Glad to hear that you've got a Butcher Block Cortex kit! I ordered a new "Pro Beat" kit in 1976 (13, 14, 16, 18, 24) in that wrap, and it was offered with the Supraphonic, but I chose a 6 1/2" Super-Sensitive instead. I too loved the look of that wrap, and still do. I still gig with this kit, and always get compliments on its beauty! (But I leave the 18" floor tom at home. Too much weight and volume to lug around these days!)

I saw another 1970s Butcher Block kit at a drum store in CA a couple years ago, but no snare was included. I've never seen any Butcher Blocks at the Chicago Drum Show, which features a lot of vendors with vintage Ludwig kits. But I wish you luck in finding a Jazz Fest in Butcher Block. I'd love to see it! Regards, MB

It certainly was available but probably will be hard to find one. In the era that that finish was most popular almost everyone was using metal snares and all the Ludwig sets were cataloged with Supra-Phonic snare drums. A matching snare would be a special order type thing. Not a particularly hard thing to do but it seems that very few drummers bothered to do so (also why Citrus Mod, Psych Red, and Mod Orange snares are so sparse). Ludwig did still make wooden snare drums and you could order those in any finish including Butcher Block Cortex. It's inevitable that somebody somewhere ordered a snare in that finish at some point during the years that finish was available....but finding one of them might be quite a trick. I think that finish was brought back recently so maybe you could order a new one (looks like they made at least one already).

BB Cortex was along the lines of Formica or Wilsonart countertop laminate. You might be able to find a matching modern laminate and make your own matching snare from either a vintage drum rewrap or by building one from new parts. I think Bumwraps has a version of this wrap available too.

or check out item # 312100789068 on ebay. A 10x14 8 lug concert tom in Butcher Block that could be cut down a bit and converted into a deep snare drum.

KO.

Great idea ! I may have to take that approach. Thanks

Michael

Mike,

Was the Ludwig Butcher Block wrap the same as Rogers' Butcher Block?

If it was, I have a 16" Rogers FT shell you can strip the wrap off and get a piece large enough to wrap a snare. You'd have to come up to Vernon to get the shell, but it might work. Let me know.

Mike

Mike I bought two custom made snare drums from a fellow in Oregon

both drums were made from a single 6-ply 10"x 14" eight lug concert tom

I wanted a matching snare for my 70's sky blue pearl kit but did not want to pay the prices being asked for them .

Now these custom made snares cost me 500.00 for both (shipped)

This fellow originally was shooting for just one snare using the undrilled half of the concert tom to make a beautiful 10 lug drum

Two of the four holes used originally for the concert tom bracket are the only tell-tale signs of the drum's former design and function

after completing the first drum my seller started thinking of what to do with the remaining batter side half of the concert tom

what he decided to do was drill a second set of holes in an offset pattern.

and then just like he did with the first snare, he formed a new bearing edge on side that he been cut

the result was a funky cool and very awesome sounding eight lugger

I had already bought the ten lug drum before I saw this second drum

I liked it so much, I bought this second snare as well

partly just so I could show and tell the whole "two from one" story

Coincidentally Mike,

I too have a butcher block kit I recently put together from orphans

I have it set up with cymbals and hardware and for a snare I have been using this custom offset 8 lugger I like it so much I called my seller and put in a request for another two snares in the butcher block wrap

I have not decided if the snare from the blank half of the drum will be another ten lug or if I should do a 8 lug jazz fest clone?

the second drum will be another eight lug with the off-set mini lugs

one benefit of this new project is the concert tom he is using in this case was never drilled for clip or any other style mounts and is sort of a virgin save for the eight mini lugs so I will not have any extra holes on either drum when finished

the time table on that is sometime around the end of May or early June

Here are some of the offset 8 lug snare

Someone snagged that concert tom (For $97!) was it you?

Unfortunately they beat me out in the last seconds for the Tom. Was bummed because it was a virgin Tom without any rack mount.

Thanks Mike.

I may take you up on the offer if I dont find one at the CT show. I have reached out to a few wrap companies but no luck on a Ludwig BB wrap yet. The Rogers is close and I actually like that wrap better than the Ludwig one. Looks more natural to me