Hi there,
I recently acquired a Ludwig pre-serial Club Date kit in 22/15/13 sizes with matching Jazz Festival Snare (snare date stamped 1963). As far as I can tell, all drums have the original Weather Master heads (the style with the sticker logo at top)—all show signs of wear but in playable condition. They seem cranked high to me on all sides, everything pretty high pitched at the moment (for my liking). Might be perfect for jazz, I don’t know.
In order to get the sound I like (lower pitch/fat), and to preserve original parts for the long run, I’m inclined to pull all the original heads and store them, and install new heads for playing. But thought I’d check with the experts here to ask what you would do.
I realize it’s all about personal preference, so maybe I’m more asking what others think about the sound and quality of those original heads—are they considered to be “good?” Or junk? Worth saving in case I want to resell the kit some day? Any comments welcome, thank you!