The set: a 1965 Ludwig Club Date in black lacquer.

We made the deal in a mexican restaurant parking lot. https://instagram.com/p/7vy3zVwsiG

I got these in trade from a friend who didn't want to have anything to do with the full rehab that they needed. They were super dirty and had some serious issues - notably some shell damage on the bass drum and a lot of missing paint in the form of chips or larger flaking sections. Y'all know what I'm talking about. That Ludwig paint was not built to last.

Thankfully the shells themselves were nice and round, and all four drums had matching date stamps within one day - all are either June 21 or 22, 1965.

I did a full strip down and cleaning of everything. Some rust areas and pitting that was permament but I got it to look good and pass the "10 feet test".

Here they are after I put them back together. Not bad.

https://instagram.com/p/7yKvlYQsuL/

I decided to add some full dress style sparkle diamonds and just have fun with this kit. It would never ever be anything other than a player grade kit with the issues it had so I didn't feel any hesitation about modifying them.

Laying out the diamonds and cutting them accurately was the hardest part. Here are a few diamonds before installation. https://instagram.com/p/751wdDQsoo

And the final result: https://instagram.com/p/76W-y4QsiM/