Restore or not restore?

[jebon]

Hi!
I have a 65/67 Sky Blue Pearl Ludwig keystone badge 13", 16", 22" that has a lot of cosmetic flaws. The bass drum has a hole after a 70's tom holder that's been repaired and painted over and a lot of paint has peeled off of the hoops.
Other than that the bass drum has holes after 3 different types of bass drum legs and general patina.

I like the set and the fact that it looks used, but I was just wondering if it'll lose value if I choose to restore it.

With restoring I mean mainly re-coating it in say, in 60's black oyster and repainting the hoops. I know it's only original once and I'm not planning on selling it. Just curious if a restored set is generally more or less valuable than an "original" player's set in very used condition.
Thanks!

[BEC]

Considering the bass drum has enough extra holes to qualify as a piece of swiss cheese, recovering probably won't hurt the value.
If it was a rare wrap, pink oyster for example, recovering would hurt the value I think.

[larryz]

I would try to clean/restore the wrap first and see how it looks. You might like it more after that. Wouldn't hurt.

Put up a photo if you can so the voting public can weigh in..

[mchair303]

Jebon,

First... to the forum! You just got advice from BEC, a recognized authority on Ludwig collectables. Go with it.

I'm in a similar position (20" Ludwig transition bass full of extra holes). I've got the 60's black oyster wrap shipping from JamminSam's this week. No idea how close it is to the original, but I'll post some pics when it comes in so you can decide if that's the wrap you want for your project.


Mike

[schmegeggie]

My preference is to restore, unless it is beyond restoration. Even with some extra holes, that can be repaired. If the wrap is that bad, and resto is the only option, then go that route.

[hardbopman]

Jebon, it sounds like you have a classic set of 3 ply Luddys that probably sounds amazing.....but looks like s**t! The drums have already been devalued due to bad decisions and poor workmanship. My suggestion would be to invest some time and money into refurbishing those tired classics with a retro re-wrap, period correct mounting hardware, new heads, fresh paint on the hoops and a lot of elbow grease on the chrome. The drums will still sound great and they will look great too! Good Luck!

[jebon]

Thanks a lot for all your replies.
The set has been my main set since 2000. I bought in on ebay for $400 and yes, they do sound amazing so the set has a lot of sentimental value to me.

Now the value issue has been settled, I guess it's only up to me if I'll like the set as much if it looks brand spanking new. I'm in the middle of another restoration and the fun of that made me consider restoring my Ludwigs. It'll be a while before I dive into this (if I choose to) If I do, I'll post pics of course.
Thanks a lot!