Interested In Building A Ludwig Blue Sparkle Double-Bass Drum Kit ala Ronnie Tutt From 1972???

Tony Trout · February 26, 2017

Hey, everyone!!

This is Tony Trout and lately I've been really interested (obsessed, really) about putting together a blue sparkle double-bass Ludwig drum kit exactly like the kit that the legendary Ronnie Tutt (Elvis's former drummer & Neil Diamond's current drummer) used in the studio and on tour from 1970-1974 when he switched to the larger chrome over Vista-Lite kit that he used until June 23, 1977. He didn't play the last three shows of Elvis's final tour due to the death of his Father-In-Law so Jerome "Stump" Monroe played drums on June 24, 1977 and Larry Londin (Ralph Gallant) played the last two dates. That chrome over Vista-Lite kit now belongs to Michael Moore from TN. He also has a DW drum kit built almost like Ronnie's 1972 Ludwig drum kit except for the cymbal set-up. Another friend, Brad Swiger, has built a beautiful and nearly dead-on replica of the kit that I'm wanting to replicate.

The issue for me is $$$$ because I don't quite know how much I'll have to have to build my own kit. I want it to be as close to Tutt's as possible.

What would some of you wiser folks suggest as far as how much money I'll need to set aside to put together a kit like this? It's been a dream of mine for over thirty years to have a kit like that ever since I first saw Tutt with Elvis in "Elvis On Tour" & "Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii" and I have promised myself that I will have a kit like that before I leave this world someday.

Any advice is appreciated. Also here are some pictures of Brad's blue sparkle Ludwig's and of Tutt's restored 1974 chrome over Vista-Lite kit: