Hi,

This one has been in my restoration queue for many years so the time was right to clean it up.

1927 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 4 x 14 LUDWIGOLD SUPER-LUDWIG MODEL

THE SHELL:

The shell is in great shape with no extra holes, dings or chipping away of the Ludwigold finish. The finish has darkened a tad over the years though.

THE HARDWARE:

The DeLuxe plated hardware was another story. The tension rods, collar hooks and tube lugs were all black (tarnish). The rims and the Super mechanism were in better shape but still needed attention. I was able to strip the old lacquer to expose the original factory copper plating. This enabled me to clean and polish the copper plating. A few coats of gold lacquer brought the hardware back to life. When I restore DeLuxe hardware I like to leave the “age“ in it so you will see that the hardware is not perfect but it is clean while still gracefully showing its age. This technique is a good way to blend the hardware with the shell...”the carpet matches the drapes” as the saying goes. The Super (parallel) snares were in good shape as was the Super mechanism.

Of-the-era calf heads rounded out this restoration.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Of the three shell depths that were offered I believe that the 5 x 14 depth is the most common with the 6.5 x 14 depth being the rarest and the 4 x 14 depth right in the middle of the rarity chart. On the other hand, anything in the Ludwigold finish is pretty rare and therefor very collectible.

Enjoy!

Mike Curotto