Am I crazy?

[DrumBrewer]

Hey guys, it's been a long time since I've posted on this forum. I'm back into drumming, playing in a band again and I need some advice. I've been looking to downsize my kit, going from a fusion style 6 piece to just a classic setup 22/16/XX. I haven't really been impressed with anything new that is in my price range (under $2,000). I noodled around with DW, but the price is too high on everything I find. I've had my eye on a few Ludwig drums, but I've been concerned with the quality of the new drums. That's the biggest thing, the drums I have are made in China and they suck. I asked my local drum shop to recommend something and one of the options was a 1965 Ludwig in sizes 22/16/13. It was in good condition, but it certainly had wear from the years. I'm sure just a little bit of cleanup and a few tension rod replacements and this thing will be operational. I actually like that it's not a collectors item because I will be playing out with it. It comes with the original heads, which I would replace (and save). Not a fan of the wrap (champagn sparkle). The price is good at $1100 and I have some money left to buy a good snare that compliments my playing and replace a cymbal. The band I'm with plays original music, high-energy rock, bordering in the punk/rock realm and heavy on the toms. Sounds like I'm sold on these drums... but will I look like a total fool playing this old 1965 kit? Is this thing going to fall apart on me? Has drumming technology improved so much over the last 50 years that I should stick to a newer kit? Should I just keep what I have and save up for a custom DW? What do you guys think, any other recommendations?

[Phil O'Keefe]

I dunno… A 1965 kit seems awfully old to be regularly gigging with. As you seem to be, I'd be concerned about the reliability - not to mention the ability to get replacement parts should something break right before a gig.

[rayboomboom]

Actually, a '65 Ludwig kit us going to be a work horse. Here is what I would do:

It probably has a rail mount on the bass drum that holds the rack tom. For the type of music you're going to be playing, that's the weakest point. For the tom I would get either a sturdy snare stand or a suspension mount (RIMS mount) and mount the rack tom to a cymbal stand. Also, the bass drum legs may be a bit light for hard hitting. If this drum has non-factory holes already in it then you could replace the legs with something more modern (Pearl makes nice ones, and Gibraltar makes some Pearl look-a-likes).

 

Now, if the drums don't have any extra holes drilled, the finish is in good shape along with the chrome, and everything is factory, ie hoops, lugs, etc, then it depends on how you feel about keeping it original. An original kit like that is worth money and will gain value over the years. Even if it is in rough shape it may still be valuable.

 

If the latter is the case, then you could look at something like a Yamaha or Pearl kit. Fitch plays a Yamaha Stage Custom kit that he talks about often on the forum. I'm sure he'll chime in here. That's a good, way to go for the money.

 

Post some pics of that Ludwig kit, as detailed as possible and we'll help you out here. Great to see you getting back into it and talking it up here. Welcome back DB!

 

 

[Drumstix101]

Matt, do you remember the '67 champagne sparkle I brought to the HC Drum Jam a few years ago? I still gig with them, albeit not as often as I used to, but they are very dependable. My son used them in his punk rock band for a few years until he bought his own set and they still look and sound as good as new. The only problem I ever had with the drums themselves, was I did have the bolt hole strip on the tom mount holder on the kick drum. This happened in 1969 or 1970. I drilled and tapped the hole to one size larger and was good to go. I did replace the mount with a new Ludwig mount last year because I preferred the wing bolt and memory lock slot over the original mount with the hex head bolt. I did keep the old mount in case my son decides to sell these drums after I die. Original stands; cymbal, snare or hi-hat; were prone to failures and I have used modern heavy duty hardware for years. I am a firm believer that vintage musical instruments are meant to be played and not to be collected and stored away in some dark closet. I also believe that they should be cared for properly and respected for what they are and not be tossed around at load in or load out. I do believe that Beaker also gigs with the old 3 plys that he brought to the jam. If you like the way the drums sound and play; go for it! Treat them right and I hope you will be as happy as I am.

I agree with rayboomboom about the tom mounting if the drums come with a rail mount and you are an extremely heavy hitter.

[DrumBrewer]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. Although I have zero experience playing regularly on a vintage kit, these do seem pretty solid construction. Did I mention that the sound was really the key factor in even considering these drums? It had a really nice deep tone on those toms. Check out the attached photos I took, which are not very detailed. It looks like the wrap doesn't match, but I think that's just the auto color on my iPhone, because I didn't notice that when I was there. Not even sure if the drum shop still has this kit (I was there last week).

 

The original heads are being used on the bottom. What type of heads would you use on these? Emperor or I've seen some vintage heads you can buy? What about the bottom heads?

 

For sure I would not use the tom mount, instead I would opt for a tom stand. I do have a few cymbal stand mounts too. I would use my current symbol and stands, so no worries on the vintage versions.

 

I was thinking of having the drum shop (5 star) clean these up for me, but perhaps you guys have some advice on that. I'd take off the rims and lugs and clean underneath with something that (google searching) would recommend. I have some chrome cleaner for cars, not sure if safe on these hoops. I've seen recommendations of soaking overnight, but do I really need to do that?

 

I like the suggestion on legs. It looks like there are no additional holes cut in these drums, I will try to see if there's a suitable replacement with Pearl or Gibraltar.

 

I would just need a snare to go with it. I'm thinking it doesn't have to be vintage, although someone posted a 1965 ludwig snare on craigslist this week. What snare's do you guys like to use with your '60's kits. I prefer to have a tight, crack, snare sound rather than the loose rattle that I normally associate with vintage. I'll have some fun trying out my options here.

 

Thanks again for all your help guys.

 

Matt

[Drumstix101]

Right now I am running Evans G2 coated as batters and Evans G1 coated as resos on my toms. I really like the warm round sound I get with this combination.

As for snares I switch between 3 different snares depending on where or what I'm playing. I am not a Ludwig purist in any way as I also play Pearl drums, but the 3 snares that I go to most with my Ludwig 3 plys are all Ludwig. I use a '67 5 1/2" deep supra, a 6 1/2" deep Black Magic and a 3 3/4" deep Venus. The Black Magic and Venus have been getting the most use lately because I really like the sound they produce.