Ludwig Stock Heads

J

juiceforjoe

Member
As some of you may know, I ordered my new set of Luddies a couple of weeks ago. (the wait feels like an eternity)

When they get here, should I swap the heads out for a set of Remos right away, or will the stock heads do it justice? I specified the heads be equivalents of what I personally use, so it really boils down to quality of Ludwig's heads.

What do you think? Will my first experience of these drums be compromised by Ludwig's stock heads?

JFJ
 
Re: Ludwig stock heads?

I can attest to the quality of their USA snare heads on the supra, but have never used their other USA heads. They are apparently of good quality and have their own distinguishing characteristics (Not a Remo/Evans rebrand).

The OEM taiwanese heads (on kilts like the Accent) are completely unspectacular. I personally did not care for them.
 
Re: Ludwig stock heads?

Hit it and then make your decision.

Personally, I don't rate 'em......too "thin" sounding for my ears. But many see it differently.

They are as well made and comparable as any of the other reputable head manufacturers, so this will come down to your own ear and what it prefers to hear.
 
Re: Ludwig stock heads?

I think the ludwig weather master heads are as good as remo Evans or Aquarians single ply heads. It's unfortunate that ludwig does not make the different heads that they did in the 70s. I use the ludwig coated heavy batters on my toms and a coated silver dot on my supra phonic and power collar on my bass batter and they sound great.
 
I use and swear by Ludwig heads on their snare drums, and right now I'm also using silver dots on my toms.

They use a different film, and they do sound different from other heads but "good" or "bad" is in the ear of the beholder.

I find that because of the crimp lock hoop and the lower collar they seem to tune more easily than Remo heads.
 
They seem pretty popular around here.

My kit came with coated heavy batters and coated medium resos. I HATED them. They actually made me question my decision to get a Ludwig. I replaced them with Vintage Coated Emperors and Coated Ambassadors. I couldn't have been happier. I even noticed a huge improvement when I replaced the bass drum reso with an Ambassador.

I do recall liking Silver Dots on snares as a kid,though.

to each his own
 
My Classic Maples came with heavy coated heads, and to me they sounded very much like Remo Emperors, so when I swapped out for real emperors when the time came, I didn't notice a difference. I do like how the Ludwig coating seems to last forever without getting dirty. I'd probably use them all the time if stores stocked them, but most don't.

I intend to get some silver dots for the whole kit really soon, though.
 
Ludwig does offer a coated power collar head for snare drums. I want to try it on my supraphonic. I wish they would make their 14 mil extra heavy snare head again.
 
Re: Ludwig stock heads?

johnnyf1970 said:
I think the ludwig weather master heads are as good as remo Evans or Aquarians single ply heads. It's unfortunate that ludwig does not make the different heads that they did in the 70s. I use the ludwig coated heavy batters on my toms and a coated silver dot on my supra phonic and power collar on my bass batter and they sound great.
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Guess what?
The heads were the same then as they are now :)
The Heavy Coated (& Silver Dot) was the Rocker, & the Strider (Marching). The Medium Coated was the Groover and Ensemble.
Just clever packaging--but I did like the logos and concept of it. It's just a LOT cheaper to have ONE package for everything.

That Coated Silver Dot head is VERY heavy and dry. I got one and it was super heavy duty feeling, and would probably last eons, but it didn't have the sound I wanted.
Silver Dots sound cool on the snare.
I did find the SD on my bass drum sounded a little "rubbery" compared to a Remo Black Dot. Just a different sound, not that it was bad or anything.
Anyone else feel that way?

Larry was talking about the Smooth White Ludwig heads sounding cool, but I've never tried them other than as a reso head on my bass drum.
I'm going to get a couple to check out when I need new heads. I had some SW Remo heads as reso's and they were nice, but Ihaven't tried them as a batter. Ludwig hoops make the heads pretty sturdy, so they'd probably hold up with out denting much.
 
Re: Ludwig stock heads?

KarlCrafton said:
Guess what?
The heads were the same then as they are now :)
The Heavy Coated (& Silver Dot) was the Rocker, & the Strider (Marching). The Medium Coated was the Groover and Ensemble.
Just clever packaging--but I did like the logos and concept of it. It's just a LOT cheaper to have ONE package for everything.

That Coated Silver Dot head is VERY heavy and dry. I got one and it was super heavy duty feeling, and would probably last eons, but it didn't have the sound I wanted.
Silver Dots sound cool on the snare.
I did find the SD on my bass drum sounded a little "rubbery" compared to a Remo Black Dot. Just a different sound, not that it was bad or anything.
Anyone else feel that way?

Larry was talking about the Smooth White Ludwig heads sounding cool, but I've never tried them other than as a reso head on my bass drum.
I'm going to get a couple to check out when I need new heads. I had some SW Remo heads as reso's and they were nice, but Ihaven't tried them as a batter. Ludwig hoops make the heads pretty sturdy, so they'd probably hold up with out denting much.
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Ludwig used to offer a laminated 2ply head of 12 mil I wish they would go back and make them again instead of using Evans heads as there 2 ply heads and I think they had an opaque snare side head.i guess I like Ludwig because they still make drums,drumsticks,and heads
 
Re: Ludwig stock heads?

