Thanks; yes the WMP bass is mine - recently acquired and not yet gone through the cleaning/touch up process. The built-in spurs seem to be the same type on both our drums... I'm diggin' how the Traveler bass sounds - it's got calf heads that are in great condition and that have a different tone than the ubiquitous modern plastic heads. There's no tom mount on the drum, but it does have that center post straight cymbal rod with the funky cymbal tilter.

The clamp on spurs... that's the mystery at present!

that's what I'm asking why do you need them, the drum already has the fold out spurs! sorry I'm confused now!!

Sorry for any confusion generated...

My goal is to better stabilize and support the bass drum. The built-in spurs are a bit loose and wobble some and don't fully tighten as I'd like. My thought was to concurrently use a supplemental pair of clamp on spurs to further "ground" the drum - as additional support. Especially on floors or even carpets where I would need to use rubber tips on the spikes. I figure this approach would be better than drilling holes and adding modern heavy-duty spurs. I'll also add velcro to one of my bass pedals.

It's less of an issue for floors/carpeting that I can use full spikes with.

Not a problem. Now I'm with the plan. have you gone thru and checked for loose bolts and tightened all the bolts that the spur's have on them? just asking? cause I like mine very stable, but your right the spikes they have to be on carpet! you can get drum rugs, to place underneath the bass drum. you probably know that!

Yes, in fact, all of the above has been done. In some rooms, the "professional" manufactured drum rug I use and gig with does not prevent old-timey spikes from making sharp contact with what may be expensive wood flooring underneath.

By way of context: I have a modest range of quality drum gear from very modern to vintage (have been playing since, well, a long time ago...). I prefer the general greater solidity of the newer hardware, but at times, the tone of the vintage. Another example: most modern snare and cymbal stands seem, in my opinion, to be far better in design and construction. With the present circumstance of the '57 Ludwig bass drum, my main goal is to make it as solid as reasonable without adding the newest hardware to the shell. Which is how I've ended up with the oddball Ludwig spurs - I thought those would solve the issue. I think the approach of supplemental clamp on spurs can still work, and now need to find a pair that'll do the job.

Meanwhile, it's my curiosity at play that makes me wonder about the spurs I earlier attached photos of. Presumably they go with "something" but I'm unclear with what. Maybe they were one-off prototypes? and someone was not so good at using a protractor?

Any Ludwig collectors wish to additionally weigh in?

Ok, This is what i think first on your W.M.P. bass drum you have the spurs wrong--back words- by your photos take out the set screws from the mounts and take the spurs and change them --so they look like the gold bass drum spurs..Now on the other ludwig spurs 70s ones the legs are wrong..i have seen this before the way i have fix them is put them in a vise and turn the legs so they will look like the ones on the gold bass drum...Mikey

Mikey - Thanks. Actually, the spurs on my WMP bass are ok - that's the front hoop in my photo - the factory spurs are mounted same as the gold bass drum. (I think the photo may be confusing, but I was trying to keep the number of uploaded photos to a minimum.)

Re: the 70's spurs - (in the sense of progress in mystery solving) I'm glad to learn someone else has seen this before - the wrong-angled legs. When you put the legs in the vise, were you bending the legs or literally turning the legs where they insert into the clamp. If the latter, I have a concern that it would undo the mechanical joint, perhaps? It seems odd that Ludwig would manufacture something "wrong" and let it out the factory door, including that the logos on each leg are different, suggesting different dates of manufacture, or maybe same day, different logo stamping machines? Could it be that these clamp on spurs were meant for something besides a bass drum?

I think what he is talking about is the spurs on the gold bass drum go in from the front to the back. On your WMP bass drum they are inserted from back to front, If I'm looking at that photo correctly.

Yes, you're both right; now I see what you're referring to on the factory legs (the direction the legs are inserted into the fixture on the shell). This weekend I'll take them apart and adjust accordingly.

Meanwhile - any other thoughts on the clamp on spurs? Is the consensus that these are likely factory "defects?" I am puzzled by their design... they seem to be mirror images of each other, carefully made, and possibly with different dates of manufacture. In any event, I suppose they're out of warranty!

Vintagemore2000 - I was wondering if you might be able to post a close up of your gold bass drum's let mount(s) so I can see the part where it attaches to the shell? (to see if the style matches between our drums and if they're bolted to the shell the same way/direction); thanks!