Just a few thoughts:

1. You should take a look at the condition of the grommets from the interior of the respective shells. If they've been re-wrapped you can usually tell by the condition of the grommet, although this isn't true 100% of the time.

2. Original Ludwig wraps from this period were literally "wrapped" right into the wooden shells. You should be able to see this , once you remove the heads.

3. If the shells were, in fact, re-wrapped, you might want to re-consider purchasing this kit for "investment purposes." An ORIGINAL Oyster Black Pearl Ludwig Kit would be what you'd want OR another similar kit with its ORIGINAL wrap.

4. I can't tell for sure by the pics presented, but it looks like the snare might be a vintage Ludwig Supraphonic.

Just my two cents worth.

if they are original wraps, $800 is a good price with the supraphonic..........

My senses tell me that it's probably a cool kit...but I just can't explain that brighter band of wrap that looks like it could have come about if the shell was re-wrapped.. I LOVE OBP!! But, would I drive 6 hours to get a kit unless I was absolutely sure it wasn't a re-wrapped kit? Probably not. If it is cool, though, as already stated, $800 is a steal!Burger Kin Good luck and keep us posted!

Offering my two cents from the peanut gallery...

Just browsing around ebay ... $800 seems to be at the low end of what people are getting for 60's vintage Ludwig kits without a snare... Supras seem to bring $200-$250 on a pretty regular basis. So hey.. your deals looks good.

That would, of course, be based on a true and honest description of the kit by your seller and it would seem to be a real fair deal. You're not really stealing them from him ($800 is $800) but it would seem you would never lose money on the drums if you had to sell them tomorrow.

It's a sweet kit... that's certainly the Ludwig drum set everybody pictures when you say 60's vintage Ludwig drum set.

Let me edit this...I didn't see O-Lugs post-- if O-Lugs says it's a steal-- pull that sock hat over your face and go get'em! ;)

P:rostix:

Rather than driving the 6 hours, why not ask the current owner to remove the heads to check if the wrap actually is "tucked" into the respective shells. While he (or she) is at it, have him check out the condition of the grommets.

Where are the badges located on the rack toms? I don't see them in either picture that you posted.

Hmmmm....upon inspection of the picture, I am perplexed at the brightness of that seam area. It almost appears as if the overlap of the wrap has been cut away to expose the unfaded section that would have been underneath. I can't see a lot of detail in the photos.

It's a tough one to call...but the drums look pretty darn good from what I can tell. I guess it depends on how nice of a car you have and what kind of traffic and weather you're willing to deal with.

I'm leaning 60/40% in my feeling that at least four of the drums are cool. I just can't be sure about the floor tom. See if the seller will lower the price a bit to compensate for the uncertainty. It's probably a good deal even if the floor tom turns out to be a re-wrap. Still, I wouldn't really be able to consider it an "investment grade" kit at this point.

That wrap was never reproduced (accurately) after Ludwig switched to the bowling ball type of oyster blue, so it's doubtful that the drums are recovered.

They do look pretty faded, which is common...the area around the seam on the FT is "curious"...those wraps tend to stretch away from the seam over time, but that looks like more that the usual half inch or so...

Exactly, Rich. I was thinking the same thing. You're right about OBP not being reproduced. I was thinking that maybe the drum's original wrap may have pulled up and the owner or someone re-wrapped it with the original wrap and might have put the "inside" part of the overlap on the outside. Or, maybe there was a big curl of pulled wrap at the seam and someone cut the curled strip back.

I think it's probably a safe bet to buy it for that price. I wish I could be sure!Burger Kin