It took me years to finally find a Ludwig Las Vegas 4 x 13 Snare Drum. I finally got the opportunity in May of this year to purchase one from a private seller in the U.S., although it did come at a bit of an inconvenient time. I was lying on a stretcher in the hospital waiting to go into the operating room for my scheduled spine surgery when I received a text message from the seller wanting to discuss my interest in purchasing this snare drum. I explained my situation and asked if he would hold it for me until I could connect with him the following day to discuss the details. He agreed and was a man of his word. I managed to connect with him the next day, shared my information and sent the payment. Pain and medication was not going to keep me from sealing this deal 😊
The drum has a transition badge which means that it was made in the late 1950’s. All of the other transition badge drums that I own from the 50’s are not painted on the inside, as Ludwig didn’t start to paint the inside white until 1961. The snare drum that I purchased is painted white inside. Not sure if it was painted later or if it was painted by mistake at the time it was made.
This drum is in excellent condition. The colour is a very vibrant sparkling red pearl and the wrap is tight. The COB hoops are shiny and look brand new. It has 12 strand snare wires, 6 piccolo lugs and a P84 Small Pioneer strainer that are also in great shape.
This snare drum was originally built for the Ludwig 1959 Las Vegas Stand Up Cocktail Outfit. The cocktail drum was 24 x 16.
This drum has a really nice dynamic range. I like it tuned up high which gives it a nice crack. I was really lucky to have found this drum. Good things are worth waiting for.
Danny Bilan
Our Man in Canada