KarlCrafton said:
Larry was talking about the Smooth White Ludwig heads sounding cool, but I've never tried them other than as a reso head on my bass drum.
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Hey Karl!

Oh man Ludwig medium smooth whites (not coated) over a 10 mil clear single ply head...wide open baby....my favorite tom tone. LOVE the way my toms sound on the recordings now. Even more attack and crisper tone.... that has depth too....than 10 mil clear single ply over 10 mil clear single ply.

Ludwig mediums are only 7.5 mil so probably not the best choice for extra hard hitters. The Ludwig 10 mil smooth white just doesn't have the same crisp sonic attack as the mediums IMO. The mediums do have all the sustain of a 10 mil head though. I can't tell the difference like I can with diplomats. Diplomats die too fast. Ludwigs sing on. Where the head goes into the collar...Ludwig heads have about 1/3 the crimps that Remo heads have. It looks different and the edges sound more alive, less muffled, which add overtones, which carry the good tone further. My toms have never sounded better from out in the audience as well as from the throne.
 
Re: Ludwig stock heads?

larryace said:
Hey Karl!

Oh man Ludwig medium smooth whites (not coated) over a 10 mil clear single ply head...wide open baby....my favorite tom tone. LOVE the way my toms sound on the recordings now. Even more attack and crisper tone.... that has depth too....than 10 mil clear single ply over 10 mil clear single ply.

Ludwig mediums are only 7.5 mil so probably not the best choice for extra hard hitters. The Ludwig 10 mil smooth white just doesn't have the same crisp sonic attack as the mediums IMO. The mediums do have all the sustain of a 10 mil head though. I can't tell the difference like I can with diplomats. Diplomats die too fast. Ludwigs sing on. Where the head goes into the collar...Ludwig heads have about 1/3 the crimps that Remo heads have. It looks different and the edges sound more alive, less muffled, which add overtones, which carry the good tone further. My toms have never sounded better from out in the audience as well as from the throne.
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How would you say the Ludwig mediums hold up compared to Remo Ambassadors, Larry? I get plenty of life out of an Ambassador, and if they are similar in lifespan I'd like to give them a try.
 
Re: Ludwig stock heads?

IDDrummer said:
How would you say the Ludwig mediums hold up compared to Remo Ambassadors, Larry? I get plenty of life out of an Ambassador, and if they are similar in lifespan I'd like to give them a try.
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I dent them both at probably the same rate. Not that I hit real hard, but sometimes in the heat of playing, the angle is too steep and whoops, dents.

They are a very different tone from any other head IMO. The most wide open head I've heard. Clear ambassadors sound a bit muffled by comparison if you can believe that.
 
Re: Ludwig stock heads?

larryace said:
I dent them both at probably the same rate. Not that I hit real hard, but sometimes in the heat of playing, the angle is too steep and whoops, dents.

They are a very different tone from any other head IMO. The most wide open head I've heard. Clear ambassadors sound a bit muffled by comparison if you can believe that.
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OK. I'm not really concerned about minor denting, I'm thinking more in terms of that point where a head starts to sound lifeless. If the Ludwigs last as long as the Remos in that regard, I'd try them.

Years ago ago in drum corp, we used Silver Dots and I always liked those heads in that application. (A Pennsylvania corp, as a matter of fact. The Crossmen, when they were based in Westchester}
 
Keep in mind that the Ludwig medium is 7.5 mil (like a Diplomat) and the heavy is 10 mil.

I also think that Ludwig's clear film seems to dent just a little easier than Remo or Evans' hazy clear film. I've not noticed the same issue with the coated heads, but it's possible they use a different film.
 
TBH Louis, I haven't gigged them long enough to become lifeless. I change my heads like 2 to 3 times a year. So hopefully, these Ludwig heads will sound good until about June 2015 or so. I'll let you know if they die before that. TBH, the tone is worth it to me. 3 batter heads a couple 3 times a year is well worth the smiles I get from them.
 
I thought the stock heads on my snare were ok, I replaced to batter head awhile ago and after just 4 months the clear resonant head broke. I tune both heads up high, but after awhile there was a little crack on the rim of the resonat drum head by the lug that my stick hits next to the most and then I flipped it over and it was ripped. Also one of the screws and nuts holding one of the lugs fell off. Has anyone ever encountered this problem?
 
Ethan Chandler said:
I thought the stock heads on my snare were ok, I replaced to batter head awhile ago and after just 4 months the clear resonant head broke. I tune both heads up high, but after awhile there was a little crack on the rim of the resonat drum head by the lug that my stick hits next to the most and then I flipped it over and it was ripped. Also one of the screws and nuts holding one of the lugs fell off. Has anyone ever encountered this problem?
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Yes. As much as I like Ludwig snares, I've had to completely rebuild each one of mine in order to obtain the build quality I would expect from the factory. This includes an 81 Acro, an 97 Classic, and a 2014 BBeauty.

I've come to a point where I simply overhaul any drum I acquire without hesitation.
 
Do you think the sound is different with or without the tone controls? I thought about adding one to my 2014 Supra phonic. Do you also think a Remo coated ambassador would be a good choice for a new resonant head?
 
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