According to my WFL/Ludwig catalogs, the Ludwig canister throne was invented around 1953 and it was touted as the sensational new “seat-case” as it was designed to hold traps and accessories.
Read moreBorn Together: 1966 Mint Condition Ludwig Burgundy Sparkle Kit
As the kick drum bag contained an inventory identifying the kit as having a matching jazz fest from an original sale in Milwaukee, I immediately wondered, what happened to the matching jazz fest?
Read morec. 1924 Ludwig 6.5" x 14" Deluxe (Black Beauty)
I still consider this the "gold standard" of all brass snare drums in sound and feel.
Read moreReview: WFL III Drums - new finishes, new lugs, new improvements
WFL III Drums is the latest chapter in the Ludwig Family’s legacy and love affair with drums and drum building. Since my last review, William F. Ludwig III, has again raised the bar and made these drums even better.
Read more1925 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 4 x 14 8 LUG GOLD PLATED/ENGRAVED TRIUMPHAL MODEL (*WILLIAM S. HART DRUM #1)
The Triumphal Model was Ludwig & Ludwig’s top of the line snare drum and sold for 125.00 in 1925. The Triumphal Model featured 24K gold plating with hand engraving on the shell, lugs and rims. Noted drum historian and collector Harry Cangany has stated his belief that there were only 12 of these Triumphal snare drums produced. The
Read moreHow America’s Bicentennial Impacted Ludwig Drum Dating
One lesson learned here is when you see a listing for a drum from 1976, think twice before believing that date. A related lesson is that if you have drum with a serial number in the lower part of Mr. Cook’s 917xxx – 1290xxx range, do not describe it as being from 1976. There is no harm just listing the serial number and letting others take their best guess. They will probably look it up online, and just perhaps they will see this article and think twice before declaring it to be from 1976.
Read moreWFL Victorious
As I sit here wondering when life will get back to some sort of normal, I am pondering what to write about in a drum article that would make for a good distraction, yet relate to the state of things in the world today. One such drum that comes to mind for me is this WW II era Victorious snare drum. The very name Victorious is something that I think is appropriate because in due time, I feel we will all emerge stronger and victorious from the effects of Covid
Read more1928-29 LUDWIG & LUDWIG MARBLE PEARL FAMILY
Ludwig & Ludwig introduced Marble Pearl in 1928 and per Rob Cook’s book Drum Colors The Rebeats Color Swatch Book. This finish was listed from 1928-29, pretty short-lived and very rare. Personally I love the “ugly” finishes from the 1920s-30s.
Read moreLudwig's Use of Paper Labels in 1971/1972 - Date Stamps and Date Codes
Ludwig's Use of Paper Labels in 1971/1972 - Date Stamps and Date Codes - Rick Gier sheds light on this mystery.
Read moreWere American Drum Manufacturers Required by Law to Use Serial Numbers During the 1960s?
Many vintage drum enthusiasts have taken advantage of the existence of serial numbers on drums as a relatively reliable tool for estimation of manufacturing dates. Many have compiled lists of drums’ serial numbers and date stamps to understand and exploit the relationship between them. Most cared little about why the serial numbers were there, but were just happy that the serial numbers were there to provide a rough tool for use in dating drums. As one learns more about how drum manufacturers used serial numbers, one begins to question the reason that serial numbers were used at all.
Read moreTwo 1920s L&L White Enamel/Deluxe Super Ludwig snares
The 6.5 x 14 was another story...the shell came to me wrapped in lime green glitter contact paper. This looked – as my good friend John Aldridge would say – “as ugly as home made soap”, and it was.
Read moreStudy of Vintage Ludwig Date Stamps to Determine Frequency of Days of the Week
A fortunate byproduct of gathering information from vintage drums to create serial number-based dating guides is the large database of information about individual vintage drums which results is a great resource for other inquiries. This study looks at vintage Ludwig drums from the time when they possessed both date stamps and serial numbers to learn about production by day of the week.
Read moreGuide to Vintage Drum Identification - Ludwig Lugs 1923 - 1965
The Imperial lug was also used on bass drums and tom toms in the late 1930’s. Single as well as double ended lugs were offered. A backing plate was usually installed between the lug and the shell. Bass drums were equipped with either standard length lugs or extra long versions.
Read more1926 Ludwig All-Metal Separate Tension Drum
I acquired this drum a year ago as just a shell with one lug, throw and butt plate attached. It was riddled with countless dents and headed to the trash, luckily I was in the right place at the right time to rescue i
Read moreGuide To Vintage Drum Identification - Overview
If you have ever found yourself looking at an old vintage drum and wondering, “What year was this made?”, or “When did they first use this type of snare strainer?”, or “What’s the name of this unusual finish?”, then this vintage drum guide may be of interest to you. The purpose of this guide is to help identify the various types, models, and features of vintage drums during the years 1923 to 1965. I consider this period to be the “golden age” of American drum manufacturing. This
Read more1926-27 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 5 x 14 NOB/12 pt. FLORAL ENGRAVED DeLUXE SUPER-LUDWIG MODEL
I think that this drum could have possibly been an un-cataloged special order. Everything points to a mid-1920s L & L DeLuxe snare drum (black nickel plating, 12 pt. floral engraving and DeLuxe copper plated/gold lacquered hardware) with the exception that the shell is nickel plated with the 12 pt. floral engraving showing through.
Read moreWFL Deluxe Marble Outfit
….One such finish was called DeLuxe Marble and it was a short-lived finish that was painted on the shells to look like faux marble. The finish first appeared in the 1941 catalog and it lasted through WWII. Because a 10% metals law was put into effect during WWII limiting the use of metals on products, WFL was forced to design a drum made mostly of wood. That means that there were very few sets made in DeLuxe Marble that featured all-metal lugs and hardware made pre- WWII.
Read moreDenny Hair selling Ludwig Stainless Steel collection to fund wife's liver transplant
Denny Hair is asking for help from the vintage drum community.
Read more1939 WFL 7 x 14 TWO-TONE (BDP/ROSE/BDP) TWIN SENSITIVE HOLLYWOOD SWING MODEL
I got this one off of Reverb. This drum has been around for a while and the owner worked with me on an even lower price. WFL two-tone pearl drums are pretty scarce so this was a good drum to add to the collection.
Read moreThe Drum Engravers, Part 2: John Aldridge Custom Works
I like to think of John Aldridge as a “Drum Jedi Master”. He is an endless wellspring of drum history, wisdom, experience and creativity. In this sequel to Part 1, I wanted to share some examples of John’s unique custom works with personal insights from John about their design. Many of these drums are from my personal collection and are greatly treasured. It is my hope that drummers will not only appreciate John’s incredible versatility, but also realize that “drum art” can be truly personal. Drum engraving is not restricted to scrolls and florets!
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