is 9 x 13" and appears to be a 3 ply shell
Floor tom 1 is 16 x 16" and appears to be a 3 ply shell
Floor Tom 2 is 16 x 18" and appears to be a 6 ply shell

I think that this kit was originally the Classic Outfit and the 18" Floor Tom was added at a later time. I have all of the Hercules stands that came with it and a Speed King pedal. I have both hoops for the bass drum as well as all of the claws and T-handle lugs. I alraedy have the hoop for bottom side of the 13" tom. The retracting 781 tom holder is there but the actual 1306, 1/4" retracting spurs are missing. Some of the floor tom legs are missing the rubber feet and the Hercules snare stand is missing one rubber foot as well. I am guessing the would be considered a vintage kit?

[drumhammerer]

Sweet kit. Yeah, definitely considered vintage; especially the 3 ply ones which are from the early 70's. And, the 6 ply is vintage too, although maybe not as much to some people.

BTW it looks like the head on that one tom got hit by a hail storm!

[Skitch]

My God! These were the dirtiest drums I have ever worked on! And just when I thought the smell couldn't get worse, it did! They are clean now!


Mike

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[Kothlow]

sweet kit, deffinately hope you can post a picture when they are all set up.

[Skitch]

Okay - so what type of heads? I am thinking Pinstripes! On both sides!

Mike

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[Pocket-full-of-gold]

Okay - so what type of heads? I am thinking Pinstripes! On both sides!

Mike

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I dunno here Mike.......vintage Luddies (to me at least....) scream coated Emps (or G2's) over (clear???) Ambs (or G1's)......or am I just boring and traditional (and perhaps even a little too 'Bonham-esque')?!?!?!?

[Skitch]

Okay,

Here they are post cleaning:




Mike

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[harryconway]

Sweet kit. Probably in it's "original" configuration, it was a 22, 12, 13, 16 kit. With the flange, the Luddy badge on the 13" tom, when hung on the right, faces front. As shown in the photo, when hung on the left, it faces rear. The "curved" or "arched" dis-sapearing spurs came out somewhere around 1970. 1968 Catalog shows both folding spurs and "big nail" spurs. I'd opt for folders, 'cause they look cool. Should bolt right up using your existing holes. It's the same mount as the floor tom leg mount/L-arm kick drum mount. Gawd bless Ludwig for using the same mount for 3 uses. I've dated the double-tom flange going all the way back to 1960, on the "Hollywood" kit. The "Downbeat" kit had the single rack tom mounted on the rail consolette. Now, the 6 ply floor tom, 1976 or later. A definite add-on to this particular kit.

[Skitch]

Sweet kit. Probably in it's "original" configuration, it was a 22, 12, 13, 16 kit. With the flange, the Luddy badge on the 13" tom, when hung on the right, faces front. As shown in the photo, when hung on the left, it faces rear. The "curved" or "arched" dis-sapearing spurs came out somewhere around 1970. 1968 Catalog shows both folding spurs and "big nail" spurs. I'd opt for folders, 'cause they look cool. Should bolt right up using your existing holes. It's the same mount as the floor tom leg mount/L-arm kick drum mount. Gawd bless Ludwig for using the same mount for 3 uses. I've dated the double-tom flange going all the way back to 1960, on the "Hollywood" kit. The "Downbeat" kit had the single rack tom mounted on the rail consolette. Now, the 6 ply floor tom, 1976 or later. A definite add-on to this particular kit.

Glad you chimed in Harry - you are an authority on these!

The only catalog I had to go by was on from 1980 which is way past the year of manufacture of these! I was thinking it was either a Hollywood kit, missing the 12" tom or the earlier equivalent to the "Classic" outfit pictured in the 1980 catalog as the floor tom is definitely a later addition. I had no clue about the positioning of the badge being out front when the tom is mounted on the right!

So the 6 ply shells date around 1976?

I was suprised that the interior of the shells were as good as they are!


Mike

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[Skitch]

I dunno here Mike.......vintage Luddies (to me at least....) scream coated Emps (or G2's) over (clear???) Ambs (or G1's)......or am I just boring and traditional (and perhaps even a little too 'Bonham-esque')?!?!?!?

I was just joking about the both sides thing!

Mike

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[Pocket-full-of-gold]

I was just joking about the both sides thing!

Mike

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HA!!! Sailed over my head then.....totally missed it.

Anything will top that 'moon surface' like head that was on it though.....some nice tones from the 'sea of tranquility' though, I'm told!

[harryconway]

Glad you chimed in Harry...so the 6 ply shells date around 1976?




Most of my info. comes from sites like this: http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/ and the fact that I'm just an old drummer dog. And yeah, 1976 saw the introduction of the 6 ply shell. My guess would be 76-80, for that 18" floor tom. And indeed, your clear maple interiors look really nice. Those are keepers.

[Skitch]

Most of my info. comes from sites like this: http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/ and the fact that I'm just an old drummer dog. And yeah, 1976 saw the introduction of the 6 ply shell. My guess would be 76-80, for that 18" floor tom. And indeed, your clear maple interiors look really nice. Those are keepers.

Hey Harry!

Thanks for the link; I just favorited them. Despite my looks, I am just an old drum guy as well. I used to sit in the car going to eat with my parents, thumbing through the Zildjian and Ludwig catalogs I had aquired. Little did I know that I was actually educating myself! just judging but the serial numbers, I think these may be 1976 model drums; all of the serial numbers are 7 digits long.

Mike

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[drumhammerer]

I believe the clear interior 3 plies were made from late '69 to '72, then they went to the granitone 3 ply interior '73 to '75. The 6 plies were made from '76 all the way to '97, but the B/O badge only went to '82 or '83. They started clipping the corners of that badge some time in '79. The serial #'s don't always make since, though. On my granitone 3 plies the #'s are all over the place. One drum has a 6 digit serial #, whereas all the rest of them are well into the 7 digits, which is where the granitones should be.

As for heads, I would try some coated emperors over coated ambassadors first. But, pinstripes do work well on these too.

[harryconway]

Okay - so what type of heads? I am thinking Pinstripes! On both sides!



Or EMAD both sides! And some Owens Corning insulation inside the shell. That should take care of and "pesky" overtones!!!!!

[Skitch]

Or EMAD both sides! And some Owens Corning insulation inside the shell. That should take care of and "pesky" overtones!!!!!

Yeah.......or put 2 inch thick foam all the way around the interior of the kick drum! In all seroiusness, I am trying to sell these.


Mike

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