Slingerland drums are undervalued in my opinion. Who knows why...??

Maybe if Ringo had been on Ed Sullivan with a set of Slingerlands, or Gretsch, or Rogers things would be different... ??

Honestly, it's just goofiness. Ludwig made good drums. Slingerland made good drums. Rogers made good drums. (see where this is going) Gretsch made good drums. Leedy made good drums. Premier made good drums. Camco made good drums. Fibes made good drums. Blah blah blah.

Bottom line is ... what do you want? Do you want Ludwig? That's what you buy and justify. Are you a Rogers man? Then you plunk down the dough and justify it to all. Gretsch players have it easy 'cause the RB mystique does the work of justifying for them.

Anyway...it really doesn't matter. They all sound good and in the right hands can sound amazing.

Here's a bit of info...just about any kit can sound amazing in the right hands. If you skin it and tension it and work it just right...oh man...what sounds can be made. Beautiful music.

So, what's up with Ludwig? Not a thing. Just some cool history attached to some good drums. That's it.

mcjnic pretty much knocked it out of the park. On a side note, I would say this site has a great deal of respect for Rogers/Slingerlands/Gretsch, too. The poster names seem to favor Ludwig, though, maybe, that's the rub.

My first kit was a 63? Luddy red sparkle. I have a very soft spot for them. Then again, I have soft spots all over me. Doggone southern food!

I've played on quite a few Slingerlands AND Ludwigs, and I can say that they are remarkably similar, but the Slingerlands sound a tad drier for whatever reason. I haven't liked Rogers as much as either of them, and 3-ply Gretsch Round Badge kits sound amazing, as long as the bearing edges aren't all chewed up. I prefer Slingerland Artists and Hollywood Ace snares to Ludwig Jazz Festivals.

I'm a Ludwig fan, but also a fan of other drums as well, but I talk mostly about Ludwigs because I like their kits a LOT!!!

I heard that they really took off with the concert tom fad in the 60's.

Were they the first to do this effectivley?

I don't think concert toms became popular until the 70's. They may have been around in the late 60's, but they "took off" in the 70's, IMHO.

As for EVERYONE here being a Ludwig fan, that's not an accurate statement. We have plenty of Rogers, Slingy and Gretsch fans here... as well as a few Kent fans too.

I think Ludwig sold a ton of kits due to Ringo. Not that they weren't nice drums, but thanks to him and the Beatles, the Ludwig name really got a boost thanks to the media exposure of the fab four.

That said, I've played kits by all the top US makers (and some others like Sonor, etc...) - Some sound great, and some don't. It really depends on the owners attention to detail in maintaining the drums as well as head selection and tuning.

Big Daddy, nice looking snare collection!

What is this affliction we get? 3 months ago I had one snare...the Supraphonic that I got in 1963 with my Ludwig Hollywood set. Life was OK, I only had the "usual" vices. Now suddenly I have five snares...what happened?

It started with a little Ludwig ca1928 "Juvenile" snare I got off ebay and restored "just as a display piece." Then came a 1961 Pioneer that I rewrapped to match my set; then a 1967 Supraphonic on which I installed tube lugs, single flanged hoops and a Millenium throw-off (looks like a 1920s). I happened to see a 1959 Jazz Fest on Craig's List that was in great shape and matched my set...my wife said, "Buy it." I obeyed. My latest is a 1957 Ludwig Pioneer shell, mahogany finish that's in amazingly good condition. I have polished it and plan to install brass hardware (lugs, hoops, etc.).

Where does it all end?

Glad you liked the snares. To answer your question... it doesn't end, certainly not with one snare for most of us. I consider the snare to be the voice of the kit. Like all good singers, you want the biggest range in your voice, so that's where this desire to buy and try damn near every snare you stumble across comes from. Well, for me at least.

I've passed up plenty of drums in my day too - You have to be selective unless of course, you have unlimited funds. I've gotten a few duds too, all part of the game. So long as the wife keeps giving you the thumbs up, I say have a blast and enjoy the ride.

Life is too short to play just one snare!!