I think you should be able to find a matching hoop on e-bay. If not the silver sparkle they make now looks the same as it ever did. How does your wrap look? That color can sometimes ginerale and look kind of funny. Novus polishes work well for cleaning up the shells and I use this stuff called blue magic to polish the chrome.

Exact repro parts for the t's and claws are made and you can get them from Jack Lawton. Just google lawton drum co. They are all the same size. They do show up on e-bay as well and they might be cheaper there. The floor tom hoop should be an easy find as well. I think you can get a generic eight hole hoop from gibraltar and it would look the same. I would also suggest picking up a blue/olive badge 5x14 supraphonic to go with your set. That is what most likely came with it. Hope this helps a little. Would love to see pics of the set!

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Sorta depends upon how much you wanna spend. Wfl's info is all accurate....but...if the wrap is still in the silver sparkle vicinity as far as hue...and you don't care too much about selling the kit as a factory-perfect set...I'd just order a maple replacement bass hoop from drummaker.com or precisiondrum.com (just call and ask them to make sure the inlay rabbet width matches your Luddy) and some sparkle inlay. Paint the hoop black (oil-based paint), slap on the inlay, and there you go.

Same with the res hoop on the FT. It's just a res hoop...just get a new generic 2.3 chrome replacement hoop for it.

The bass rods and claws, I would say THOSE should be Luddy. The repros are hella expensive, really, if I recall correctly. But then again, competition is usually pretty stiff on eFlay, too....[/COLOR]

Thanks guys, for the quick response and helpful info.

My budget is basically however much I can sneak past the Mrs. :) I'm selling some non-drum related junk, er, I mean treasures on eBay right now to help finance this project. So basically, I'm looking to do this as reasonably as possible, recognizing that it may take a while to get the right stuff at the right price.

The original silver sparkle wrap is now kind of a yellowy sparkle. If there's a way to bring it back, I'd go for for it, but honestly I don't mind much - I think of it as a 'patina'. It's got a some scratches, mainly on the BD, but no cracks/splits/separation, etc., so I'm fine leaving it as is. I don't have any intention of selling the set at this time, so making it 'minty' isn't an issue. I'll post some photos this evening.

I looked on both drummaker.com and precisiondrum.com, and it didn't look like they sold pre-cut inlay strips, just full sheets. Is it something they'll do on request? And as for 'slapping on' a fresh inlay, is that something someone with limited experience and tools could do?

As for going with Ludwig t rods and claws, that's pretty much what I was thinking too. I'll keep a eye out on the usual places.

BTW, I have an opportunity to pick up an Acrolite snare from around the same era for $80 - deal or no deal?

Thanks again. More questions coming soon!

Scott

OK, another quick question:

Apparently the reason the front head and hardware is missing from the BD is that whoever had this kit before me took it off so they could use the BD as a carrying case for some of the other pieces. Consequently the natural finish on the inside of the BD is in pretty bad shape. It's not splintered or seriously gouged, but there's a ring all the way around where it's worn down to bare wood from the snare rattling around in there. Once I get a front head on this thing I won't see it, so out of sight, out of mind. But is there any technical reason I should consider refinishing the inside, for the sake of the sound or the structural integrity of the drum (i.e., to keep humidity out of the wood)?

By the way, I have a few '60s Ludwig spare parts I'd be happy to trade with anyone who could help me out with any of the stuff I'm missing. I have a complete baseball bat mute with white pad, a few large lugs with screws, a cowbell (or woodblock?) mounting rod without the clamp, and maybe a couple of other small items I'm forgetting about right now (I'll check when I get home from work.)

Thanks again for any advice or help.

Scott

It's too difficult to guess at what the extent of the damage might be to accurately tell you the best way to solve things.

Please post some pictures of the questionable areas in as much detail as possible and then we can help you better.

The problem with MANY drums of that era is that MANY drummers took off the front bass drum head and packed the other drums inside. But the other problem was that the bearing edge also often got nicked and gouged -some worse than others. If there is bearing edge damage, then you may want to address it.

But, honestly, pictures are essential.

:Santa:

Welcome to the forum Checker. A Blue/Olive badged Acrolite would certainly be period correct also. If in good shape, $80 is a fair price.

OK, some photos I shot tonight. I don't have a shot of the kit set up, since I've taken everything down to get ready for my first attempts at cleaning them up. I haven't got to the toms yet, obviously :)

BTW, I just noticed that the bottom hoop on the larger RT looks like it's nickel plated - maybe a replacement taken from an earlier drum?

Scott

Can I attach more than one photo to a post? I guess we'll see soon. Here's the BD.

PS - I realize that I mistakenly called this a 5 piece Ludwig kit - I did get it as a 5 piece, but the snare that came with it is a Pearl, so it's not really relevant to this discussion.

I mentioned in an earlier note I had a few small Ludwig parts available to trade with anyone who can help me out with any of the parts I need (a 22" BD hoop, claws and t rods, and a 16" hoop). Here's a photo of my surplus parts: