You might get a 5-10% premium over a regular mod orange kit just because of its "quirkiness", although I'm sure there will always be someone who will tell you its worth less because "this is not original, and that is not original"....when it clearly is. I used to get that all the time with my original kit finished in black panther...."they didn't make black panther until the blue/olive badge era around 1971! its gotta be a rebadge or a fake!" Well....black panther came out in 1968 (which is what year my kit was and it was my fathers before me and he ORDERED it NEW), but the first catalog it was shown in wasn't until 1971.....as far as I know, ludwig never produced a catalog for 1968, 69 and 70....if they did, I haven't come across one yet. If someone out there has one, scan it and send it to David, the webmaster!......anyway, the point is just because it has become generally accepted as correct by "experts" doesn't mean its the gospel on it. There are exceptions, as proven by your kit and mine, be it special orders or late availability.....or even leftovers from a previous year, because to be honest, mod orange was not a very popular color when it was new, and neither was citrus mod and psychedelic red. You either loved them or hated them. For most people it was the latter....

Danster, I have seen some Ludwigs that were a little out of the date range but this is the most far out set I have ever seen! Thank you so much for posting these pics. You obviously have a 1969 date stamped set for sure. I'll bet the set really was put together around 1967-68 but for some reason was left to be finished in 1969. Dec is a way late time for the drums to have white paint and ball bat mufflers. I love seeing stuff like this. My set is dated March 26th 1969(happy 40th b-day!) and it has the original 70's style logo head, round knob mufflers and clear maple interiors. Your set is definately an odd ball. Hang on to it because the finish is super rare and you have a special set!

I was also curious. Did your snare come with the set? What is the serial number of that? Ludwig made the snares sepratly from the sets and just grabbed one to go with a set. Is your snare drum dated? I would bet the snare matches the correct timeframe for a 1969 drum.

Kurt,

Thanks for your input. Your hypothesis that mine is a 67-68 kit with a later date stamp seems to agree with most of the comments I've received. Regarding the snare, I'm sorry to say that I've lost track of the snare that originally came with the kit. By the time my mom bought the kit for me I had already talked her into buying a new snare for me (in 1974 or 75, I think). I have always used this newer snare with the kit. I've been through quite a few moves since then, and I honestly don't know what happened to that original snare -- although I'm going to start an intensive search for it! I'll let everyone know what I find out (if I do). Anyhow, thanks again.

Since joining this site I've really enjoyed seeing pictures of all the other older Ludwig kits out there. Nice.Keep on Pl

BTW, Happy birthday to your 69s!

Danster

Hi Danster, I used to have a Mod Orange set very close to the one you have. It even had the period-correct tom post mount with the block LUDWIG lettering on it! My set was a '68 model. I think your set is probably a set produced in '68 or '67 (as was previously noted the ball bat mufflers being an indicator).

The only thing about the drums that doesn't add up is the date stamps which definitely could have been stamped on there when they went "out the door" of the factory and the order was filled.

Truth is, (as Ludwig-Dude so eloquently states above)--as cool as Mod Orange (and Psych Red and Citrus Mod) is--back in the 60s when it came out it wasn't as cool to many drummers out there. So the set was probably produced and then stored until the order for the drums came and they were sent out, a year or 2 after being manufactured.

That theory, at least, seems the most possible and practical one to me.

Pounder,

Thanks for corroborating our theory. Actually, I'd be happy if they were '67s, because they'd be the same age as my "vintage" Chevelle (but I guess that's a topic for a different forum). You can probably help with one of my earlier questions: is my kit a "Hollywood" or something else?

Also, do you guys think it was Ludwig's practice to date-stamp the kits when they went out the door? Seems to me they'd stamp them when they were manufactured. Based on my serial numbers, though, they must have done the latter, as you more learned Luddies have suggested.

Finally, regarding the color... I didn't actually like them that much either when I got them, but I wasn't ready to complain about what was a pretty substantial gift at the time. I always wanted a black kit -- or blue Vistalites. I must say, though, that the Mod Orange has grown on me over the years.:D

"Is my kit a Hollywood or something else?"

Yes.:D

It is a Hollywood IF it has the lightweight hardware package. It's a "Big Beat" if it has the Atlas hardware package. Since you have neither hardware package, the answer is "Both" or, possibly...."Neither" Storm Trooper

As far as stamps are concerned, I think Pounder's theory is spot on. Those "puke" finishes (as some call them) e.g., Mod Orange and Citrus Mod, were not big sellers back in the day. But, since the collecting market has fired up, those finishes are extremely desirable.

Thanks, O-Lugs. My kit did come with a hardware package, and it was definitely the lightweight version. As I recall, the soft spring in the HH stand would just barely keep the 15" Paisties separated. Also, the other stands were only marginally stable. As I said earlier, I've since upgraded the hardware -- all but the Speed King.

Thanks again for all the great input. I never knew how much I didn't know.

Technically.....the early versions of the big-beat set only came with a 24" bass drum. A few years into the 70's you could get it with either a 22" or 24" bass drum. Classic flat base hardware would definately make it a hollywood kit.

I think the first big beats had a 22" bass.