Ludwig vs. Slingerland Vintage set

Hello,

I was looking on the WWW and I saw a Ludwig Gold Sparkle set from 1966 for sale.
It's a:
LUDWIG GOLD SPARKLE SET (22"-13"-16") FROM 1966 + MATCHING 'PRE-SERIAL' JAZZFESTIVAL (5/14") SNARE!

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/546/ludwig66goldjpg.jpg

What do you guys think of it? the price is 2400 euro's with snare, and 1900 without.
I think it's better to take the whole set.

nice deal?

i really LOVE the finish! you guys also?

...........
ALSO i saw a SLINGERLAND RED SPARKLE SET (22"-13"-16") + MATCHING ONE PLY SNARE FROM 1958! (mahonie)

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9896/slingerland58red.jpg

The price is the same, also 2400 for the whole set.
I don't know what the differences in sound are between these sets, can you guys help me out with that?
Both finishes are really lovely!

Thx!
 
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Wow..Those are both amazing sets. Beautiful finishes, beautiful condition, and both will sound amazing in their own way. I have a similar vintage Ludwig but with a Supra instead of a Jazz fest, and I am completely 100% content. It would definitely be a great choice.

But that Slingerland is something else. The real trump card that thing carries is the snare.Those one ply snares that Slingerland (ala Radio King) were something else. There would be no better route to go if you wanted to swing out like Gene Krupa every day.

This is one tough decision, myself in that situation I don't know if I could decide. What I think though, for me personally, I would go for the Slingerland. I love Ludwigs, but Slingerland probably would suit me better. That 1 ply snare enough would make me a happy guy. I would have to play both kits in person to truly decide.

As far as value goes, the Ludwig Jazz Fest combo is worth more than the Slingerland set though. But if you want to play those babies and not put them in a glass case, then that won't matter much. As always, try to ask down the price a little bit. If you do ever buy one of these graceful sets, please do share!
 
If the Slingerland is truely a one ply snare drum, I'd jump on that. Those are hard to find, and highly valued for their sound.

Other than that, both are nice kits.
 
Also note that Slingerland didn't put badges on their rack toms at that time. There is no vent hole, so the rack tom will sound very "jazzy".

I haven't been too pleased with many Jazz Festivals or Radio Kings. The snare is a toss up for me. The Ludwigs are worth more on the market right now. I'd try both kits out and see which one you like better...
 
The problem is that i can't play on the kits before i buy them. (they come from the states).
So that's very difficult..

I'm not really looking for a jazz sound, i'm gonna use it more for pop,rock music etc. so maybe is Ludwig the best choice?
I heard Ludwig sounds warmer en lower than Slingerland, Slingerland kits have more attack.
 
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I dont like the straight legs on slingerlands floor tom early kits ie No Badge.I had one Not real sturdy. and was a little bit of a pain to put the legs thru,could only go one way.And i had to have the legs all the way up.It worked but was a little bit of a hassle,sounds great but like the contored legs ALOT better..If It was me id do the Ludwig.Both really nice kits.
 
The problem is that i can't play on the kits before i buy them. (they come from the states).
So that's very difficult..

I'm not really looking for a jazz sound, i'm gonna use it more for pop,rock music etc. so maybe is Ludwig the best choice?
I heard Ludwig sounds warmer en lower than Slingerland, Slingerland kits have more attack.

Ludwigs have more attack?!?!?!? They're basically almost the exact same kind of shells. I've had a few Ludwigs and only one Slingerland, and the Slingerland DID sound more "jazzy" than any of the Ludwigs did.
Go with the Ludwig and then get yourself a Supraphonic snare drum. I would encourage you to buy a set that you can try out first. That would suck to take a chance (which is what buying online is, essentially) and get a dud...
 
What do you guys think of the Ludwig snare?
If i take the whole set incl. the snare it's 2400 euro's, without snare 1900 euros.

Is the snare the 500 euros worth? it's a MATCHING 'PRE-SERIAL' JAZZFESTIVAL (5/14") SNARE!
 
What do you guys think of the Ludwig snare?
If i take the whole set incl. the snare it's 2400 euro's, without snare 1900 euros.

Is the snare the 500 euros worth? it's a MATCHING 'PRE-SERIAL' JAZZFESTIVAL (5/14") SNARE!

The fact that it's a pre-serial and the kit is not means that it's not factory matched. Although, having a snare with the same finish as the kit can be appealing. I don't know how these kits are viewed over on your side of the pond, but over here there is a buzz about Jazz Festival snares among vintage drum enthusiasts. I've tried a few and have been less than impressed, myself. Look around on eBay or other places online and find out if the snare is worth 500 euros. More importantly, is it worth 500 euros to YOU? Over here in the states, it seems as though that is about the fair market value, so because of the increased rarity factor, it might be worth more to you over there...??? Pre-serial Ludwigs are always being sought after by collectors, so if you don't like it, you should be able to make your money back on it.
 
tough decision without playing either kit. if you do more pop, rock, get the Ludwig...more motown, jazz, get the Slingerland. however, i believe either kit could be set-up into a jazz or rock MACHINE. after you make the buy, could you post the seller / site you found these on ?
 
Why are you between these kits in the first place? For the kind of music you play, and that kind of money, you can virtually get *any* higher end new kit from the biggest and better brands. New kits have way superior hardware, construction, even sound better and are more versatile. Maybe the band you're in has a vintage vibe? Or perhaps you already have a 15000 dollars Sonor SQ2, and this is your fifth set? And also, you can't even test these drums.


