Hi,

This was another “big” purchase early on in my collecting. The drum was originally owned by a local vintage drum dealer named Liam Mulholland (R.I.P.) and I purchased it from a local collector named Adam Roderick. This was a very satisfying purchase in that I wheeled and dealed and sold a bunch of hardware and parts that I acquired in order to raise the $1400.00 for this drum.

1930-31 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 6.5 x 14 DeLUXE/PEACOCK PEARL SUPER-SENSITIVE MODEL

The SHELL:

The Peacock Pearl wrap is in very good shape with no dings, separations or extra holes. One can only imagine how good this finish looked with all of the reds, greens, blues, yellows and purples present. The solid maple shell interior is also in great shape. The badge is clean and the grommet is tight.

The HARDWARE:

The DeLuxe finish on the hardware is in excellent-plus condition with minimal wear and no signs of tarnish. The Super and Sensitive mechanisms are intact and work perfectly. There is a strong “Super Sensitive” stamp on the bottom rim.

DATING:

The Super-Sensitive Model – along with three other Sensitive Models – first appeared in the Fall 1929 Ludwig Drummer insert. It is pretty much agreed that the 1929 Super-Sensitive Models had “Super-Sensitive” engraved on the bottom rim while 1930-32 Super-Sensitive models had “Super-Sensitive” stamped on the bottom rim. Ludwig & Ludwig first introduced the internal tone control around 1932, this drum has no tone control so 1930-31 makes sense to me.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This has always been one of my favorite snare drums. I am told that 6.5 x 14 solid maple Super-Sensitives from this era are pretty scarce.

I always welcome your comments and related stories.

Enjoy!

Mike Curotto