Hi all
A question about Ludwig badges. I am a Slinherland fan, my experiences have been with them. I noticed a few Vistalites on eBay, they had the blue/olive badges, but no serial numbers. Claim was "70s vintage". Did Ludwig not serialize some drums? Could these still be from 70s? I know there were reissues of the Vistalite line. How can you tell the difference? Thanks for anyone who can help!
d
In the early 70's there were some blue olive badge drums with no serials. Have seen them on several drum sets and snares as well.
In addition to the original 1970s badges that lacked serial numbers, there are newer replica/replacement badges that also lack serial numbers. Many of these are quite authentic looking, although there are some slight differences with the primary supplier of the replica badges.
With Vistalites one has to be careful because there have been replica/fake Vistalites produced, particularly in the green color and some of the patterned/multi-color shells. These are in addition to the "real" ones reissued by Ludwig. In addition to looking for tells in the replica badges, the acrylic shells are also constructed a bit differently, most apparent in the seam construction. You can look for threads on this site or even search the interwebs for information on the fake Vistalites.
I have 3 Vistalite kits. All have serial numbers.
I had a blue Vistalite 24/13/14/16 that didn't have serial numbers. It was an early one with the small spurs.
They were definitely not reproduction shells or badges.
Steve
