I have a qustion about the contemporary Ludwig die-cast hoops.
Are the brass and chrome DC hoops the same base metal with a different plating process or are the brass DC hoops really brass? I always thought both were just plated?
I had a sales person tell me that the die-cast hoops are either cast brass or cast steel with chrome plating.
What metal are they made of?
Die casting is just a process of injecting or forcing forcing molten metal under high pressure into a mold cavity.
I'm asking what metal the rims in this process are made of.
Generally I thought Ludwig stopped producing brass hoops decades ago.
I was looking at buying a new Ludwig "Exotic Maple" snare and asked about the die-cast hoops. The sales rep asked the Ludwig rep what they were made of... asked and answered twice...
The die-cast hoops are either cast brass or cast steel with chrome plating.
As far as the die-cast hoops, they offer "solid brass or chromed steel", his words.
I'm very doubtful the D-C hoops are anything other than a zinc alloy - but what do I know, I haven't had a chance to do a PMI on them to be certain.
Pretty sure they are not cast steel or brass. I think they generally are Zymac or Zamec or Zimac or whatever it is called. However, I do seem to recall that either Pearl or Yamaha made some cast aluminum rims at one time.
They are a die-cast pot metal hoop then plated either chrome or brass.
It's a little frustrating that the some personnel at Ludwig know so little about their own products.
I am interested in getting one of the Ludwig "Exotic Wood" drums and I can't believe how complex they make the process. The dealer price sheets don't even list the Exotic so you have to "customize" the order - even then I keep getting quotes back for the "Classic Maple" line.
To make matters worse the 100th Anniversary catalog (2009) stated that Exotic Wood series was an 8-ply shell; the 2010 catalog stated that it was an 7-ply shell; the 2011 catalog stated that it is a 10-ply shell. Now I'm worried about what they're really making and if I'll even get a 10-ply shell.
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