By Eric T. Everett
Bill Ludwig III aka “B3” wakes up each day with a singular focus: Making great drums. Credit this to either his personal drive, strong work ethic, or more simply, his DNAThe gravitas of the Ludwig name and B3’s admiration for both his grandfather’s and father’s passion and tenacity in the drum business is a source of daily inspiration – and a badge of honor – that he proudly wears. This potent combination of the Ludwig legacy coupled with B3’s passion to carry their generational history forward manifested WFL III Drums.
What began as a humble first step building aluminum shell snare drums on a table at Mike Dorfman’s Trick Drums headquarters nearly 10 years ago has now blossomed into a dedicated WFL III Drums factory in Lenexa, Kansas. The company has grown from initially offering snare drums to complete drum sets in standard and custom configurations. “If you dream it, we can build it” is their motto.
B3’s drum making journey has, at times, been arduous with challenges, setbacks and disappointment. But, that has never stopped him from pursuing that “sound in his head” based on the classic Ludwig vintage tone and marrying it with a modern fit and finish.
EE: How did create the sound you desired from the Generations shell design?
B3: Well, it was actually a very thin, six ply Maple/Poplar/Maple shell. I wanted to start with three ply, but Keller couldn't make it for me. So, we started with a six ply. There were some rough patches with Keller, and Nordic was getting bigger. I received some sample shells from Nordic and we loved them.
EE: Then, the G2 Maple/Mahogany shell came next?
B3: Yeah.
EE: Was that still Keller?
B3: No, that was Nordic. They explained to me that poplar is a type of mahogany, and they were having troubles sourcing it. So they recommended switching to another mahogany with the same thickness.
EE: Is that the Okoume mahogany?
B3: Exactly, yes. That was one of them, but we had a couple more in there in between. That was just a generic mahogany. I agreed to using it, because the mahogany was a little less expensive, so therefore cutting down the cost of the shell with a filler. Last Christmas, Nordic were struggling again with mahogany, and I asked, ‘Can we just go all maple?’ And they said, ‘Sure.’
I compared the prices between the maple/mahogany vs. all maple and the cost was nominal. So that's why we switched over to all maple. We were already happy with our sound, but of course, I'm always thinking, ‘Well, if that's good, could we get to great, you know, somewhere else?’ And with the all maple, I think we did.
EE: Recently, WFL III Drums offered a limited run of a cherry wood kits, correct?
B3: We had shells for two cherry wood kits and two rosewood kits using Nordic shells. A long time ago, my former partner decided, as an experiment, to get shells in cherry and rosewood. They're beautiful. They were expensive. And then, we put them in the corner and never made them into kits.
So, I found those shells when we were making room for the new all maple shells to come in, and I said, ‘Well, let's make them up and sell them.’ So, that's what we're doing. Just two kits of each.
EE: When did WFL III Drums start offering drum sets?
B3: It was probably around 2017. And that's when I had a partner get involved who lived in Kansas. I was making the snare drums at a corner of Trick's shop. Mike Dorfman was nice enough to let me have a table in a corner and come up for a couple hours a day.
EE: Were those just aluminum shell or did you do wood shells too?
B3: Yeah, those were just aluminum. When I met my new partner, he had just bought one of my snare drums online and asked when will it ship. So, I responded to him, and he replied back ‘I can't believe a Ludwig is responding to me.’ And I said, ‘Well, this is my company.’ He responded, ‘Oh my God, I'm a vintage Ludwig drum collector. I have a recording studio in Kansas, and I work with several larger size acts. I'm also a financial investment guy. If you ever need money.’
So I did. And he was the guy that came on board and had the financial strength to
get us an opening order of wood shells, the factory and machinery. So, I really was indebted to him. And he asked, ‘Do you want to have your factory in Chicago? I replied ‘Oh God, no. Not with the unions, because the unions crushed Ludwig before.’ He told me there were no unions in Kansas. I said, ‘Well, Kansas, here we come!’ And I love it.
In the beginning, my partner was running the factory. I was on the road doing conventions and trying to get dealers on board and sell. And that's the way it went for three or four years. Then, my partner decided he had had enough of the drum business and needed to get back to his other financial investment businesses that he had.
EE: Since 2020, WFL III Drums has grown quite dramatically, it seems.
B3: I wouldn't call it dramatically, but we've grown. I'm a little frustrated that it's been a little slower growth than I was hoping for, but, you know, everybody that buys WFL III Drums or plays the drums at a convention, or in a studio, or anywhere, just loves the sound. And that's what I started with. I wanted to make drum that sounded like what I have in my head. In fact, I've had several producers in Nashville call me and say, ‘I just did a session last night with so-and-so with one of your drum kits. I gotta have one.’
