Only the best sounding snare drum in the Ludwig Supraphonic line of drums. My 'go-to' snare drum. Bronze has a great, warm almost woody tone (note) to it that sets it apart from the other metal drums in the line. I love mine and I use it almost exclusively these days.
Ludwig hammered bronze... the last snare drum you'll ever buy!
John
Gotta agree. I have a few rarities and custom snares that I have made myself. And as a local friend of mine agreed upon, even tho a couple of those may sound better, the hammered bronze is always going to sound good, relatively cheap and easily replaced, so if it gets a little beer spilled on it or stolen, it can always be replaced.... not so much with a few of my others....
Here's a soundfile/video on the drum:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4npJ3q6vWi8[/ame]
John
Looks good too. Cool1 When did they (Ludwig) first start making them?
Bronze supras? Not quite sure, 60's , 70's??? Not sure when the first hammered examples were offered. My drum has a Monroe style keystone badge but it says, Chicago, Ill. at the bottom of it, not Monroe. 1984 was the last year of production out of Chicago, before the move. So for sure they were making them in Chicago. How long? Don't know, good research question.
Anybody know the first year that Bronze supraphonics were offered for sale?
John
I believe they showed up in 1981 and the K (hammered) versions showed up in the 1982 catalog.
Purdy, your assessment of that drum is right on the money. A fantastic drum that is often overlooked (except by those in the know). I actually prefer the bronze over the brass versions. I really like the fact that it is an early version. The hammering appears to be a bit different than the more recent versions. Very nice indeed. Thanks for sharing.
Hoppy - Thanks! That makes mine from the second/third year of production. I really love this snare drum. I am convinced it is one of the best sounding snares that Ludwig ever manufactured.
Powertone - I remember reading something about the hammering pattern being larger on newer drums than the older ones. Not having heard or played a newer version I really can't say if it makes any audible difference in the sound of the drum. I do know that hammering dries the drum out significantly as compared to an un-hammered shell. The hammering may account for the distinctly 'woody' tones I get from my drum.
And I'm green with envy over your deep-dish engraved bronze drum. Man, what a beautiful instrument.
John
Thanks Purdie. It seems like the earlier version have a "softer" hammering, or at least that is the way it looks. I have played both brass and bronze hammered drums and I liked the way the bronze sounded as well.
I have one of these too.
I was initially drawn to the drum due to its unique look. Not many folks had these drums way back when. The bonus was that it sounded fantastic to my ears. After I got this drum my Black Beauty was relegated to the shelf. I used the 483 (Coliseum) as the mainstay and the 552 to my left (swapping positions periodically).
We can compare / contrast hammering between drums.
I got mine mid-eighties. Chicago manufactured serial number is: 3112465 (maybe we can place the drums better via SN's).
The hammering or stippling marks is both smaller and greater in number on my shell.
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