Fox.
 
Hey,

I have already a Pdp kit with DW snare and a Sonor S-classix snare.
I think every (oké, the most) drummers wanna buy a vintage kit.
Why? for the unique looks, unique sound, for your own personality as drummer/musician?

Also i think(not in the 1st place) it is a good "investment" to buy a vintage kit, when you sell it, you can get the price back what you payed for it.
I see it as a win-win situation.
 
Also i think(not in the 1st place) it is a good "investment" to buy a vintage kit, when you sell it, you can get the price back what you payed for it.

You can do this with a LOT of used kits. Heck, I know some people in town who scour craigslist, looking for $100 drum kits that they can turn around for 2-3x what they paid for them.

Vintage kits are not a good "investment" for investment's sake. Usually an investment is made in order to get some profitable return. Vintage kits keep with the current market, usually. A kit that somebody buys at market value might go up a few hundred in value a few years later, but milk/cars/houses/incomes have already gone up that same percentage. If you sell it in a few years for what you paid for it, you've actually LOST money on it.

I do see the vintage vibe/uniqueness/personality side of it. It is cool and (mostly) unique (depends on your "scene"). Also, vintage kits are usually pretty good, but there ARE some duds. Repeat, there ARE some duds! So, that's why I would recommend checking one out in person first before buying it. Modern kits, if kept in good shape, will sound pretty much like they should, and you can trust that you'll get a kit like that one you played at the local music shop, as long as the seller kept it in good shape themselves. An immaculate, museum-quality vintage kit you find on eBay that was the exact model type that (insert your favorite drummer) played on (insert your favorite album here) might actually be a terrible-sounding kit. Just saying.

I'm a HUGE advocate of trying before you buy, especially with vintage gear. Yes, I know these auctions are in the states and you can't, but can you try to find a local vintage kit for sale? Who knows? You might not even like the sound...
 
Why are you between these kits in the first place? For the kind of music you play, and that kind of money, you can virtually get *any* higher end new kit from the biggest and better brands. New kits have way superior hardware, construction, even sound better and are more versatile. Maybe the band you're in has a vintage vibe? Or perhaps you already have a 15000 dollars Sonor SQ2, and this is your fifth set? And also, you can't even test these drums.


Fox.

Well, for one thing vintage kits, (especially in mint condition) will only go up in value. Even if you buy the mighty DW for $2,500 it will depreciate as soon as you walk out the door.

As far as sound, I've played new and vintage kits and vintage drums have a much warmer sound that's more pleasing to my ears.

I've never had much problem with the hardware on my Ludwigs, the kick doesn't creep and the tom mount works fine when I use it. Don't buy a kit because of hardware, the sound and look is what matters, vintage kits look way cooler than any new kit I've seen.

Besides owning vintage Ludwig kits, I've owned Slingerland, Rogers and Gretsch....buy the Ludwigs.
 
The first thing I would do is open an account at vintagedrumforum.com and ask the kind folks there for some info about these drums. Also you need to ask a boat load of questions to this seller before spending that kind of scratch. Buying vintage drums should never be based soley on looks, especially when a set is pushing 45 years old. You want to make sure that the integrity of those shells are in order. The first question I ask is always "Are the shells in-round?" In-round by my standard is defined as fitting modern heads with ease, no tugging and pulling an out of the box drum-head over the bearing edges. You place a brand-new head on the drum and it fits with ease and spins freely. If any of those are out-of-round, there's no fix for it, and that drum(s) will never tune up properly.

I would also inquire as to whether or not those are rewraps. They look a little too nice. I know that there are some immaculate vintage kits out there, and perhaps these are two of them, but hey, better safe than sorry. If these are rewrapped, that's way too much to pay. I however am questioning this seller a bit, as Pre-serial keystone badges were put on Ludwigs from early 1960-63. http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/ludwig_badges.html
The mid-sixties was high time for badges with serial numbers, so 1966 doesn't jive. I would ask for an explanation on this.
 
I'm a bit late to the party here, but I would DEFINITELY buy the Ludwig.

Slingerland makes great shells and lugs but their hardware (spurs and floor tom brackets) strip VERY easily and can be really spendy to fix. I picked up a bunch of orphaned Slingerlands and I ditched the brackets and spurs. Selling them to a store covered my Gibraltar brackets and my Dunnett Gull Wing spurs. I didn't want a vintage kit, I wanted a vintage sounding kit on a budget.

I the value and originality is important to you, buy the Luddies as they have superior mounts and brackets. If you want a player and are ok with missmatched/rewrapped shells, skip these two kits and buy Slingerland orphans as they are cheap.
 
Thanks for al the reply's!

I have more information:
- The snare is a pre-serial snare from 1961 but the rest (bd, 2 toms) is from 1966, i think only the colour is matching.
- The shells are 100% round and in good condition
- The wrapping is also the original and in mint condition (offcourse cleaned up with some products, the same with the hardware)
- Thz jazzfestival snare is a 3ply mahonie/esdoorn/mahonie shell.
 
YES! in 2 weeks i have the Ludwig in Gold Sparkle!
I'm really looking forward to play and see it!

Thanks for al the reply's and advice here, thank you very much!
 
YES! in 2 weeks i have the Ludwig in Gold Sparkle!
I'm really looking forward to play and see it!

Thanks for al the reply's and advice here, thank you very much!

Congrats! You'll probably be VERY happy with it! It's a very classy-looking kit. I'm crossing my fingers for you that the hardware and bearing edges are in good shape...
 
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