Hi all,
I purchased this snare drum a few years ago from Zach Stewart of counterhoop.com
1942 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 6.5 x 14 WHITE “CRYSTAL”/WHITE “CRYSTAL” PLASTIC MODERNE BI-TONE MODEL (#19)
The SHELL:
White “Crystal” is one of Ludwig & Ludwig’s rarest finishes and was only around for less than two years, 1941-42. The Crystal finish was highly distressed, more like “Crustal”, I mean really beat up... as my good friend John Aldridge would say, “this drum is as ugly as home made soap”. I used Goo Gone to remove a few layers of schmutz and then my normal plastic cleaner, polish and detailer. There was a little improvement, the shell is still pretty puny looking but this is a very rare finish so it was still worth the effort. The interior was equally as bad as the exterior so I cleaned it up the best that could be expected. There is a faint but legible 4204 (April 1942) date stamp. The badge is also pretty beat up but there is a tight grommet.
The HARDWARE:
The White “Crystal” Plastic tension casings were intact but 3 of them had a few minor cracks. They all cleaned up and polished up nicely. These tension casings are strictly cosmetic. The nickel plated hardware was in way better shape than the shell and was easy to clean and polish. The 3 pt. strainer works well and holds tight.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I am not sure if the White “Crystal” finish was offered separately or could only be purchased with the “Crystal Outfit #1148CR. The 1941 Ludwig & Ludwig catalog states “No. 19--Moderene Bi-Tone snare drum with PLASTIC tension casings, separate tension rods, Snappi Snares and choice of Bi-Tone colors.... Blue and Gray, Brown and Tan, Black and Gold Multi-Color...ONLY.”Per the catalog it looks like L & L was pretty adamant about the “ONLY” choice of finishes. This snare drum was “parted out” from the original drum outfit.
Of-the-era top and bottom calf heads and James Snappi Snares rounded out this restoration.
Enjoy!