My Ludwig Family...

zambizzi

Platinum Member
...all snug and nestled up, next to the fireplace.

What I've got here is two full Classic Maple kits with 100th Anni. badges, and three snares. Here's the run-down.

24x16" bass
22x18" bass
16x16" floor tom(s) (two of them)
13x9" tom
12x10" tom

14x6.5" Black Beauty w/ tubes
14x6.5" LM402
14x6.5" Classic Maple in Arctic Glitter

Same cymbals I've been playing for 4 yrs. or so...

21" Groove Ride
19" Jojo Fierce Crash
18" Prototype Crash (very thin, dry, and trashy!)
17" HHX Evolution Crash
14" HHX Fusion Hats
 

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Beauty! Lucky to find a second set in the same finish - you have a lot more patience than I!
 
Beauty! Lucky to find a second set in the same finish - you have a lot more patience than I!

It was dumb-luck. I was looking at a drum shop's web site and saw the "small" kit sitting on the floor. I emailed and asked if it was available...and it was! I got a great deal on it, too. However, UPS cracked the bass drum and it had to be replaced. I got the replacement on Tuesday and it's excellent.

The curse is broken!

It's a crazy coincidence that it is the *exact* kit I ordered in '09, which had a really terrible sounding kick drum that just couldn't be tuned. I have a thread up here about it, where I took a router to the hoops to try and improve the sound. It wasn't the same kit, strangely enough. Someone else out there has incredible tastes, too. ;)
 
Well, I'm glad the curse is broken! I sure liked the sound of the larger kit, but I know you like the smaller kick.

Good on you, man!
 
Well, I'm glad the curse is broken! I sure liked the sound of the larger kit, but I know you like the smaller kick.

Good on you, man!

Me too! I hadn't learned to properly tune the 24" kick, when you were down here. Once I finally hit the sweet spot, I was just *floored*. It sounds crazy huge, and the warmth just fills the room. I've grown quite attached to the big kit. :)
 
Me too! I hadn't learned to properly tune the 24" kick, when you were down here. Once I finally hit the sweet spot, I was just *floored*. It sounds crazy huge, and the warmth just fills the room. I've grown quite attached to the big kit. :)

Yeah, I will likely never go back to a 22" kick. I've owned quite a few and haven't loved any of them. I've loved ALL the 24s I've owned (three of them) and even liked the 20", in it's place. I'd even like to try an 18", but no more 22s for me. :)
 
Yeah, I will likely never go back to a 22" kick. I've owned quite a few and haven't loved any of them. I've loved ALL the 24s I've owned (three of them) and even liked the 20", in it's place. I'd even like to try an 18", but no more 22s for me. :)

The first day back on a 22" was a bit of a downer. I'll never get the same thwomp from it...but it sounds really nice. Once the new PS3 breaks in, it'll sound great. I needed something w/ less boom and more punch, for the funk/soul band. The big kit just doesn't feel right w/ those guys.

I like a 20" too and would take one over an 18", simply because I don't want to have to futz around with a riser. Here's my kid's Renown kit w/ a 20" kick, at a Halloween gig:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2305754276178

Doesn't cut through very well, un-mic'd. :(
 
The first day back on a 22" was a bit of a downer. I'll never get the same thwomp from it...but it sounds really nice. Once the new PS3 breaks in, it'll sound great. I needed something w/ less boom and more punch, for the funk/soul band. The big kit just doesn't feel right w/ those guys.

I like a 20" too and would take one over an 18", simply because I don't want to have to futz around with a riser. Here's my kid's Renown kit w/ a 20" kick, at a Halloween gig:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2305754276178

Doesn't cut through very well, un-mic'd. :(

Gotta ask, what snare are you using here? I love this stuff!!
 
Gotta ask, what snare are you using here? I love this stuff!!

Thanks! It's a fun little cover band. That's the LM402 Supra. Perfect tool for that job. I'm gonna throw tubes on that one too, when I can afford it. It worked wonders for the sound of my BB and I'm sure it'll open this snare up, too.
 
I've got to replace my Supra. I actually still have it, but I had it powder coated because the chrome had started to flake and peel off. I just don't like the sound of it since the powder coat.

Someday...
 
I've got to replace my Supra. I actually still have it, but I had it powder coated because the chrome had started to flake and peel off. I just don't like the sound of it since the powder coat.

Someday...

The chrome does *something* for the mojo. I've tried a few other aluminum snares but none of them sound nearly as good, to me.
 

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You're a trooper Zam. You've had some god awful luck with Ludwig....enough to turn the average man away I would have thought. Glad it's all fallen into place......eventually! :)

Nice kit. I even quite like the anniversary badges. I've always been a Keystone-all-the-way kinda bloke. But the more I see the anniv's, the more I like them.......still more visually pleasant to me than the B/O's at any rate.

MikeM had a recent thread where the butt plate on his BB was set too low to tune the reso head properly. I recalled you had the same problem.....what did you end up doing there? Thin collared head?

What do you think of the gaskets on the Supra? I made a mate take 'em off his BB after A/B-ing his new one with mine. He was initially reluctant as "that's how he bought it" but after a few beers and and a play on mine he was eventually persuaded. ;-)
I don't read of too many who leave them on.....interested in your thoughts.
 
You're a trooper Zam. You've had some god awful luck with Ludwig....enough to turn the average man away I would have thought. Glad it's all fallen into place......eventually! :)

Nice kit. I even quite like the anniversary badges. I've always been a Keystone-all-the-way kinda bloke. But the more I see the anniv's, the more I like them.......still more visually pleasant to me than the B/O's at any rate.

