I think you've got a refinished Supraphonic there. They replaced the flaking chrome with thick black paint. Same aluminum shell as an Acro but 10 lugs means it almost has to have started out as a Supra.

Thanks for your input! I appreciate it. I've never seen a 10-lug Acro, let alone one with Imperial lugs. Then again, I haven't been "tracking" this model through the years.

The badge has chips showing someone removed the grommet. What`s it look like inside. Looks like they tried to match Black Panther.

Actually, it looks like the bed liner in my truck.

I think Mlayton can show you some.....

I thought the same thing. However, after seeing a pic of the grommet (see attached), I think they simply painted the shell with the badge on it. What caused the scratches? Who knows?

There have been 10 lug acros and 8 lug Supras, probably the result of a plating mistake (chrome plating an acro shell punched for 8 lugs or not plating a Supra shell punched for 10) but they are pretty rare.

The bowtie and imperial lugs have the same spacing and are an easy interchange. Sometimes Ludwig substituted one for the other at the factory...but also rather rare.

But, refinished Supras are very common because the chrome flakes off a lot of them. Therefore that is the most likely candidate for what that drum is. Nothing much wrong with that.

Is it safe to assume that such "refinishing" diminishes the value of the drum? I think I know the answer to that one. Just wondering what might be a reasonable price to pay for the drum in question? Thanks again for your help.

Probably will diminish some of the value, as that is a significant altering of the instrument. 10 lugs as opposed to 8 may offset that a little, and this should still be a great-sounding instrument.

I have two Supras from the mid-late 1970s, one original chrome in pristine condition, and one that was repainted black like yours by a former owner due to pitting, although with a thinner coating. Each one cost me $75, which I think is a steal even for the black one - certainly a great deal for the original one. The black one tunes better in the lower register, favoring a lower "darker" tone (no pun intended!) and is better live. The chrome one has a wider tuning range and records really well. Between the two, a have a very wide range of Supra sounds that work well in various situations.

Hope this helps!