My favorite finish on Ludwig drums is Oyster Black Pearl. I think every Ludwig collector loves this finish. When Ringo chose Oyster Black for his Ludwig drums, he made a great choice. They were perfect for the Beatles as they looked so good even on black and white TV. The 1970s version of this finish made a radical change. The pattern became bigger and the color became blacker. I love the seventies version of this finish, but I must admit I like the 60s version more. The Oyster Black finish survives to this day and the newer versions look great.
The set I am featuring in this issue is my 1970s Ludwig Deluxe Classic set wrapped in glorious Oyster Black Pearl. The drum sizes are 22", 16", 13" standard depths with a chrome 14" Supraphonic. The set sports blue olive badges and the shells are 3 ply with reinforcement rings and clear interiors. The rail consolette does a wonderful job positioning the mounted tom. The drums tune up well and sound great with single ply coated heads.
This set was acquired by Butch Braddy several years ago. He is the manager of the percussion department at Portman's Music Store in Savannah, Ga. He gets to look at a lot of used drums as people want to trade for new gear. The store doesn't want old drums so he sometimes buys them. The first time I saw this set, I told him I wanted to buy them when he let them go. A funny thing happened some time ago. Butch texted me that he was selling his "black" Ludwigs with some other stuff. I drove all the way to Savannah only to find he was selling his "black" diamond pearl Ludwigs. I had forgotten he had those. Once again, I left without the Oyster Black set. Recently Butch called and offered this set to me. He was playing in a nearby town and brought them with him. I met him with the cash. The rest is history.