Greetings, from sunny, warm Georgia. It's finally Spring and the pollen fills the air and my nose. I hope this article finds you doing well and enjoying your favorite drum set. Speaking of favorite drum sets, the set I am featuring this month is probably my favorite set that I own even though they are certainly not the most valuable. I have been reluctant to share this set in the magazine because as you can easily detect, they are recovered. I know that will start an argument among collectors very quickly. Some say vintage drums should never be recovered and others believe if the finish is very poor and the shells and hardware are good, the set needs to be recovered.
This is a 1960s Ludwig Hollywood set that I bought from my longtime friend Bill Pace, who by the way is doing fine. I talked to him this week and even though he doesn't get out and go as much as he once did, he is playing his drums and still buys and sells at times. He felt that the kit was in need of restoration, including a new finish, so this was his project 20 plus years ago. He said the finish was badly damaged and wanted to make them look and sound good again.
I think they look fantastic and boy, do they ever sound good. The interiors are repainted white and the green sparkle wrap is to perfection. All the seams are flat and absolutely perfect. A new set of clear maple rims and new Ludwig claws really make the bass drum look great. A set of 8" and 10" toms with Keller shells really adds to the set. I included a beautiful 1960s Ludwig Super Sensitive to the photo shoot also.
I play this set out very often and always get many compliments. I really like green drums, as many of you do as well. Usually when you see a real unrestored vintage green set, the finish will be somewhat faded. When you see a bright vibrant green finish on a set of vintage drums, you are most likely looking at a rewrap. I hope to score a green Ludwig set with the original finish one day. Until then, I will enjoy this lovely restored set.
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