How are Ludwig drums?

I know they basically started it all (along with maybe Slingerland and Rogers), but it seemed as though their name basically lost relevance over the past 20 years or so.

Now it looks like they're making a comeback. The Legacy series and Classic maples look like beautiful drums. Add to that their top-notch line-up of snare drums, and it looks like they might be on the way to being one of the top manufacturers of drums once again.

I do think they need to spend more money on endorsers and advertising though.

You have pretty much said it all. From what little I know, they got sold and became part of other musical instrument companies in the 80's, quality went downhill and other brands took over.

About ten years ago, They have begun to get back to what they do best, make drums and are once again making a name for themselves. Yes they were like Ford Cars in the early 20th Century, When you said good drums you just meant Ludwig, Just like Levi's used to be the only real Jeans sold. Their high end drum lines are very well liked today and even the lower end sets are well liked as well.

The new Ludwigs (heard one example since their introduction a couple yrs ago) sound pretty good. The Black Magic sounds very good. The other drums pass for professional tone.

Actually, Ludwig didn't 'start' squat.

See also: Leedy

I'd sure love to have another Supersensitive snare. The SS Black Beauty would make a nice side snare, but more of a novelty than anything else. One got away from me years ago with a gold sparkle set.

My first set was a Ludwig Rocker. The drums were good, but the hardware was terrible! Now, that may be age and previous owner abuse, I just don't know.

Do you just post in threads just to be a dick? More often than not, you seem to argue just for the sake of arguing.

And you knew exactly what I meant, especially within the context of Slingerland and Rogers. I never claimed they invented the drums, but when you ask anyone what comes to mind when they think of the beginning of modern day drums, 90% will say Ludwig.

Seriously, instead of finding issues with the most trivial and largely irrelevant parts of a post, why don't you actually make a contribution to the thread.

Sorry you have such an issue with my preoccupation with accuracy.

BTW:

I didn't 'KNOW' exactly what you meant because I don't, and wouldn't, assume someone would willingly use words other than what they actually meant.

But if it makes you feel better to make me out to be a bad guy because you expected me to understand that you wrote something you didn't actually mean and ALSO at the same time somehow imagine what you did mean instead, go right ahead.

Seems like a REALLY foolish way to go about life and all, wanting people to guess at what you really meant to say, but if that's what you want...so be it.

For starters, I'll imagine that instead of calling me a dick above, you actually meant to call me a wonderful person.

No no, I really meant dick.

And if you really had such an issue with accuracy, why didn't you reference ancient civilizations. Drums have been around for ages. How did you "know" I was talking about modern day drums.

It's not so much the content. It's your delivery. I'm sure you have a wealth of drum knowledge. Unfortunately, your condescending responses overshadow any interesting facts they may contain.

I think the better side of Ludwig drums is definitely coming up in quality right now. There's a band called ZO2 that I love, and their drummer uses a sweet-sounding 4-piece Ludwig kit that I'm pretty sure is maple. They played in Boston a year or so back and the kit just sounded awesome.

I love ludwig. A lot.

My favorite kits are almost always 60s and 70s Ludwigs, Sonors, and Slingerlands.

I hear that loud and clear. I had an SS Black Beauty, I bought brand new in the early 70's. Loved that drum! I got rid of it with an equal vintage Ludwig kit, in the early 80's. I've regretted it ever since.

There was a big bang in the universe of music when The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sulivan show. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a drummer say it was because of Ringo on Ed Sullivan playing Ludwigs is why they started and bought a Ludwig kit. So you could in a way, say they started it all. It all relevent to an individuals perspective and age.

Oh! And I get a chubby over their new Keystone line!

they started what?

