Another thing to keep in mind is that a lacquer finished drum, like a Thermogloss Luddy or Walnut Gretsch, is pretty delicate when it comes to taking knocks. The Ludwig countertop finishes are INCREDIBLY tough while still looking wood-ish. Probably the toughest finish ever put on drums, and that includes COW - the formicas are pretty difficult to scratch.
That is an excellent point and I'm sure that's exactly what Ludwig had in mind. Being a gigging drummer, I would never take lacquer finished kit on gigs, especially a nice vintage one. When I told my female lead vocalist who doesn't know anything about drums that it's a wrap, she seemed very surprised and thought they were beautiful. Why other drummers don't see how cool these kits are is beyond me, but then again, I don't see anything cool about the mod orange or physc red kits.
