Honky Tonkin last night on my 1959 Transition Badge Buddy Rich Outfit No. 980P Super Classic.
Had both the incredible BR matching SC snare & COB TB 400. Dads early 60s 22” K ride & Speed King too! The shells of greatness!
Oh how they SING!!
Yes, GIG your Vintage Kits!!
Let me be the first - gorgeous!
Love all the bass drum attachments, and it looks great under the lights!
Thanks man!
I'm a bit of a freak with the catalog correct accessories!
Hey fellow NYC guy here too.
Lived at 34th St & 34 ave in Astoria for a couple years & 9 in Manhattan.
Now in Sun Diego! More room for drums out here!
Mark!
As is the case with every vintage kit you acquire, this is another beauty!
-Mark
Thumbs up!!
Cheers
Let me be the first - gorgeous!Love all the bass drum attachments, and it looks great under the lights!
It is a truly beautiful kit. My son and I have a similar one from 1962 but we both still salivate when we see another early WMP Super Classic kit in such good condition.
You mentioned the bass drum attachments .I know you are relatively new to all this, so I'm not sure what you may or may not know about this kit or Buddy Rich's general drum set configuration.
Buddy Rich, for whom this kit is named in the catalog, always had two base drum mounted cymbal stands. The one to his left was for a splash cymbal mounted high and flat, and the one to his right was for his ride cymbal which was always mounted very low with a slight tilt.
Additionally he had two crash cymbals mounted high and almost flat on stands to the left and right side of the kit. The pictured kit shows the crash cymbals, as well as the splash cymbal, at a much greater angle than Buddy would have mounted them. Of course everyone should adjust things to match their playing style and personal comfort rather then be a slave to the exact configuration used by someone else.
In addition, back then Buddy generally played a 14"x24" bass drum. I believe the pictured drum is a 14x22. Buddy also almost always had a second 16x16 floor tom but I believe he rarely, if ever, actually played the second floor tom. Finally, markrocks68's wood snare drum is the six lug Pioneer model rather than the eight lug Super Classic snare seen in the catalog. Even though the Pioneer model was lower priced, there are many drummers who believe it was a superior sounding snare drum.
None of the differences from Buddy's configuration detracts from this kit in any way, but I thought you might be interested in some historic details. My apologies if you knew all this. If anyone has any corrections or additions to my comments they will be very welcome.
It is a truly beautiful kit. My son and I have a similar one from 1962 but we both still salivate when we see another early WMP Super Classic kit in such good condition.You mentioned the bass drum attachments .I know you are relatively new to all this, so I'm not sure what you may or may not know about this kit or Buddy Rich's general drum set configuration. Buddy Rich, for whom this kit is named in the catalog, always had two base drum mounted cymbal stands. The one to his left was for a splash cymbal mounted high and flat, and the one to his right was for his ride cymbal which was always mounted very low with a slight tilt. Additionally he had two crash cymbals mounted high and almost flat on stands to the left and right side of the kit. The pictured kit shows the crash cymbals, as well as the splash cymbal, at a much greater angle than Buddy would have mounted them. Of course everyone should adjust things to match their playing style and personal comfort rather then be a slave to the exact configuration used by someone else. In addition, back then Buddy generally played a 14"x24" bass drum. I believe the pictured drum is a 14x22. Buddy also almost always had a second 16x16 floor tom but I believe he rarely, if ever, actually played the second floor tom. Finally, markrocks68's wood snare drum is the six lug Pioneer model rather than the eight lug Super Classic snare seen in the catalog. Even though the Pioneer model was lower priced, there are many drummers who believe it was a superior sounding snare drum. None of the differences from Buddy's configuration detracts from this kit in any way, but I thought you might be interested in some historic details. My apologies if you knew all this. If anyone has any corrections or additions to my comments they will be very welcome.
Great info & thank you! I've since added the correct BR SC snare & LOVE it! Plus that COB one is my go too...
Great info & thank you! I've since added the correct BR SC snare & LOVE it! Plus that COB one is my go too...
My son (Milestone5) does most of the playing on our circa 1962 WMP Super Classic kit. The snare he uses with it is a WMP Jazz Festival model, from the same period, which he acquired from BEC. Interestingly, while Jazz Festivals used 5x14 shells there are apparently lots of examples around with 5.5x14 shells. BEC's snare was one of these. From what I've read, it seems that Ludwig occasionally used whichever size shell was readily available in the required wrap finish. So our Jazz Fest snare was actually built with a Super Classic shell. Anyway, enjoy your new acquisition. Its a beauty.
