I really like the Ludwig pre-serial # Super Sensitive snare drum. I have 10 of them in my collection from the 1920’s – 1970’s. This month I will feature 3 of them that are from 1961 – 1964.
Read more2nd Generation Super Ludwigs
There were very few Super Ludwigs produced with WFL badges which makes them very rare. The Transition Badge, as known by collectors, had the Ludwig logo on it and was used in 1958 and 1959.
Read more1936-39 LUDWIG 6.5 x 14 “BUTTERSCOTCH PEARL” (uncatalogued) SUPER-LUDWIG MODEL
This seems to be an uncatalogued finish as it is nowhere to be found -- that I know of -- in any Ludwig literature. I have seen 1 or 2 other Ludwig Butterscotch Pearl snares and I also own a Duplex Spirit of St. Louis in this finish so I personally know that this finish exists. So my best guess is that this is an uncatalogued or special order finish. As always I welcome any other information that may be out there regarding this finish.
Read more1938-40 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 8 x 14 WMP/CHROME SUPER-LUDWIG (PROTOTYPE OR SPECIAL ORDER?)
Looking at the outside photo one would think that this is a normal Ludwig 8 x 14 Super-Ludwig from the late 1930s..well, there is more to it that makes this drum a tad more quirky. The drum came to me 100% original and in excellent condition, no cleaning or polishing was necessary. The WMP is in excellent condition with virtually no yellowing at all. The white enamel badge is very clean with a tight, untouched grommet. Now for the quirkiness; looking at the interior photo you can see that the shell is aluminum with top and bottom maple 2” re-wrings. This leads me to the question was this a prototype snare or a special order snare?
Read more1950s WFL Chrome Over Brass No. 400 snare drum
This snare drum is a 1950s WFL COB No.400. For those unfamiliar, COB is chrome over brass. What makes this drum so special is this drum is the earliest version with the WFL badge. You don’t see many with this badge as very few were produced. It is the first metal snare drum cataloged by the Ludwig Company after the family purchased the name back from Conn in 1955. I have read that this snare drum was seen as early as 1956 but introduced somewhere between 1957 to 1958. It is called the “Super Ludwig” and can be seen in the 1959 catalog included in the pictures below.
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