Ludwig may not have started anything, but they sure had my attention back in the mid-sixties. I remember that they'd have been my first pick if I'd have had two nickels to rub together. My first drums were Pearls thrown away by a friend. I didn't care. Any drums were magic to me then. But when I saw a Ludwig Supersensitive snare, I was in shock and disbelief. Now I have a Rogers set of 60's vintage I bought 28 yrs ago and my studio set is Pearl once again. Refs this time. My Rogers will become part of my estate, and I'll play my Pearls forever, but one of these days I'll add a Supersensitive Black Beauty to my collection.

I use a supersensitive (I don't know what shell it is, just Ludalloy) as my main snare. I got it because my old high school was throwing it out; I nabbed it because it looked funny. I didn't know until later what I had just got!

I also really like the older script logo that they're using on the higher end drums. The other one looks way too eighties for me.

My first set as well and I tatally agree. The softest metal ever, I had to replace both spurs, stripped the bolts on hihat stand and floor leg brackets. By far the worst hardware I've ever used, but the shells still sound damn good.

My son plays Ludwig drums. His kit is three or four years old and there's been no problems with the hardware. They sound awesome and look really good. They were well worth the money.

Who started?

Well...that's on you:

You're inferring a condescending tone, when that's not what my intent was. Re-read my post; there is nothing inherently negative or condescending in those words as a standalone.

You can believe that or not, but how you choose to apply a preconceived notion of what I mean behind and/or in addition to the actual words I type is not within my control.

Believe me, when I WANT to be a dick to someone, especially some random anonymous internet person, it isn't something that's merely implied.

Crazy memory rant time,, sorry.

In 1964 I hated Ludwig. I was already big into Rogers, because they were built 5 miles from where I lived and I had an aunt and uncle who worked at the factory. At the time there were the big 3 really, Beatles, with Ludwig, Rolling Stones with Gretch, and Dave Clark Five with Rogers. Slingerland was there too, but didn't have the pull that I remember. Actually as far as quality, they were all similar. Rogers had the dynasonic, one of the best snares ever made.

Of the 3 bands mentioned, the Beatles went crazy, as did Ludwig. Everyone and their neighbor decide Ludwig was the best because of Ringo. I personally really liked Dave Clark Five, but that's another story. They disappeared much too quick.

Through the 60s no one would play anything other than the top 4 for the most part. There were some interesting other sets, I really liked Trixon for example, but they seemed more a novelty than a serious contender. In the 70s, Rogers was extremely innovative, first with memrilock hardware. external muffling, etc., but sales dropped in favor of Ludwig and the endorsements they had.

Then in the very late 70s, early 80s the Japanese sets came on like gangbusters. Pearl, Yamaha, and Tama, really just low quality student sets before, started pushing some quality sets much cheaper than the big 4. Endorsements were crazy! Everywhere you looked someone was playing a Tama set. They literally flooded the market with decent quality that undercut the other prices. There were some other great sets coming out, Sonor for one, I remember playing a great Haymon set. Zickos seemed a little too gimmicky as did North. Rogers had stayed small, so they went under. Ludwig was huge, they cutback by putting out cheaper product to stay afloat, and did it well. I always disliked Ludwig for surviving when Rogers couldn't. I blame Ringo.

I have to admit though Ludwig has good products, followed the demand nicely, and have been around forever in my humble mind.

For whatever reason, I really loved reading this. Thanks, man - you just made my day.

Was there a long waiting time to get a Rogers kit from employee sales? The reason I ask is my Den Mother's husband worked for Ludwig, and I waited from November of '65 until December of '67 to get my set from Ludwig. I was playing a 3 piece Whitehall set in the interim so the wait wasn't unbearable. I really would have been happy getting a set from any of the big 4 back then, but the employee pricing just couldn't be passed up. I still have that set and just love 'em.

I got my 60s Rogers kit one piece at a time, starting with a wood dynasonic put together by Mr. Thompson himself. When I had a birthday or Christmas I would always get something else. Aunt Joyce would always just bring it over. When Rogers left for California, Aunt Joyce went with them, part of the deal was anything I wanted. She loaded me up with all kinds of stuff.