Picked up some 60's Ludwigs

Superman

Gold Member
So I got lucky (I think). Picked up a 4 piece set of Ludwigs off CL today. Seems from my research that they are 1960 Downbeats. The guy included 2 Sonor cymbal stands, ludwig HH stand, a pearl snare stand, pearl pedal, tama throne, a 20" ZBT ride and a set of Meinl Raker hi hats. All for $150

Not sure what to do with the Ludwigs. They are a little beat and I'm not sure if I should just clean them and resell them or what. They have some extra holes but no damage that I've seen.

Any further info on them including a possible value would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.
 
Forgot the pics the first time..I can't figure out why they keep coming out upside down...sorry.
 

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All that for just $150?

Wow.

That's a steal.

The one time I found a deal like that on 60's Ludwigs, it did turn out in fact the drums were stolen.
 
All for $150

Just so you know how all of us really feel about your good fortune.....

statham-lovin_refit_579.png


Seriously though, beautiful kit, good score.

Peace, love and goodwill.
 
Thanks guys. They seller didn't know what he had. Advertised them as "Remo" cause he saw the front head. Like I said, not sure what I'm going to do with them. The bass hoops are shot, I don't know whether to replace them or leave them..I don't even know if they are original. The snare strainer and tom mount seem original. Shells look fine. The wrap is a little beat but no tears.

I almost missed out, I guess 9 people called after I did and someone offered $300 just as I got there. I grabbed them and ran! LOL
 
Feels good to have real drums, doesn't it?

LOL - I'm only half kidding.

I'd do whatever it takes to return them to their former glory.
For what you paid for them, it'd be worth sticking a few more
bucks into them to fix them up.
 
Nice find. I suggest that you clean them up and sand and repaint the BD hoops. It will be a great kit.
 
Awesome find. If those are pre-serial keystone badges, the snare and tom hoops are chrome or nickel over brass, and the shells would be 3ply mohagany/poplar/mohagany with maple rerings.
AND, matching jazzfest? Supreme score!
 
They're worth a lot of money for the nostalgia and vintage value, but frankly, my first kit was a Ludwig, white marine pearl, and compared to the quality of the drums being made now, they paled in comparison. Ludwig did a lot of really cheap stuff in the 60's and 70's, there were lug screws that were hard to turn, and the bearing edges were not always as "true" as the ones now, causing tuning issues. The hardware was mediocre at best, especially the "side mount" for the rack tom, which tended to slip a lot causing over-tightening issues, etc.

However, if you can find a pre-aluminum Supra-Phonic snare with a brass shell, that would be worth a fortune!

I have a pre-CBS Rogers Dyna-Sonic with a brass shell, and boy, it's nice! Trouble is, I changed the snare throw off to a different one because the shell was buckling from the way they mounted the original one from the center, so mine is not worth as much because I lost the original throw-off.
 
Not sure what to do with the Ludwigs. They are a little beat and I'm not sure if I should just clean them and resell them or what. They have some extra holes but no damage that I've seen.
I'd play 'em, and see if you like the sound.​
 
They're worth a lot of money for the nostalgia and vintage value, but frankly, my first kit was a Ludwig, white marine pearl, and compared to the quality of the drums being made now, they paled in comparison. Ludwig did a lot of really cheap stuff in the 60's and 70's, there were lug screws that were hard to turn, and the bearing edges were not always as "true" as the ones now, causing tuning issues. The hardware was mediocre at best, especially the "side mount" for the rack tom, which tended to slip a lot causing over-tightening issues, etc.

Golly, glad you told me, otherwise I wouldn't know how much my 3 ply Ludwigs suck.
 
Golly, glad you told me, otherwise I wouldn't know how much my 3 ply Ludwigs suck.

I HAD some, remember? Drums and hardware were not as evolved then as they are now, and production techniques as well. Quality control was not as tight either. Not saying they "suck", but they were an earlier attempt at what we have today.
 
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