I have a older ludwig 60's snare drum. The person who I bought it from never changed the resonant head so I assumed the edges would be pristine. It also has the white inner coat. Overall the snare is great shape for its age. The problem is I noticed that it appears the white paint along the edges is uneven and some of the bottom bearing edge appears flatter in some areas more than others. Were they made this way or is this a common problem? Ive seen it in a snare I owned before of the similar year but didnt know better and assumed the bearing edges were just bad and very worn. I am just wondering if anyone knows what im talking about? Any advice would help because Im mainly a 80's drummer and not too knowledgeable about the 60's ludwigs.
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Ludwig 60's Snare Drum Bearing Edge Question
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Posted on 15 years ago
#1
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"The problem is I noticed that it appears the white paint along the edges is uneven and some of the bottom bearing edge appears flatter in some areas more than others."
Could it be that those flat areas are the snare beds? Double check and see if they fall in line with the location of the strainer & the butt - if so, they're most likely snare beds.
...but when he played on his drum, he made the stars explode....
Posted on 15 years ago
#2
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Yes they are. Those two sides seem flat while the other two are more angled. Is this how they made the snares? Shouldnt the bearing edges be consistent all the way around?
Posted on 15 years ago
#3
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I confess to being a bit of a drum novice, however, in my reading about snare beds, that's pretty much how they should be.
I do know that snare beds vary widely per manufacturer, as well as vintage. Some are from non-existent to subtle, while others can be quite wide and comparatively deep.
For the batter side, the bearing edge should be consistent - true for all batter sides and tom reso sides as well ~ except for the snare side of a snare drum.
That said, there are snares that have no snare beds - although, historically they've been used since the early days.... here's a cool article from Drum Dojo http://www.drumdojo.com/snare_bed.htm
Bearing edges themselves similarly vary - my '66 Slingerlands are quite rounded, my 1970 Ludwig Standards are less so - more angled, and I think the a Standard tom that I bought recently had its bearing edges re-cut; they're sharper than my others.
A keener and/or consistent edge makes for easier tuning, as well as effects the sustaining quality and timbre of the head - a softer edge, like in my Slingies - seems to have a warmer, more "vintage" tone. My re-cut Ludwig tom seems brighter, with more sustain.
I liken the bearing edge to the bridge on a guitar somewhat - I'd think the less surface area contact between bearing edge and head (i.e. a "sharper" edge) would ring truer with less dampening than a rounder edge.
But, again, I'm a novice baby crawl2 There are some true wizards here that could give MUCH better answers that me on the topic - hopefully some will jump in - until then ~ here's the VDF search page for snare beds:
All of these listings make some reference to snare beds:http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/search.php?searchid=306495
VDF is a great place to be a sponge Yes Sir
btw Welcome to the Forum
...but when he played on his drum, he made the stars explode....
Posted on 15 years ago
#4
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