I sure wish someone knew for sure. Where's KO? He can usually nail these things down.

HA! I know it gets a bit confusing... but here is my rational for the 4-ply.

Compare the areas marked 1 & 2 and they look the same on that inside and outside edge.

Compare the areas marked 3A & 3B, moving to the right it appears as though the glue line / edge disappears. This is an example of how light and angle are important in dissecting a photo.

So, without the drum right in front of me and not being able to clearly see the entire bearing edge in even light, I counted the outer ply as one (note where the blue 1 is, that is where I'm seeing this as a single ply edge-to-edge).

Now the key question is: was/is the practice to add an additional outer ply as a cosmetic veneer for "natural" and stained drums?

The argument can be made that Ludwig just banged out the shells in large batches as 4-plys in the molds, then the shells move to finishing where they add either an outer wrap or a cosmetic veneer suitable for clear coat or stain and clear coat. Although, I would think that the manufacturer would want to add the cosmetic wood veneer ply in the mold, rather than trying to add it later during the finishing process.

To me, at first glance, the outer layer looked to be a single ply. However I can see where others would state that there is a an additional layer. If I side with that, then I would say the cosmetic layer is half the thickness of the interior cosmetic layer. I tried looking into the catalogs of that era but I couldn't locate sufficient information on the ply lay-up and ply thickness.

Here are bearing edge photos of some Ludwig snare drums I own, from different eras and manufacturing facilities. The first image is of an early 80's a 6-ply natural maple Coliseum (Chicago). The second image is of a modern 10-ply with Birdseye maple exotic finish. Both these drums have the exact advertised ply count for the era without an "extra" cosmetic layer - which would technically bump these up to a 7 and 11-ply count drums if they had the extra cosmetic layer.

I've also included another picture of the 10-ply drum where the ply count is a bit more ambiguous, and it probably could pass for a 9-ply lay-up (hence the earlier argument for good lighting and angle).

So I would hold fast on my earlier statement that you've got 4-ply drum and there is no extra cosmetic layer - the 4th ply is the outer cosmetic layer.

Thanks to everyone for the input and information. I guess i should stop wondering about it and just enjoy the way they sound. Or, to paraphrase Frank Zappa, "Shut up and play (my) (drum)".

This kind of debate and information is valuable. For example, when I was younger I never really understood why my two bass drums (and a couple of toms) sounded so different. But through these forums I was finally able to figure it out as there was plenty of discussion about manufacturing eras and ply lay-ups.

I had purchased a used drum kit in 1978 that was a "Bonham" set-up (along with 8-melodic toms so I could either be Neil Peart or John Bonham), to which I then added another 26" bass drum and 12" & 13" double headed toms. Well, little did I know back then that the original kit I had was a 3-ply with re-rings and the add-ons I bought were 6-ply!!! Had I realized the difference back then I would have looked for matching shell lay-ups in the used market rather than buying new (thinking newer was better and nobody else had their booger-hooks all over my precious drums!!!).

So just in case you were looking to match or add-on to your kit, this info is important!

My first kit was a 1972 (I think) Ludwig silver sparkle, 24/18/14/13, with a 6 1/2" super sensitive snare(!). My parents bought it for me when I started school band in 7th grade. It had clear sealer interiors, with the re-rings. They paid $350 for it in 1974. Came with a 24" Zildjian ride, and a 14" Zildjian crash, which became the top half of a hi-hat. Needless to say, I wish I still had them, but you live and you learn.

I also wish that I had the knowledge and experience of drum tuning that I have now, but then doesn't everyone.

Apologies for my digression.

I appreciate the opportunity to discuss something that is very important to me. Thank you.

Let's see if I can add to the confusion.I have owned a few of the 4 ply and 6 ply Luddy unimold/non re ringed shells and this is what I have found.

I owned a 1983 Luddy S/L kit with 4 ply toms,6 ply kick,and a 1979 B/O badge 6 ply kit.

The plies were easy to count on the 6 ply kit,and the shells were at least 3/8 thick,maybe a tad more.

The plies were hard to count on the S/L kit,and the 6 ply kick was closer to 5/16 thick,while the 4 ply were just under a 1/4 inch.

The shells on mine are about 1/4", including the bass drum, which will visibly flex with the heads off! That's why I don't use the tom mount. It made a big difference in the sustain of the drum.