Bo Eder
Platinum Member
So it's Day Four with the new Ludwig Super Classic kit and I'm now convinced of a couple of things I don't like about the "new" era.
The new P-85AC snare strainer. Although I realize Ludwig has discontinued this part, I think it's not a day too soon they did. From a distance it looks cool, but then you realize that when the snares are engaged, you can't adjust the tension of the snares from the twist knob. I guess to counter one of the most basic complaints of the original P-85 (how the tension knob would loosen while playing), the new P-85AC now locks the tension knob when it's in the engaged position. So to do any fine tuning, you drop the lever half-way or so so you can turn the knob.
Second strike against the P-85AC is that the turn knob is thin, so it's somewhat quirky to handle in the first place.
Luckily, the mounting holes are the same as on the venerable P-85. So I'll be going out to Pro Drum soon to get one and installing it myself. Problem solved. I thought I read somewhere Ludwig was going to tweak the design of the P-85AC to address these issues, but I'll address it by just replacing it with what I already know I can work.
The other thing I'm not digging is the Triad floor tom leg mounts on the floor tom. Sometimes I think Ludwig did this because everybody else went to 12.7mm diameter legs (Gretsch and DW both use these super fat legs). They certainly work and can hold that heavy leg in place very well, but now you're dealing with a floor tom that won't fit in the old 16x16 hard case you've been using. They're also a lot heavier than the Classic mounts, which adds weight to an already good design.
I already have three of the older Classic mounts and I'm going to go ahead and mount them, and use short 16" 9mm legs. The new Classic mounts work fine, and they're lighter weight and smaller foot prints make them perfect.
The downside, is that Ludwig says the Triad mounts are 2" inch mounts, making them compatible with the Classic mounts. This is not true. The Triad mount is slightly wider than the Classic, so you can't do a direct swap. But I like the drums, I don't foresee having to return them to the shop I purchased them from, so I'm gonna widen one of the holes a bit so the Classic mounts will fit.
So, if you're a vintage Ludwig player, keep these discrepancies in mind if you decide to buy a new Ludwig kit. It's good stuff, and you most likely won't get a snare with the P-85AC strainer now, but those Triad floor tom leg mounts are just too big for what you need them to do. Even Gretschs' and DW's designs don't make the drum physically too big for your old cases, so I'm guessing they didn't think some Atlas stuff all the way through.
Any of you new Ludwig players have any qualms?
The new P-85AC snare strainer. Although I realize Ludwig has discontinued this part, I think it's not a day too soon they did. From a distance it looks cool, but then you realize that when the snares are engaged, you can't adjust the tension of the snares from the twist knob. I guess to counter one of the most basic complaints of the original P-85 (how the tension knob would loosen while playing), the new P-85AC now locks the tension knob when it's in the engaged position. So to do any fine tuning, you drop the lever half-way or so so you can turn the knob.
Second strike against the P-85AC is that the turn knob is thin, so it's somewhat quirky to handle in the first place.
Luckily, the mounting holes are the same as on the venerable P-85. So I'll be going out to Pro Drum soon to get one and installing it myself. Problem solved. I thought I read somewhere Ludwig was going to tweak the design of the P-85AC to address these issues, but I'll address it by just replacing it with what I already know I can work.
The other thing I'm not digging is the Triad floor tom leg mounts on the floor tom. Sometimes I think Ludwig did this because everybody else went to 12.7mm diameter legs (Gretsch and DW both use these super fat legs). They certainly work and can hold that heavy leg in place very well, but now you're dealing with a floor tom that won't fit in the old 16x16 hard case you've been using. They're also a lot heavier than the Classic mounts, which adds weight to an already good design.
I already have three of the older Classic mounts and I'm going to go ahead and mount them, and use short 16" 9mm legs. The new Classic mounts work fine, and they're lighter weight and smaller foot prints make them perfect.
The downside, is that Ludwig says the Triad mounts are 2" inch mounts, making them compatible with the Classic mounts. This is not true. The Triad mount is slightly wider than the Classic, so you can't do a direct swap. But I like the drums, I don't foresee having to return them to the shop I purchased them from, so I'm gonna widen one of the holes a bit so the Classic mounts will fit.
So, if you're a vintage Ludwig player, keep these discrepancies in mind if you decide to buy a new Ludwig kit. It's good stuff, and you most likely won't get a snare with the P-85AC strainer now, but those Triad floor tom leg mounts are just too big for what you need them to do. Even Gretschs' and DW's designs don't make the drum physically too big for your old cases, so I'm guessing they didn't think some Atlas stuff all the way through.
Any of you new Ludwig players have any qualms?
