Ludwig Legacy Classic - who knows 'em?

zambizzi

Platinum Member
Sorry if this is a repeat - I *did* try searching first and didn't find what I was looking for.

What I AM looking for are Ludwig fanatics out there who have played and/or own Legacy Classics and Classic Maples, and can give me their feedback on it. I own two classic maple kits and absolutely love them. However, I've got an opportunity to order another kit very soon and am trying to get an idea of whether or not the legacy classics are impressive enough to justify the price tag. They are not carried in any shops here and I don't want to drive to Seattle, just to test a kit out.

Anyone?
 
They're very much the sound of the best '60s Ludwigs you've ever heard. What I mean is, the old kits could be very inconsistent from drum to drum. One tom might sound just okay, while another was magic and sounded great no matter how you ntuned it. Well, imagine a whole kit of magic drums. :)

Bermuda
 
They're very much the sound of the best '60s Ludwigs you've ever heard. What I mean is, the old kits could be very inconsistent from drum to drum. One tom might sound just okay, while another was magic and sounded great no matter how you ntuned it. Well, imagine a whole kit of magic drums. :)

Bermuda

Thanks Bermuda...I like magic...this is very compelling! :D I guess the only classic Luds I've heard are from recordings and some YouTube videos, never played or heard them up close.

What's interesting is the ply of poplar sandwiched in the maple - this is obviously what played a big part in that "classic sound". Is poplar a softer, lower-tone wood?
 
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Boy was I excited about these drums when I saw them on the pages of MD... until I saw the price tag! Holy Cow!
 
Boy was I excited about these drums when I saw them on the pages of MD... until I saw the price tag! Holy Cow!

As I understand it - the plies are thicker than "industry standard' so they're custom made and are harder to bend into shape, so the construction is more labor intensive and time consuming.

The price is on par with DW and other high-end drum makers, and having owned two DW kits, I'd say any high-end Ludwig has them whipped, any day. If the Legacy Classic sounds better than the Classic Maples, then they're worth every penny!
 
If the Legacy Classic sounds better than the Classic Maples, then they're worth every penny!

They're different drums - one isn't intended to be better than (or replace) the other. I have Classic maples, and I will have Legacies shortly, and I will keep my '50s and '60s kits (even though the Legacies capture that classic sound) and I will keep my '70s Ludwigs, which are yet another different drum than any of those above(!)

Agreed, they're costly, though typically not as much as DW or Sonor, which are considered to be expensive drums. Sheesh... a Slingerland kit is more expensive than the Legacies, and they're Keller shells!! So it's not way out of line... just high if you consider that a lot of kits are priced at half or less than Legacies (with a street price on a standard 5-pc kit being about $3-3500.)

But, those Tamas, Pearl, Mapex, etc don't sound like Legacies, either.

Bermuda
 
I'm looking forward to when they sell the Legacy's as component drums... though, realistically, it'll be some time before I could ever afford another set of Ludwig's.

As it is, the price of these kits isn't that bad compared to the classic maples. The Legacy kits are pretty big.

-Ryan
 
The Legacy Classics are sweet drums for sure.Ludwig just introduced a Centenial series which is like their Classic Maple series but with deeper toms and bass drums(20" deep)
Just something else too look into.

Keep Swattin'
Bonzolead
 
I played around with a Centennial kit at NAMM, and they're really nice drums, especially at a street price of around $1,000 including hardware. Off all the kits at the show, it probably had the best sounding kick. :)

Bermuda
 
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I played around with a Centennial kit at NAMM, and they're really nice drums, especially at a street price of around $1,000 including hardware. Off all the kits at the show, it probably had the best sounding kick. :)

Bermuda
At that price are they more like the accent line then the classic maple line?

Bonzolead
 
At that price are they more like the accent line then the classic maple line?

Bonzolead

They're kind of right in-between - nicer than the Accents, but not quite Classics.

Bermuda
 
They're kind of right in-between - nicer than the Accents, but not quite Classics.

Bermuda

So what ....is it the type of maple being used? Is that what is bridging the gap? Sounds like a nice compromise to me.......what else do you know?
 
Speaking of the Centennial drums... here's the Ludwig page.

Odd choice of finishes.... which seems to plague all of Ludwig's non-maple lines. "Available in one of four exciting finishes!". Wow. Here's a hint: put another bucket of paint/lacquer/whatever at the end of the assembly line, and sell a lot more drums. Folks in this market segment want at least some semblance of individuality when they plunk down a big chunk of money. There's a *lot* of competition here, especially in the US as the economy bottoms out.

What's with the 20" deep bass drums? My 22"x16" deep classic maple bass drum is almost too loud.

-Ryan the Ludwig curmudgeon
 
Speaking of the Centennial drums... here's the Ludwig page.

Odd choice of finishes.... which seems to plague all of Ludwig's non-maple lines. "Available in one of four exciting finishes!". Wow. Here's a hint: put another bucket of paint/lacquer/whatever at the end of the assembly line, and sell a lot more drums. Folks in this market segment want at least some semblance of individuality when they plunk down a big chunk of money. There's a *lot* of competition here, especially in the US as the economy bottoms out.

What's with the 20" deep bass drums? My 22"x16" deep classic maple bass drum is almost too loud.

-Ryan the Ludwig curmudgeon
A lot of drum companies are going with deeper bass drums nowadays.the $1000.00 pricetag insures me that there made overseas.I think I would go after the Classic Birch at least they're made in the USA.

Bonzolead
 
They're different drums - one isn't intended to be better than (or replace) the other. I have Classic maples, and I will have Legacies shortly, and I will keep my '50s and '60s kits (even though the Legacies capture that classic sound) and I will keep my '70s Ludwigs, which are yet another different drum than any of those above(!)

Agreed, they're costly, though typically not as much as DW or Sonor, which are considered to be expensive drums. Sheesh... a Slingerland kit is more expensive than the Legacies, and they're Keller shells!! So it's not way out of line... just high if you consider that a lot of kits are priced at half or less than Legacies (with a street price on a standard 5-pc kit being about $3-3500.)

But, those Tamas, Pearl, Mapex, etc don't sound like Legacies, either.

Bermuda

Right, I hear ya - I guess I meant if I were to play some and they impressed upon me even more so than the Classic Maples - I wouldn't complain about the price. When will you have yours? I'm anxious to hear some personalized reviews!

It's unfortunate that they're not offering a 20" bass drum in the Legacy line, yet. I hear that's coming though.
 
For the price of a Legacy Classic, you could buy an actual mint 60s Ludwig with extras.

The old drums may be out of round, have some flat spots on the the edges, or other anomalies that plagued their drums when they were cranking out kits to meet demand (the mid-'60s were the most problematic in this respect.)

The Legacy drums are consistent and more predictable as to sound, and using strictly the mini lugs, I think the sound will be more open (I haven't had the opportunity to a/b them yet.)

And unless one is a purist, the hardware advantages to the new drums are also superior. For example, I like my old rail consolettes, but I like the center mount pole better.

Bermuda
 
When will you have yours? I'm anxious to hear some personalized reviews!

It's unfortunate that they're not offering a 20" bass drum in the Legacy line, yet. I hear that's coming though.

I should have mine any time now, I think by the end of the month.

And yes, there will be more sizes. They've already made a few 14x24" kicks, even though they're not announced yet. :)

Bermuda
 
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