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Ludwig Mach 5 kit to resto or not to resto?

Posts: 38 Threads: 6

ok, so i have a 70's Ludy Mach 5 kit. 12, 13, 16, 24. my question is, is it worth the time and effort to restore them? the kit needs a lot of TLC. i dont really play the mack 5 set-up. i got it super cheap. i would like to fix her up and sell her to fund more drum stuff.

heres the bad: no badges, no tone controls, some pretty bad damage on the outer Mahogany ply on the bass and floor tom. the original wrap was removed (red sparkle.. BUTCHERS!!!) and was replaced by cheap crappy wallpaper. the wall paper was removed revealing the damage done to the ply by the shoddy removal of the original wrap. some of the damaged areas were filled in with poorly applied wood filler.

good; complete kit, 24" BASS!! (making it a custom order), 12" tom is maple, all drums have "granitone" interior, hardware is in good shape and all there(minus tone control), ZERO extra holes, Bass hoops still have the red sparkle inlays, and its a LUDWIG!

now, does anybody think this kit might be worth the effort to restore? (let me specify..i know we all love these old tubs so...) after restoration costs, which i estimate at around $450-500 would i be able to make a profit, assuming i paid $50 for the entire kit at a goodwill? which i did.

also, any tips on what to do with the outer ply would be VERY helpful. Help2

Posted on 11 years ago
#1
Posts: 38 Threads: 6

Ooh and if you need to know, i know according to the catalogs, the mach series should have been maple toms, but all but the 12" are Mahogany/poplar/mahogany. which i believe should make it a little rarer? who knows? im guessing this is why the toms have the Granitone finish, to hide the fact that the glue was kinda slapped on and a little runny, and that the toms were mis-matched. granitone is in minty shape btw.

Posted on 11 years ago
#2
Posts: 868 Threads: 134

Hy ludwigdan

to answer that question, the Vintage Gurus, i think, would need some pics! It`s hard to make a guess when you can not see the thing it is all about! To give a practicable advice, VDF needs some Pics.;-)

But I am sure then you get the best Tips in the world!!!!

regards

Posted on 11 years ago
#3
Posts: 38 Threads: 6

ok, here you go gentlemen, and ladies. you can see the botched putty job on the floor and bass. mounted toms are in great shape, other than being striped of the original wrap.

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Posted on 11 years ago
#4
Posts: 293 Threads: 66

From ludwigdan

ok, here you go gentlemen, and ladies. you can see the botched putty job on the floor and bass. mounted toms are in great shape, other than being striped of the original wrap.

Two things, first I see no hardware at all on those shells, so if you need lugs, spurs, mounts, and wrap, you will definitely be spending some cash. It may even go beyond your estimate. You might try http://www.bumwrapdrumco.com/ for the wrap. They have some of the better pricing I've seen in the US, you can also try http://www.JamminSam.com. They sometimes have some good deals on selected wraps, White Marine Pearl as I recall is one of their cheaper ones.

The other thing is, since the wrap has already been removed, even if you source all original Ludwig hardware, this kit will never be a collector kit. It's a player's kit forever more. It has little to no collector value now, so no reason to even consider pursuing that direction.

So you need to figure out what people are willing to pay for a refurbished set of Luddies. Maybe you can tack on $100 to your $450 investment and slide that in under the radar. $550 for a Ludwig players kit seems reasonable. But I wouldn't expect to shoot the moon unless you can do something spectacular with them.

Georgia Phil Custom Drumworks
https://www.GeorgiaPhil.com

Drum Wrap, Drum Heads, Drum Accessories
https://www.StuffForDrummers.com
Posted on 11 years ago
#5
Posts: 38 Threads: 6

ah yes, the hardware has all been stripped and is in process of being cleaned up and polished. this was the set after disassembly and removal of the wallpaper. I think im going to just bite the bullet and just go on with the resto. ill post pics as progress is made.

Posted on 11 years ago
#6
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