We have to go to the Ludwig Drummer Magazines of that time or to dealer flyers to learn of the special “Hotsy-Totsy" and "Mottled Sepia" finishes offered in 1928.
Read more1928-32 LUDWIG 5 x 14 MOTTLED SEPIA STANDARD MODEL
The Ghost That Wouldn't Die
Once someone played a Ghost pedal they had to have one. From drummer to drummer, stories of the Ghost spread first by word-of-mouth.
Read more1928-32 Ludwig 5x14 Mottled Sepia Standard Model Snare
“Not all pearl covering options were offered in the catalogs. Some finish options, like model options, were short lived and never made the next years catalog.
Read moreThe Ludwig Club Date
The name Club Date was actually used for the first time in the 1948 WFL catalog and was actually written as the DeLuxe Club Date.
Read morePristine 1970 Ludwig "Hollywood" Drum Set - No Serial Number WMP
This set was born together and still with the one and only original owner whose parents purchased it for him brand spanking new in 1970. He played it for about a year with his cousin in a little band in his basement and never again after that. The set NEVER left his house and was NEVER played out. He also immaculately cared for it keeping it under cover.
Read more100 Year Old Snare Drum Reclaims It’s Rightful Heritage!
I had purchased a 1920’s Ludwig & Ludwig White Enamel Professional model 5X14 snare drum from a US seller several months previous. From the photos provided before the time of sale, I knew this drum had seen better days
Read moreThe First Ludwig & Ludwig 1912 Catalog – by Jim Catalano
The front page of the catalog used a new technique with a cutout to show the new Ludwig metal shell snare drum in a framed setting that was actually printed on the 2nd page and shown through to the front cover.
Read more1926-27 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 5 x 15 STIPELGOLD SUPER-LUDWIG MODEL
I got this drum a while back. The drum came to me is this condition so no cleaning/restoration was necessary. I don’t see as many 15” Stipelgold snares vs 14” Stipelgold snares. I wonder if this is true with other collectors.
Read more1921-22 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 4 x 14 6 LUG SCROLL PATTERN DeLUXE MODEL
I call it a “Monday Morning at the Office” drum because the scroll pattern is in every panel but there is no “Ludwig Chicago” engraving that would normally be just left of the strainer.
Read moreA Rare 1950s Leedy & Ludwig Broadcaster Snare Drum
This snare drum is a rare 1950s Leedy & Ludwig White Marine Pearl 5” x14”, Broadway model with a solid 1-ply maple shell.
Read moreWFL Porto-Pak Snare Drum History
The Porto-Pak is a very special snare drum. Punchy and articulate, this 5.5 x 13 1948 – 52 WFL Classic Porto-Pak snare drum is difficult to find these days. This drum was born out of the need for gigging musicians, be bop and club players to get their drums into the taxi cabs and onto smaller band stands and still hit the spot.
Read more1929 L&L Rose Standard Sensitive
I got this rare drum from Bill Wanser of Olympic Drums & Percussion. Bill also pointed out a Ludwig Drummer magazine article that places Rose Pearl at 1929, this aligns perfectly as the Standard-Sensitive model was first seen in 1929. Bill agrees that this was an uncatalogued finish, L & L obviously had the material but it was never seen in a catalog, only in a Ludwig Drummer Magazine article.
Read more1921-22 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 4 x 14 6 LUG SCROLL PATTERN DeLUXE MODEL
I call it a “Monday Morning at the Office” drum because the scroll pattern is in every panel but there is no “Ludwig Chicago” engraving that would normally be just left of the strainer.
Read moreLudwig Las Vegas 4 x 13 Snare Drum
It took me years to finally find a Ludwig Las Vegas 4 x 13 Snare Drum. I finally got the opportunity in May of this year to purchase one from a private seller in the U.S., although it did come at a bit of an inconvenient time. I was lying on a stretcher in the hospital waiting to go into the operating room for my scheduled spine surgery when I received a text message from the seller wanting to discuss my interest in purchasing this snare drum.
Read moreSuper Ludwig Super Sensitives
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 moreBucket List Find - Ludwig Down Beat Bowling Ball Oyster Blue
I’ve always been a fan of the blue and black “bowling ball” oyster finishes that Ludwig introduced in 1971. The blue is my favorite and I have had a couple of Hollywood kits (12, 13, 16, 22) over the years, but I’ve always wanted a Downbeat kit (13, 16, 22) with a rail consolette.
Read more1960s Keystone Badge Ludwig Drums – Types and Dimensions
This article documents the types and sizes of drums recorded in a large database of 1960s Ludwig Keystone badge drums to provide a glimpse into Ludwig’s 1960s production.
Read more1930s Ludwig Standard Snare Re-issue and anatomy of a two piece shell
In 2009, I saw an ad for a 1930’s Ludwig Standard 5 x 14 snare drum re-issue. Adrian Kirchler, owner of AK Drums in Valdaora di Sotto Italy, was making 60 replicas of this 2-piece shell snare. Even though I heard about it late, I was able to get on the list to purchase one through Long & McQuade, a musical instrument store in Toronto.
Read more1927-30 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 5 x 15 GOLD PLATED SUPER-LUDWIG THEATER MODEL
The entire drum is bright gold plated. L & L did offer gold plating as an option so this drum could be a special order or the drum may have been plated after market.
Read more1937 Ludwig & Ludwig-Slingerland Super Rare Abalone Pearl Super Ludwig Drum Outfit
The Ludwig & Ludwig catalog of 1937 offered a Super -Ludwig Drum outfit consisting of a 14”x28” single tension bass drum, 5”x14” Super-Ludwig snare drum in “Abalone Pearl,” plus various other traps and cymbals, but no ‘separate tension’ tom toms. Slingerland, however, did offer separate tension tom toms in its 1936 (and presumably 1937) catalog in “Abalone Pearl.”
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