congrats and well done. i think that a lot of the younger generation drummers don't even give the used acrolites a shot based on the apearance of the drum. my son saw my b/o model setup behind my vistalites once and kinda cringed. then, i started playing the snare and his whole face changed.

they don't know that its the same coveted shell as the supra!

nice choice of heads too. that will make it sing. check your serial number though. 312186 would be a keystone badge acro probably circa '66.

mike

well, that's the number I saw, but it is a bit crusty and my eyes are worth as much as dental floss at a Willie Nelson concert these days...Hurting I'll take another look at it.

Does that date code translate to 72 as my untrained deciphering would indicate? (it does seem to be 70's vintage in overall appearance/crust) I am confident this drum has not been messed with very much, but the throw-off has the Ludwig black sticker on it, which may be a bit newer? I did not see any extra holes, but slight denting at the throw-off attachment points I will correct when I take it apart...

jim-i'll bet its all original. the black faced p85 is correct for 72. that 3 might be an 8 beginning the serial number. that would make sense for a 72 drum. the tags and the codes, i don't know much about...

mike

Great drum, you did real good. Congrats...

John

Pics or it didn't happen. ;) Was this the GC in Orange? Nice score. Spiders??? LOL lots of them critters around this year. Maybe they add some snare rattle?

I am going to guess that the serial number is actually 912186, which would be consistent with a number of other drums I have recorded which possess paper labels.

I have been working on deciphering the date code system for a little while. There is another thread on that topic. http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=30377&highlight=ludwig+paper+labels

Many see a year within the date code because date codes tend to have a 7 and a 1 or 2 in them and are interpretted as 1971 and 1972. I personally am not yet able to support that conclusion. I am trying to determine what all of the numerals mean before I conclude that some digits represent a year. That said, the labels appear to have come from the 1971 - 1972 time frame. Many have date stamps from 1971. Others have the mysterious date code.

Rick

3-8 confusion is very possible- I actually thought it was an 8 at first and brought it into better light and then decided it was a 3.

With regards to the throwoff, I guess I am remembering the earlier keystone drums...

You know when you find an old crusty drum like this you just kind of know it wasn't really messed with other than changing heads (and I might go so far as to say this head on it now is the second it has ever had on it)? I get that vibe from this drum. One of my powertones was in similar condition when I got it (less the rusty rims) and it cleaned up very well.

I'll get some 'before' pics and then tear it down. No telling when that may be with other projects in line.

But on a more serious note, do you think I'll get in trouble with the fair housing committee for evicting the spiders inside?

Thanks John!

No, Manch actually. They have a bunch of nice kits there too, if you need a newer kit for whatever reason.

Orange DID have some used Yamaha hardware I saw on the on-line used section and I scarfed those up earlier in the week. A couple tom ball mounts and some triple clamps, small cymbal stand (Gibraltar) "Disney engineered" onto a Peavey branded double-braced stand lower (that does not fit properly) and a new pair of sticks for less than a bill... Today's score was a better one I think.