EE: How many kits or snares have you manufactured with the new Nordic all maple shell?
B3: Well, we received the first order in late February or March, so not long and probably only two or three kits at this point.
EE: And you introduced these drums at the 2026 Chicago Drum Show. And, have you received a favorable reaction and positive feedback?
B3: Oh, yeah.
EE: Is it regarding the quality, the build, fit and finish, tone?
B3: All of that, and it happens very quickly. Usually, the day after they get their kit, I get an email or a call ‘Oh man, I just got to tell you, even the packaging was cool, thank you so much. And I took the drums out and played them without tuning them or touching them, and they sing.’
EE: Are you eventually going to expand the types of woods that you use?
B3: No. I want to do what we do, which is aluminum snares and the all maple snares and kits. And just stick to that. That's why when my original partner wanted to experiment with new shells and come out with a second line, I told him we don't have the first line going yet. And, you just confuse people, if they have to make a choice. It's just easier to stick with what we have and go for the sound.
EE: Tell me about your custom painted finishes that feature various sparkle options and a new white marine pearl finish?
B3: The fact that we do painted finishes, no wraps, has really got to be one of our strongest selling points because you know how limited it is if you have a wrap, there's 10 finishes and that's it. But with us, you can have any color you want. And then on top of that, you could either add Galaxy multi-colored sparkle or regular sparkle, as well as brass, chrome, or black hardware.
EE: So how did you move toward the painted finish and away from wraps?
B3: About three years ago or so when I tried to talk with the wrap company, when we first started making kits, about the shrinkage problem, they said, ‘Oh, no, that's all solid. That doesn't happen anymore.’
Well, we sold, three or four black oyster pearl kits and people called up and said, the seams are opening up. And I'm like, OK, it's shrinking. So I said, ‘That's it. Blow out every piece of wrap we got in the building, and we're going to all paint.’ I had a couple of auto body paint guys do some things with us and they weren't quite the right fit.
Now, we've got a painter named Scott that's been in the paint booth for two years now, and he is just fantastic and creative. Since my daughters were getting back into playing drums, we ordered a kit and they wanted the blue fade to white like a night sky fading to the day. And, Scott did a great job. Now, as you know, more people have seen that and want that custom finish. He's done a red to black fade finish that's stunning and a silver to gold fade for one of my endorsers on the East Coast.
And, at the recent Chicago Drum Show, people were looking at our new white marine pearl finish saying ‘Oh, I thought you didn’t do wraps.’ And, it’s not a wrap – it’s paint and they can’t believe it
EE: A big step forward in automation and efficiency for WFL III Drums was the purchase of a Hurco CNC automated drill press.
B3: Oh yeah, it's phenomenal. I mean, it does all the holes – the lug holes, the air vent, the holes for the badge covering the air vent, floor tom leg brackets. It's a CNC type machine that is all computerized and changes its tools within itself within seconds. It does everything to the shell in about 7 minutes. And, the drill speed is 12,000 RPM. It’s so clean, there's no blowout in the back or splintering. It's just a piece of art. I love watching it.
EE: Can you also do the bass drum mount or bass drum spur mounts using the Hurco?
B3: Yes, it routes out the hole. It has a smaller drill, and then the shell is what moves. All this is programmed into the computer, and you just type in what model and what size you're doing, and away it goes. It's unbelievable.
EE: How long have you been using the Hurco at the factory?
B3: I think it's three years.
EE: So let's talk about your daughters, Olivia and Maggie. I've noticed that WFLIII Drums social media presence has really taken off. They've really put some energy and enthusiasm into the company.
B3: They definitely have, and it really, really makes me happy. Not only because they're my daughters, but I need the help. And I don't know social media. And Olivia has tweaked that out. Maggie's really good with photography and talking with people. They're both great when they work a show. They also come to the factory now and help with tours and events there.
And, Maggie and Olivia really know how to sell, and I love that. But yeah, the social media has gone up substantially. It started out with both of them coming to the Chicago Drum Show, hanging out at the booth, having fun, and talking to people a little bit. But, then all of a sudden, they just started picking up my sales spiel, you know, of plys and the bearing edge and the round over. And then they're telling people that, too. People are coming up to me saying, ‘Man, they really know their product.’ So, that's been a lot of fun.
