That's a shame about the edges on your drums. There is just no excuse for that. I thought Ludwig was back as far as makeing top of the line sets again. It's fortunate you knew someone like Chris Huer you could trust to clean them up. Maybe it was a fluke. Have you heard of this being a widespread problem on kit's. I think a few members here have purchased brand new Ludwig sets in the last couple of years.
IMO, Ludwig is back because they know how to promote and excite the public with their drums and history. I don't say this to get anyone mad, but from personal experience through my purchase and from first-hand knowledge from Chris Heuer, who works on new and vintage drums from many of the top drumming artists in the industry. Chris has told me that Ludwig is not alone when it comes to non-level bearing edges. What it boils down to is economics... the amount of time involved to check each shell, top and bottom, and make sure they are perfectly level. A qualified tech should be able to achieve this in only a few extra minutes per side. Multiply that by thousands of shells and you see how the expense can build up. The attitude is "they're good enough and most drummers won't know the difference". Well, I have news for you, most drummers today DO know the difference.
Another issue that all manufactures face is offering wrapped finishes. In the past, we could safely take our wrapped drums out in bright sunshine and not worry about the wrap bubbling, lifting, etc. No more! Due to the way Delmar makes wrap, and the way glue has to be manufactured, bubbling and lifting is the norm. Chris just told me about one of his client's new Ludwig kit, in Galaxy Sparkle (this client is also a Ludwig endorser) was used outdoors and the wrap has bubbled and lifted badly! Fortunately, my new Ludwig kit is for indoors only!
I do not wish to dissuade anyone from purchasing the kit of their dreams from any of the major drum manufacturers. Only to be aware that for them to sell at any given price-point means that some cuts must be made... usually in labor dollars.
I find it amazing that my PDP X7 kit, made in Taiwan, has near-perfect bearing edges on all 7 drums. All this for $899 delivered!
The bottom line is that it only cost me less than $100 to have my edges leveled on my Ludwig toms and snare drum and are now near-perfect! The bass drum, while not perfect, was close enough to not need any work. The kit will look/sound great when completed and will look pretty close to a mid-60's Downbeat kit... in Galaxy Sparkle!
