I only had one Ludwig kit I could never get to sound the way I wanted it too. That's not to say it didn't sound good, it just didn't work for me.
I've also had kits where the edges looked off, but they still sounded great. Ludwig drums can be finnicky at times and it may take a bit of tweaking to find that sound, but once you do, nothing beats them.
OK. Ladies and gentlemen, the decision for us has been made. No need to post anything else.
I "get" Ludwig drums. Of the "Big Four" original American drum manufacturers, they are one of only two remaining....the other being Gretsch, of course. All other drum manufacturers went bye-bye for one reason or another. They've had their ups and downs, too, but, overall, they've done more things correctly.
I've heard many other drum brands that sound great, too....depending on who is playing them, of course! Let's face it....even the most exotic and expensive drums in the world will never sound sound good under the hands of an unskilled drummer. And even the worst drums made will sound great under the hands of a great drummer.
It's SO easy to change the sound of any drums by changing to a different type of heads, now. In the vintage days, not so much. The head types were limited to mostly Ambassador weight single-ply coated heads. Bearing edges tended to be much the same, too. The amount of choices, now, by comparison, make it almost impossible for manufacturers to create a signature sound/feel to their drums. Every manufacturer is every other manufacturer, now. Too many combinations of everything! What really IS a manufacturer's signature sound, now? Even within the brand, there are vast differences!
I "get" VINTAGE Ludwig drums because they don't ever change!
I have a vintage Ludwig drumset, 3-ply. I like it. Sits happily among my other drumsets. I do play it every now and then. I prefer others.
Ludwig snares? Totally different story. Most of my favorites are Ludwig. So many great ones to choose from. I truly believe there's one for anyone.
Dan
I love drums from all the big companies (& deal with their design flaws), but I think part of the Ludwig Magic is in the numbers. I can sit down at my '63 Super Classic, throw some old A's on there, a SK (for squeak) & sound like your classic R&R garage band, classic rock cut, favourite soul record, cherished jazz album (well, swap A's for K's) or whatever instantly. The honk of Ludalloy is just iconic, like the sound of a Strat/Telecaster. It's a huge part of classic music's DNA.
Not sure what Sonors Bunny had in the 60's but my late 60's 6 ply Teardrops are amazing and I think the hardware is better then any of the other manufacturers at the time except for maybe Rogers. Out of all the 60's era kits in my stable they are easily my favs.That being said I also love my old Luddy's 64 and up! Happy New Year Everyone!
Not sure what Sonors Bunny had in the 60's but my late 60's 6 ply Teardrops are amazing and I think the hardware is better then any of the other manufacturers at the time except for maybe Rogers. Out of all the 60's era kits in my stable they are easily my favs.That being said I also love my old Luddy's 64 and up! Happy New Year Everyone!
My set was/is: Teardrop lugs, blue marble finish, 14x20, 16x14, 8x13, 4x14, purchased in June 1964. It took a few months for things to go south re chrome plating and screws stripping.
