I have just restored a 60's Ludwig kit (22/16/12). They sound great. I'd like to buy an appropriate snare to complete the kit. My first choice would be a jazz festival in sky blue pearl - but unfortunately I don't have that amount to spend.
What snare from Ludwig would you recommend? Should I hang out for a beat up wood shell; or go for a COB model - or how about an Acrolite? I guess my preference would be for an all round type of drum and I don't play jazz. Thanks very much.
I have just restored a 60's Ludwig kit (22/16/12). They sound great. I'd like to buy an appropriate snare to complete the kit. My first choice would be a jazz festival in sky blue pearl - but unfortunately I don't have that amount to spend.What snare from Ludwig would you recommend? Should I hang out for a beat up wood shell; or go for a COB model - or how about an Acrolite? I guess my preference would be for an all round type of drum and I don't play jazz. Thanks very much.
An Acrolite or a Supraphonic. If you start with one of those, even opne that doesn't look so good, you'll spend less money but have great sound. If you can spean $100.00-$200.00 you might land a Supra with some flaking finish, but you'll still have a classic sound, and a drum that can be used for any music, and can be tuned a lot of different ways. I have both a Supa and a Jazzfest. I use the Supra a whole lot more...just my thoughts. An Acro is a nice drum too and you can find a nice looking one for not too much money.
Matt
i have a Blue Sparkle Pioneer and it's beautiful. I love 6 lug snares.
Another vote for the Acrolite. Great all around snare, inexpensive and pretty much goes with any color/finish. Also, don't count out other manufacturers drums - Think vintage Slingerland chrome (over wood or metal), or a Kent chrome snare, etc... CHrome goes with everything, IMHO.
There's no rule which says that you have to match a Ludwig snare to a Ludwig set. Be creative.
Acrolite OR Supra. The Supra is a little "prettier' than the Acrolite (in my subjective opinion), but the Acrolite is a fantastic drum. BOTH the Supra and the Acrolite feature SEAMLESS shells and are some of the highest quality shells that money can buy in ANY price range. You can spend over a thousand dollars for a custom snare drum and never get a seamless shell. Why? Because it takes very specialized industrial machinery to make a seamless shell and no custom drum builder has that kind of clout.
Do you know what the ironic thing is about these two drums? People are sometimes hesitant to give them their just recognition because they are inexpensive. That's right!
As far as sound, durability, history, original design, original components, there are no finer snare drums in the world at any price.
But, I also agree that the 6-lug Pioneer snare drums are also extremely nice and they have the added advantage of having a looser feel. They are VERY fun to play.
While the Jazz Fests ARE collectible, they seem to have a duller sound -"boxier" if you will. I think you would find the sound of any of the aforementioned drums to be more universally pleasing.Burger Kin
i coudn't believe how much fun the pioneer was when i got it. 6 lug snares allow you to crank it up, giving great tight response on the edge whilst giving you a great back beat in the middle. I like turning the snares off and going all Big band solo on it too. A great retro sound, though i have played Jungle on it, and they're real lightweight too.
[IMG]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/captainrichw/Bitsonweb/pioneer002.jpg[/IMG]
saying that, i love my Luddy 400 too. Insanely versatile drum.
Different Horses and all that
Thanks so much for these great posts. I had been starting to think that the Ludwig owners of the world were a silent bunch! I have just finished restoring this Ludwig kit and I am really blown away by the sound, which is very different from my other kits (Rogers, Pearl) I have other vintage snares I can play with it, including a Ludwig 1970's brass shell which I love to bits. I am just interested in getting a period snare to match the kit - which will no doubt one day go to one of my sons. I had also been thinking Supra or Acrolite. I'll look for both models and see what happens. Cool
