Here's some pics from the craigslist ad:

Nobody has any ideas?

>I'm looking for some advice. First, the mufflers on the toms rattle. It looks like they're loose right at the rivet. What would be the best way to fix that?

Use a bit of cord and wind it around the post, underneath the felt. It will tighten the felt muffler and the repair cannot be seen.

>Second, the snares have been replaced with a pure sound snare. The throw off is still original but the cord or strap is missing and replaced with a 20 guage electrical cord! What a rig.

Nothing wrong with having the Puresound wires on there. Lose the electrical cord. Over time, it will dig into the snare bed at the bearing edge and then you'll have a problem.

>I want to get this drum back to stock. What would it have had originally?

No need to replace the Puresounds unless you absolutely must have it all original.

>any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.

You just got it! Great kit, pure Rock & Roll outfit. Enjoy.

Welcome to the forums...

John

Hey Purdie Shuffle,

Thanks for the response! What would be a good replacement for the electrical cord on the snare?

-Jon

Do you have an old/unused venetian blind? The cord off of any old set of blinds will be a perfect match to the cord Ludwig used. If you don't have an old set of blinds you can cannibalize, that's the type of cord you will want to look for at Home Depot or some such place. You can use the same cord to repair the mufflers!

I've owned/played several Vistalite kits. Wear ear-plugs when you play them! Those buggers are loud. Fun to play, thunderous drums.

John

Hey Jon - Here's a shot of a kit I no longer own, Stainless Steel over White Vistalite! Man, this sucker was loud and HEAVY! Big fun to play though. 14", 15", 16", 18", 22".

[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/cov2.jpg[/IMG]

Enjoy your kit!

John

Hey John,

That kit looks awesome! I want it..lol. I am a huge sucker for chrome wrap. I read that Ludwig had a surplus of white vistalites due to some order debacle, and chose to wrap them in chrome and it worked out well.

Your idea of blind cord is almost perfect. I just installed a new set of blinds a few weeks ago and cut them down. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I threw out the remains. I'll have to check, they may be sitting outside waiting for the dump.

As far as earplugs, you are definitely right. I've been using earplugs ever since I got the Ludwig Keystones. Those suckers are loud too. According to the Ludwig website, they are designed for heavy pop, arena rock, and metal. As a result, they don't come alive until they're hit pretty hard, and are quite loud.

Thanks,

Jon

Your keystones have maple shells, right? I have a Sky-Blue Pearl 63' pre-serial Hollywood kit, maple shells. It is LOUD! Luddies from that period have a rep for being low-volume, even muddy sometimes. I think those rumors are meant for the warmer, quieter Mahogany shells. My maple kit has excellent projection and volume while still being very warm/FAT sounding. Maple just projects better than the softer wood Mahogany.

Yes, a lot of white (and black) vista shells ended up wrapped. If they weren't so damn heavy, I would buy another one. If I do get another Vista kit, it'll be a ruby red kit to replace one I sold, that I now regret having sold. Great drums though, I'm big-time Vistalite fan. I've owned two blue kits, one red kit and one chrome over white vista kit. I saw a guy take one of those clear kits like you have and he lined the shells with a collage of 60's photos, art etc. He then installed lights and the drums look awesome. You can really get creative with those clear shells!

John

Vercus -- You're clear vistalite set looks great! A really goo find!

Purdie -- The chrome/vistalite set look great as well... how could you have parted with it!?

I always wanted to own a vistalite set. In fact, in my younger playing days I wanted and actually saved for a blue vistalite octaplus set... but got married and used the money raising kids! Someday, I'll run across one that I can afford...

Bill