Attention all Ludwig experts:
I just picked up a nice, player-grade 20" transition-badge Ludwig bass which, at some point in it's life, was painted solid gloss black. The resulting finish is horrible but accounted for the reasonable purchase price ($40). Equally disappointing is the fact that this bass was originally a virgin bass with no factory holes except the spurs; however, a modern Yamaha tom mount has been installed slightly off-center.
If the extra holes weren't present, I'd strip the paint to the original wood and refinish, but at this point, I'm leaning toward rewrapping with a period correct finish and installing a consolette rail. My question is:
Is vintage Oyster Black Pearl correct for a pre-1960 Ludwig? The Vintage Drum Guide shows the 1960 Ludwig catalog offering BOP, but there's no 1959 catalog shown. Would my rewrap make this bass even more historically inaccurate?