I couldn't guess on the difference in sound, unless you had a Legacy 10" and an actual vintage Club Date 10" (which of course they never made). I think comparing a vintage 12" and a new 10" would be apples v. oranges.

I do know, however, how it might look. The newer Ludwig bow-tie lugs are not the same as the old ones. They are "fatter", taller and have shorter hole spacing. I just don't think it would look right in a vintage Club Date setup.

What may be the more authentic (and also most likely less expensive) route is to find a late 60's/early 70's 10" concert tom-- one with a beat-up wrap that would be of no interest to collectors. Have any bearing edge issues fixed, plug the mini-lug holes using the dowel method, and install some vintage bow-ties. This may be the only way you can find out how a 10" Club Date tom might have sounded if they had made them.

Depending on what finish you are going for, you may be able to easily find a piece of "donor" wrap. This is a small drum and I could see reusing a piece from a larger tom that has irreconcilable issues. You would only need a piece of original wrap that measures 6" x 34". [COLOR="Red"]EDIT-- looks like you are re-wrapping your drums in new Bermuda Sand (a.k.a. Champagne Sparkle)? Then that would make sourcing wrap much easier, obviously.[/COLOR]

Only my :2Cents:

Best of luck with your kit!

Can you point me toward an example of a "new" Bowtie lug???

I pulled a single bowtie off of my Accent wood shell snare and it almost fit my 10"x15" student marching snare perfectly. The holes were *very* close, like a millimeter wider than the original, and the shape was very close to the original (I was comparing it side-by-side to the lugs on my original 12" Club Date tom).

Maybe they have a different lug that I'm unaware of...

I just did some looking...

I assume the newer bowtie you're referring to is what's used on the current Maple Classic snare drums?

I just compared them, just online, and I see what you're talking about. However, the lugs off my Accent were strangely close to the originals.

You are right, the new ones are "very close," but to my eyes they look more "scrunched" than the originals. Just me.. But if they are close enough for you, that's great. Seems like you may be more interested in what sound you can get out of a new drum v. trying to recreate a hypothetical drum 100%, and I'm sure someone else can chime in on that.

Cheers!

Oh, just saw this other response. Yes, I believe these are the bow-tie lugs I was talking about. I wonder if these are the ones they would put on a special-order tom... Someone else should provide some expertise soon.

Yeah... I'm cursed. Always have been. Everything I want is either extremely rare or never existed. Thing is, it's not psychological. It's not like I want it *because* it's rare or non-existent. I find out after the fact.

:(

well.....they should be tonally SIMILAR, due to the fact that they are made up of the same TYPE of woods....however, the new Legacy drums are molded into shape like the current Classic series, rather than steam bent into shape like the old days. Also, you need to take into consideration that the older shell's wood has aged over time, where as the new drum's wood would be "green" in essence. I would say the sound would be similar, but not spot on.

As far as the lugs...the true classic style lugs are different that they used to be in the 60's (They are taller and fatter, but the hole pattern is the same still). The Accent type lugs you speak of are imported "knock-offs" that Ludwig has fitted overseas to their import lines. They are similar, but look a little "off" if you know what I mean. You could always order the drum with the regular 5x14 classic snare lugs, then fit the drum with real nice vintage lugs from the 60's for a more "correct" look after the fact. (the hole spacing is the same, 2 3/16")

Ok... pjn1375 says the current bowtie snare lugs have a closer hole spacing, you say they're the same as the vintage lugs... Which is it? Should we start a poll?? LOL

If they're the same, then I'll order the drum with snare lugs. I have no problem with the idea of swapping them to true vintage lugs, if needed... If they're not the same, then I'll have to go a different route altogether, possibly converting a 3-ply concert tom like pjn1375 suggested.

I'm gonna stick to my story. I have a set of ten new ones I was going to put on an old beat up vistalite 5 x 14 shell from the early 70's. Until I tried to fit them in the holes! The posts were too close.