1970s Ludwig congas, sky blue pearl

Happy New Year! I hope everything is going well for you at the beginning of this new year. Last year was a great year for me. I had some ups and downs , but over all I can say it was great. It's no secret that one of the things that makes me happy is finding and buyingcool vintage drums. I was able to makes some awesome deals last year.  I am also hoping to add a few drums to my collection this year. I have already picked up a drum set, so I'm off to a good start. I did sell two sets this past year. I have to sell some drums to open spots for new purchases. My wife says I sell one set and buy two. My drum building is getting full and I will need to either sell more or build a bigger building. I am thinking hard about the bigger building route. 

The drums I have chosen from my collection to show you this month is a cool set of Ludwig Congas. These congas are in very good condition to be from the 1970s. They use a special 12" head that has a high collar, and they are still available. Both drums are 12" and you can tighten the rim down below the surface of the head, so you don't smack your hand on the rim. These congas are wrapped in Sky Blue Pearl wrap and have the 1970s blue and olive badges. I have seen Ludwig congas that have 1960s keystone badges. I have been told that Ludwigoffered these before the 1960s.  If you have a 1950s set let me know. I also suppose they were offered for a while after the 1970s. They came in a big variety of finishes. I have even seen Vistalite conga sets. My set has white paintedinteriors and I'm sure some have a clear coat inside. They also have reinforcement rings in them. A hook is mounted on the rim so that a strap could be used to carry them. They also have tone controls with the small knob, and the mount is a slide on type. The lugs are the classic type.

I bought these congas from my friend Butch Braddy. He hadtold me he had them, but I had not seen them until I went to his house to see some snare drums he was thinking about selling. They were up in the attic, as I recall. Butch told me he thought they were wrapped in "black pearl" or he might have said, "black oyster". I had seen an Oyster black set in a photo. Bun E. has a set that is covered in the extremely rare Citrus Mod wrap. The wrap is put on these going the wrong way because they are so long. When I saw them in the dark attic I thought they might be black diamond, but I knew they were not oyster black. Anyway, I was there to buy snares, so I didn't ask about buying the congas. A while later Butch offered the congas to me. I went after them because I thought they were cool and would be nice to collect. It was only after I got them in the light that I realized they were wrapped in Sky blue pearl. The blue turns grey with age and these had "greyed" but were still a little blue. They are not the best sounding congas you will ever hear, but they are definitely the coolest. I have always liked the conical congas like Ricky played on the "I Love Lucy Show". Tell us about your Ludwig congas.