Did I just buy both a Supraphonic and an Acrolite for $299?

MOV13

Junior Member
Hi all. I just made two impulse purchases and am not sure if I found treasure for cheap, or if (in the words of Arrested Development) I've made a huge mistake. Here are the two snares:


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/oto4f221cds2c6z/AAAxuN0t1dvM6xao6DCr5sCga?dl=0


First I found a "refinished" Supraphonic on ebay. The listing said, "This drum has been refinished. It has been painted using Rustoleum paint, giving it a neat texture. It also has a foam insert around the inside of the shell for sound control. I believe the drum is aluminum. A magnet does not stick to the shell or the lugs, but does stick to the snare throw, butt plate, and rims. I do not know an exact date, but I’m sure it’s from the 60’s or 70’s."

It also has no badge or muffler, but it does have the 10 lugs; not sure about the throw. Obviously I'd MUCH rather have an original unpainted one, but right now I don't care about looks so much as sound for recording. It had been listed for about an hour and was only $199 so I jumped on it before someone else could. Does it appear legit? Will the paint affect the sound? I assume the first thing I need to do is take the foam liner (pic 5) out from the inside; seems like that kinda defeats the purpose of the sound from a Supraphonic shell. Not sure what else I might need; I hope it's not too much of a Frankenstein.



Like 2 days later I stumbled upon (what I THINK is) an early-80s blue/olive-badged Acrolite at a pawn shop. They were about to close, I was quickly googling photos of Ludwigs and believed it to be an Acro... marked $129, I offered $100 and they accepted, and all of a sudden I had two used snare drums, neither of which I was 100% certain of. I'm not proud of my behavior, but it happened and it's done. Now I just want to see if you drum equipment experts can tell if I screwed up, or maybe I just spent $299 total for BOTH a Supraphonic and an Acrolite.



I know my ears are the final judge but I can't get these set up or play for about another month and don't want to drop another $100 on heads and/or snares unless I'm at least sure I've got two legit, worthwhile snares.


Thanks! :)
 

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Congratulations, yes you have. Well played sir!

The 400 has been stripped of it's chrome and sprayed, I have a blue 402 that has had the same treatment.

Sound won't be effected as long as you get rid of the foam insert, why do idiots feel the name to piss about with a great drum! The badge probably disappeared at the time it was sprayed. Not understanding the black hardware???

Acro looks in original condition.

Get some fresh heads on these bad boys and happy gloating!
 
Sound won't be effected as long as you get rid of the foam insert, why do idiots feel the name to piss about with a great drum! The badge probably disappeared at the time it was sprayed. Not understanding the black hardware???

I assume the hardware was also painted.
 
As mikyok noted, win-win. Congratulations.

Regarding the sound on the Supra, just remove the internal foam insert (as you and mikyok stated) and the painted shell shouldn't have a notable effect.

As far as build date, if the 12-hole P85 throw-off on the it is original, it's most likely a 70's (circa 68 thru 79) Supra that had a pointy-corner blue/olive badge and 1" round-knob internal muffler.

For a little more finished look, you may want to consider a couple of quick and inexpensive updates:

- Insert a couple of pan-head machine screws, washers and bolts into the two internal muffler holes.

- Install a reproduction blue/olive badge and grommet in the breather hole. A eBay user named MyOldKentuckyDrums carries some nice ones and usually has some on-hand even if he doesn't have any listings active.

As far as a date on the Acro, Ludwig changed to the rounded-corner b/o badge in 79 and from the 12-hole to 2-hole P85 in 80. Serial numbers then went above 3,000,000 around 82. Then about 84-85 the Acros got the powder coating on the shell and the P85 changed to the strap design. However I've seen plenty of P85s with 2-holes until the Blackrolites were launched in 94. Nevertheless, my initial guess on the Acro would be 84-93.
 
Thanks very much everyone! :)


This was exactly the info I was looking for, and the outcome I was hoping for. As I mentioned, this is very out-of-character for me; I normally research and dig and analyze (often to the point of obsession and overthinking) before making a planned, educated purchase. To stumble on a snare drum — let alone TWO, within a few days of each other — and on a whim pull the trigger on both... that does not usually pan out very well, but this time it sounds like I got lucky and ended up with two good drums. If these sound as good as everyone says, it might be time to sell my old Ludwig and Pearl Sensitone.



I wonder if the Acro might need some new snares, and I've got an Ambassador coated and hazy on the way. The Acro has an older Ludwig Rocker @ top and X Clear Thin Snare @ bottom... and the original "Patent 2517124" 12-strand snares. We'll see on those?



The Supra has brand new Evans G2 @ top and brand new Snare Side 300 @ bottom. I was considering the same Ambassadors or maybe new Ludwig WeatherMasters for this drum... but when I get a chance to tune them up and try them, may see how these Evans sound. I've read some people who use those on the Supras, but we'll see. The Supra snares are also 20-strand Ludwig and look brand new.


Anyway, thanks again!
 
If restoring the original look and functionality is important to you, it's worth it.

Just keep in mind that Ludwig swapped the positions of the control knob and mounting screw between the vintage and new muffler brackets. The vintage model has the knob on top and screw on the bottom whereas the new model has them reversed.

So if the holes in your shell are original, you may need to drill out the bottom hole to accommodate the larger diameter of the knob shaft.

You could always test the new version and return it if it doesn't fit w/o modification, and then look for a good deal on a clean vintage one (on eBay, etc.). The biggest issue with the vintage ones tends to be rattling from a worn muffler rivet (leaves a gap on the underside of the bracket) which can easily be resolved with some epoxy.
 
I dig the color on that shell.. i would strip the hardware or get new chrome though.. but keep the gold :) At least it won't look like just another generic one.
 
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