Maybe the drums were sold all at one time as a set but that they were made, and sat around at the factory for a bit.

What leads me to think that is that you say they have a nice natural maple finish, and that's hard to match if you piece the drums together, plus the other stuff like the close serial #'s.

This would happen more with sets like you have because the 26" and 18" sizes

aren't as common as other sizes.

My guess on why the ply difference is that they ran out of wood and used what they had on hand. I'd guess that they are a kit that was sold as a Bonham kit and they're as old as the newest date stamp.

Another possibility is that the 16" floor tom was added to the original set.

Someone count in "Black Dog".

The set also came with a 12x15 9 ply (virgin) tom and is the same same finish but a bit lighter. It has the keystone badge but no serial number. It has a stamp inside that reads 05180 whatever that means. I don't think it was a Bonham set because the bass drum is not virgin. I do know that the Elite Rockers were 5 ply in 1998 but they would not use keystone badges would they? The rockers probably didn't come in those sizes and finish also. I am trying to sell the drums but do not know what to tell the person because they want to know how many ply's they are. I will post some pics ASAP.

You have a late 1990's clasic maple zepset, before they were called zepsets, made in Monroe, NC. These are the top of the line Ludwigs, not Rockers for sure. Just because the bass drum is not a virgin drum, doesn't mean it isn't a Bonham set. Someone ordered it this way, with a mount, so it was easier to set up without having to hang it off a cymbal stand. It was normal back then for the shells to be different ply counts. This was a transitional period for Monroe, changing from a 6-ply, to a 9-ply, to a 5-ply, and back to a 6-ply again. I think the bass drums stayed 9-ply though for strength. Anyway you look at it its a great looking and sounding kit! :D

Thannks Ludwig-dude. This forum and it's members are the best.

I have a few more questions concerning the drums.

1. It looks like there are two spots where a cymbal arm holder used to be. Does it look like someone moved it at one time or is there a holder that would use both of those spots? (see first pic)

2. The drum has Elite spurs but there is a couple extra holes visible from the inside of the drum. Could it be that the drum was already drilled for different spurs but the customer special ordered the Elite spurs so Ludwig sent the drum out this way? (see second pic)

3. This is the inside of the 12x15. The badge does not have a serial number on it. The stamp reads 05180 I think. What do these numbers represent? (see third pic)

Thanks for any replies.

Both the spurs and cymbal holder holes were someone retrofitting the drums after they left the factory, the original spure would have been the "disappearing" spurs. The ink stamp represents the date the drum was made.

Thanks again Ludwig-dude.