MikeM had a recent thread where the butt plate on his BB was set too low to tune the reso head properly. I recalled you had the same problem.....what did you end up doing there? Thin collared head?

What do you think of the gaskets on the Supra? I made a mate take 'em off his BB after A/B-ing his new one with mine. He was initially reluctant as "that's how he bought it" but after a few beers and and a play on mine he was eventually persuaded. ;-)
I don't read of too many who leave them on.....interested in your thoughts.

Thanks. I only put up with it because I'm a brainwashed zombie slave to the Ludwig company. :p It's been hit-and-miss with them...mostly miss for me...but all my bases are covered now and I'm pretty pleased.

I've never liked the B/O badges. I like all of the others and of course, the special, unique badges the most.

I started my own thread about the butt-plate sitting too low. It's lame but it's just how they do it. On Karl Crafton's advice, I picked up a couple of the collar-less Ambassador Snare heads and it did the trick. They're literally flat and the collar forms as the head stretches. I think they even sound better and I'd buy them for any type of snare.

I like how the gaskets look, but they definitely have a detrimental effect on the sound of the snare. They're a very heavy-gauge rubber and as expected, dampen the hell out of it. I bought some chrome-plated brass tubes online (half as much as Ludwig's tube lugs) and slapped them on my BB. Huge difference. It's a different drum...much more sensitive and lively. I can see *why* they started putting them on - without them the lug "splay" is very pronounced, and can damage the threading on tube lugs. Not such a big deal for imperial lugs, but the lugs will probably damage the finish w/o anything beneath them.
 
Simply stunning! I would like these drums photographed in daylight. The light does not do them justice. Lovely drums.
 
Simply stunning! I would like these drums photographed in daylight. The light does not do them justice. Lovely drums.

Thanks wy. Yeah...it's pretty dreary down in the basement. I've got video and pics of them at shows - I'll post some of it up here later today, if I can.
 
Those are great looking drums. Congratulations! I think one of my problems with Ludwig is that most kits I see are done in really old looking finishes that turn me off. Some guys like the retro thing. I am not one of them. I also love the badges on that kit. Very classy. I really didn't like when Ludwig went to the colored badges. Not sure when that was. I would be quite happy to own your kit. Big chrome lugs on black works like black lugs on white. Great contrast. I love contrast. :) Maybe one day I will have to buy a set just to be cool around here. :)
 
Those are great looking drums. Congratulations! I think one of my problems with Ludwig is that most kits I see are done in really old looking finishes that turn me off. Some guys like the retro thing. I am not one of them. I also love the badges on that kit. Very classy. I really didn't like when Ludwig went to the colored badges. Not sure when that was. I would be quite happy to own your kit. Big chrome lugs on black works like black lugs on white. Great contrast. I love contrast. :) Maybe one day I will have to buy a set just to be cool around here. :)

Retro is cool right now and I think it's a trend that will fade with time. That being said, I don't think you're going to see a big vintage market for today's mass-produced drums, American, Asian, or otherwise. The market is completely saturated, spilling over, and oozing all over the floor.

There is something to be said about that retro sound, which is why the 50's-70's vintage kits are fetching such a big price. Modern kits just don't sound as good to me (and obviously, a huge portion of the drum-consuming market.) These drums are a modern twist on a vintage sound...best of both worlds.

Let's face it - until you own *something* Ludwig, all the cool kids are going to continue making fun of you. ;)
 
Sorry I missed this thread mate. Congratulations on your lovely looking drums. I'm sure they sound great as well. You really do have the patience of a saint, & Ludwig should be very pleased they have customers as loyal you. I've deleted my thoughts on the multiple crazy quality issues.

If anyone deserves the end result of a superb sounding kit, it's you.
 
Retro is cool right now and I think it's a trend that will fade with time. That being said, I don't think you're going to see a big vintage market for today's mass-produced drums, American, Asian, or otherwise. The market is completely saturated, spilling over, and oozing all over the floor.
OK. The first paragraph was fine. I was so nice and then you took advantage.

"There is something to be said about that retro sound, which is why the 50's-70's vintage kits are fetching such a big price. Modern kits just don't sound as good to me (and obviously, a huge portion of the drum-consuming market.) These drums are a modern twist on a vintage sound...best of both worlds."

And then the above paragraph. Were do you guys come up with this stuff! :)
 
I was so nice and then you took advantage.

"There is something to be said about that retro sound, which is why the 50's-70's vintage kits are fetching such a big price. Modern kits just don't sound as good to me (and obviously, a huge portion of the drum-consuming market.) These drums are a modern twist on a vintage sound...best of both worlds."

And then the above paragraph. Were do you guys come up with this stuff! :)

Reality. The market has spoken. A pristine, vintage Ludwig kit from the 60's or 70's easily fetches 2-3x what a used, modern Asian-made kit would. Gretsch 50's-era "round badge" kits go for astronomical prices, if in good enough condition. I couldn't have begged someone to buy my 6pc. Saturn kit for $1000! It just wasn't happening, and I tried for weeks. I ended up trading it for a Yamaha Oak Custom and then selling that, since the market seems to value them more. For the record, I thought the Saturns sounded better. :)

So, by observing peoples preferences, you can see where I came up with this stuff.

See sticksy, that's the thing - you seem to have an aversion to other peoples preferences. Realize that value is subjective to the individual and that your preferences are not necessarily mine, or that of anyone else. There's no right answer here - just individual preferences. Why does everyone have to value the same things that you do? I don't understand where you're coming from w/ that stuff.
 
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