Nice aquisition. Sorry I can't be much help on the differences between the Super Classic and Jazz Festival although there are plenty of guys here who I'm sure will fill you in on that. In regard to tuning here are a couple thoughts. I find that each drum will have an optimal range that it tunes at. The Super Classic should be capable of getting a nice crisp sound but I would be cautious about over tightening it. I think if you use a single ply head like a Remo Ambassador for example on the batter side and tighten to a mid range for starters. On the snare side a thin head like a Diplomat weight will help bring out some of the higher range of the drum. Once you get the heads on you can try tightening to see how far you can go. The snare side can probably be a bit higher tensioned than the batter. I would tune up in small increments until the drum starts sounding dead and then bring it down a touch. Once you've accomplished that I would start tensioning the snares. If you go too tight you will lose the good snare sound and choke the drum. I've had some drums that I was able to get a good high and tight sound from with the snares actually lightly tensioned. Remember that the snares are supposed to vibrate and cranking them down too much will not only lose the snare sound but also put additonal pressure on the snare head which will prohibit it from vibrating. Hope that helps and maybe some others will have further ideas for you.

Not sure whether your BR drum has 8 or 10 lugs, but the Jazz Fest is an 8-lugger. Also, the Classic strainer is not on a Jazz Fest. Those had the P-83.

Hi adamz...

Technically speaking, you don't have a Buddy Rich model as Buddy was firmly in place with Rogers in '62... You DO have the Super Classic as you have stated, and, for what it's worth, it is the SAME as the Buddy Rich model anyway. Ludwig renamed the drum the Super Classic in 1960. The main difference between the Super Classic and the Jazz Festival is the strainer and the fact that the depth is 5" vs. the Classic's 5 1/2... everything else remains the same! Rogers and Slingerland are my main areas, but I do know WFL/Ludwig where Buddy is concerned! Anyway, regarding tuning, which is generally universal for all drums:

Some fine advice has been given already, but you should keep this in mind:

The shell make up on the Super Classic is a three ply w/rings, MPM ( Mahogany/Poplar/Mahogany ) This shell configuration automatically puts the shells fundamental note in a LOW area... these drums are not made to be tensioned up high. MEDIUM tension will get the most out of this drum. What you will find as you try to tension higher is that the drum will start to "lock up", or choke, as the heads are being pulled down to tight on the big rounded bearing edges. The bottom/resonant head should be tighter than the top though, but again, not so tight as to choke the drum. Experimentation will win out here... you will have to play with it a bit.

Snare strainer tension as has been mentioned, is also critical. Here's an EXCELLENT starting point and general rule of thumb for ANY snare drum:

With the strainer on and the snares pulled up, LIGHTLY tap on the top head with your finger... LISTEN... can you hear snare response, or do you hear tom tom? If you hear SNARES, great, here's your starting point as they aren't pulled up too tight. BUT!, if you hear tom tom when tapping LIGHTLY, back off on the strainer tension wheel gently until you DO hear snare response. This will always get you right in the ballpark... the rest of the "dialing in" is to personal preference. This technique works very well with a lot of the vintage drums with the BIG, DEEP beds, and ROUND bearing edges.

Hope this helps... and enjoy that Super Classic!

Tommyp

Well, thank you all so much all of you . Isn't this forum great? I now know what I'm doing. As I said, before, I didn't have a clue. I got this drum as a contrast to my supra ludwig. I'll get to work on this things, thanks again, adam