I had mentioned above that this was a floor model at the Ludwig factory. I found this to be quite interesting to be able to buy back then as such. But when I took the kit apart to smell the interiors (wink ;-) and check the date stamps, I discovered the initials BL in the drums. I could not help myself, so I reached out to Bill Ludwig III and explained what I had and the story.
Read more1965 Ludwig Downbeat drum set - Sky Blue Pearl
Vintage Ludwig Downbeats are extremely versatile sized drums no matter what the color you end up with. These kits can be tuned for a variety of music and are real easy to travel with logistically. The entire kit fits in the backseat of VW Golf! (with the seats up, NOT down).
Read more1965 Ludwig Downbeat set in Sparkling Burgundy Pearl
This is a 1965 Ludwig Downbeat set in Sparkling Burgundy Pearl. Burgundy Sparkle or “Root Beer Sparkle” (as it is sometimes called) is a finish that is not very common. So it falls under the “rare” category from a collector’s standpoint.
Read more1962 Ludwig Super Classic in Sparkling Galaxy Pearl
This June installment of Vintage Happiness is featuring a set that had long been a bucket list item of mine. Finally this time last year I was able to locate one in excellent condition.
Read more1947 WFL Big Time Kit
This set is a 1947 WFL Big Time kit with the sizes 14x26-16x16-9x13-6.5x14. One cool and unique factor was this kit had all working, no issues, original WFL Zephyr lugs - even offset version lugs on the tom. Most of the time these old lugs have issues with the threading. Fortunately for me there are no issues.
Read more1968 Ludwig Standard Kit S-300 in Lemon Strata
The Ludwig Standard line of drums were introduced in 1968 to be a lower end priced kit to compete with the flood of imports that were coming in at the time from overseas.
However, the great thing is that, like the Club Dates, you were getting the same shell found in the classic line shells of that time, just with different hardware (less expensive to cut costs).
Read more1964 Special order Ludwig Club Date set
This month's kit is a beautiful Ludwig Club Date from 1964. As you can see, it's Sparkling Red Pearl which is fitting for Valentine's Day. This kit came to me from a great vintage drum dealer out of the Midwest - Randy Houck Vintage Drums. He has amazing kits from all manufacturers and was a pleasure to do business with.
Read more1965 Ludwig "Superbeat" in oyster blue pearl
This is one of those kits that you dream of finding and it actually found me. I run an ad on the local Craig’s List looking for vintage drums. One day I get an email from an older gentleman telling me about this kit he may want to sell......
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