I understand that these drums were a total flop when introduced, and I'm guessing that they are not very common in today's vintage market. Are these drums desirable and consequently valuable? What could I expect to pay for such a set, and where can I find more info?
I'm new to the forum, and have only recently started taking an interest in the drums of my youth. I expect that this forum will be a valuable resource in answering the many questions I have in the future.
Thanks, y'all!
Welcome to the forum and here's what I can tell you:
The drums were a flop!
The drums looked cool!
The drums are collectible...but not overly valuable.
I can't recall what the set I saw go for. It seems like it was less than 2 grand, though. They hardly ever come up for auction. It would be a cool set for a collector and, who knows what the future holds for such "weird" ideas? I don't think this design works well enough in a practical sense, but in a collectible sense, like I say, who knows?
I have only seen pictures of the tuning mechanism involved and it had all kinds of wooden splines and "doo-dads" that made it possible to tension the drums via the knobs. I'm not even sure that a conventional modern drumhead would work on those drums. Weren't all heads calfskins when those drums came out? I could be wrong about that.
I applaud the idea of alternatives to lugged drums, though!Clapping Happy2
there is a artical here
http://www.classicdrummer.com/archives/vdmarchives/GearArticles/LeedyLudwigKnobTension.pdf