EE: The WFL III Drums endorser roster is growing. Recently, you added Rikki Rockett (Poison and Rockett Mafia). Kofi Baker's been with you since the beginning, as well as Bobby T. Torello, John Humphrey (Seether), Hayley Kramer, Joe Corsello, among others.
B3: The endorsers are such an integral part of it, because they're an extension of your sales staff. They're the ones using the drums and who can talk about things that they experienced – sound wise, quality wise, or how the drums look on stage under lights. And, so I'm really excited to have that roster growing.
A couple months ago, I guess Rikki had made a switch. And he had made two switches, and each time he changed companies, the company sold or was taken over by a new entity. And, you know how disruptive that can be to any company. He felt the effects of that and moved on. Then, the next company went through the same process.
Rikki was explaining all of this to his buddy in Kansas, who happens to be the drum shop manager at Big Dudes Music. And they've supported us from the very beginning.
This guy's name is Larry, and he said, ‘Well, why don't you call B3?’ And Rikki said, ‘Well, I don't know, you know, you don't just call a Ludwig.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, you do.’
So, Rikki finally did, and I said, ‘Yeah, let's get something going. And, what I really wanted was him to come into the factory, like I do with all new endorsers. I wanted him to see our manufacturing processes and meet Dave, Scott and Quentin. Dave is the lead assembler; Scott is the painter; and Quentin is the wood shop guy. I wanted Rikki to talk to them about what he had in mind for his kit, and any special needs he might have.
Rikki said, ‘Well, I've got commitments. The only time I can make it is the weekend of June 6th.’ And, we'd already had Kofi Baker booked for a clinic at Big Dudes Music for June 6. I said, ‘Can you do a clinic?’ And he goes, ‘I've done a couple.’ And, so we added him to the lineup.
John Humphrey from Seether has a new kit on order for his upcoming tour this fall. And, I wanted him to come to the factory and approve his new finish. I asked him if he could make it on that same weekend, and he did. So, we had those three endorsers and about six local endorsers at the Big Dudes Clinic. It was just fantastic. You get all the endorsers talking about their kit or their snare, or how they tune it, and what they like, and that's what it's all about.
And Rikki, you know, also had his own drum company for a little while. And, so he knows what we're going through with the growth problem.
EE: Didn't he offer custom wraps?
B3: I thought he might have done wraps and then he airbrush painted them because he was into painting motorcycles. He's a real creative guy and a tremendous marketer, too. We sent him a kit. We had a Black Galaxy kit in the display room. And, when I was talking to him, I said, ‘I really want to get you a kit to try first and foremost. Let me just send you this kit. Don't look at the color necessarily because it may not be your first choice. But he got it, did an unboxing video on youtube and played it the first time.
EE: I saw Rikki’s unboxing youtube video that he posted with that kit.
B3: We got 185,000 views and I'm like, ‘Oh my God.’ And it's just him playing around.
Rikki loves the product and especially now after being in the factory. He really wants to push us higher.
EE: What else is on the horizon for 2026?
B3: I'd like to get WFL III Drums into more dealers’ shops. Although dealers are saying to me ‘Nobody's asking for you.’ And I'm saying, ‘Well, wouldn't it be nice to have something new in your store when people come in and you could say, let me show you what we have new.’ And it's the old what came first, the chicken or the egg?, you know.
I'm trying to get over this hurdle. Now we've got a new website up, and we're trying to direct people to that. But, I guess I shouldn't put so much emphasis on getting into dealers, because there aren't a lot of good drum shops anymore. So, I think everybody's so accustomed to buying everything online.
EE: Tell me about your ‘Build It With B3’ events. You've done several now, and they seem like they've been a lot of fun and successful.
B3: Yes, they have. And, we have another one coming up in October. That's the month of my birthday, and so we decided to do a special B3 Day. I wasn't sure in the beginning how it was going to fly, but people want to pay their own way into Kansas and come spend the day in the factory. They take a tour. I have lunch brought in, and then all afternoon they build their own drum that they get to take home with them. Of course, the attendees get lots of pictures of it and videos. Then, we all go out to dinner and get the B3 stories going and I talk about the endorser times I had – like the time I was kidnapped by the band Nazareth and some other pretty interesting stories that I can't say here, but yeah, that's really a lot of fun and has been a nice surprise to me.
Onward and upward B3 as you honor family tradition and continue to innovate with WFL III Drums!
For more info: info@wfliiidrums.com
(913) 728-9353
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Pictured right: My 2026 WFL III Drumset