Hey, I found this set of old, beat-up Ludwigs at a garage sale. I'm wondering if they have any value at all, as I'd like to sell them..
There is no identifying Model name or number, at least that i can find. I'm guessing maybe they are the cheapest model that Ludwig ever made..?
They're in pretty bad shape.. but do you think I could get at least 40 or 50 bucks for them? Or is that too much? Any thoughts on this? thank you very much..
The lugs would identify them as Rocker model drums of some sort. Hard to judge much beyond that from the pictures.
Still, unless there is some type of structural defect in them like wood rot or something they ought to be worth between $100-$200 to somebody.
Hello JoeDrum!
As K.O. points out, these are the Rocker series of drums. A quick look over at Drum Archive shows that they are from approximately 1988. The wrap appears to be Silver Smoke. I would say you've got a 16x22 bass drum, 16x16 floor tom, with 11x12 and 12x13 mounted toms. Yep, those are definitely "power" toms!
Just go to www.drumarchive.com and choose Ludwig. From there go to the 1988 catalog. It's a PDF file you can open. Just scroll down to the Rocker series and you'll see one in Silver Smoke. It shows the Rocker shells as 4-ply select American wood veneers with clear lacquered interiors. Seems like decent shells!
When you say they're in "pretty bad shape", do you mean cosmetically? Or are there physical issues, such as dents, dings, beat up bearing edges, or other defects like K.O. mentions?
The downside are those Power toms, with sizes that are not really sought after right now. If you just need to get rid of them, you can always start high, say $300, and I'm sure you'll get lower offers!
Hope all this helps. Good luck to you!
-Mark
By "bad shape" -- I meant the exterior (i guess the "wrap" part) of the drums have several scratches, even gouges, as if the person was maybe transporting them without cases and banging them around quite a bit. Also- where the small toms are right above the bass drum, the bass has these sort of gouges where the tom was making contact with the bass. So basically scratched and banged up..
By "bad shape" -- I meant the exterior (i guess the "wrap" part) of the drums have several scratches, even gouges, as if the person was maybe transporting them without cases and banging them around quite a bit. Also- where the small toms are right above the bass drum, the bass has these sort of gouges where the tom was making contact with the bass. So basically scratched and banged up..
They will definitely have value to someone. It comes down to how much time and effort you are willing to put in to selling them in order to make at most a couple of hundred bucks and probably less. Another option is to donate them to a church or school, value them at around $350 to $400 and use the donation as a tax deduction.
I see a damaged and badly repaired bass hoop, torn badges, tom rash, etc. So yeah, kinda beat up.
No pro drummer or vintage collector will want them, as these are student level drums and not old enough to be truly vintage.
No trendy young drummer will want them, as they are not modern enough to have popular, in-demand features. "Gee, none of my drum heroes are playing anything like this, and power toms are like so 20 years ago!"
No soccer mom buying them for her 12-year-old will want them, because all she sees are scratches and dents, and no hardware or cymbals included.
The only way drums like these would sell is strictly on price. If you price them below everybody else on Craigslist that week, you have a chance. Then you might get someone on a low budget buying them for a church or for a rehearsal space.
I'd price them at $150 and just blow them out. It's a tough market out there. Good luck!
I see a damaged and badly repaired bass hoop, torn badges, tom rash, etc. So yeah, kinda beat up. No pro drummer or vintage collector will want them, as these are student level drums and not old enough to be truly vintage. No trendy young drummer will want them, as they are not modern enough to have popular, in-demand features. "Gee, none of my drum heroes are playing anything like this, and power toms are like so 20 years ago!"No soccer mom buying them for her 12-year-old will want them, because all she sees are scratches and dents, and no hardware or cymbals included. The only way drums like these would sell is strictly on price. If you price them below everybody else on Craigslist that week, you have a chance. Then you might get someone on a low budget buying them for a church or for a rehearsal space. I'd price them at $150 and just blow them out. It's a tough market out there. Good luck!
Ultimately, it may not have been worth the effort buying tham and dragging them home. If it was me, I would just give them away for free to the first person who would take them off my hands.
>>> Ultimately, it may not have been worth the effort buying them...
The OP apparently already bought them. I hope he did not pay much.
There was a time back in the 1980s & 1990s when I'd buy these for like $100, clean them up and flip them for maybe $250. But if you have tried doing that in recent years, you know it's not really possible anymore. The bottom on lower-end drums has fallen out completely. I no longer pick up student sets unless they're free. Then I can pass them on to kids, or donate them, or just strip them for parts. There's still some minimal value, but not enough to bother picking up for resale.
If those are the four ply shells, then they are the same shells they used in the Super Classics and they were nice sounding, relatively thin maple/poplar shells. So they are decent drums, with the caveat of the power toms and the condition. They might clean up better than you think. Even if you take everything apart, clean and polish, the power toms are the biggest turnoff. Not to mention your time investment and the cost of a new set of heads. And as has been said, most parent's would rather buy a new made in China, complete kit than deal with getting all the other parts to complete this kit.
I would have passed on those as well unless I needed a knock around kit for a rehearsal space, for gigs in sketchy locations or I knew someone I could donate them to. I would cut the toms down to conventional sizes and redrill for the bottom lugs and cut new bearing edges. I have the tools and experience to do that but paying someone would be more expensive than what you could ever get for the set.
Having said all that, I would think you could easily get $50 to $100 as they sit. I quick and dirty cleaning with Windex without taking anything apart would probably make them more appealing.
