The seller has omitted some photos and added others since I posted his listing.

The badges are fake and in the wrong place on the drums. Every Chicago-era Ludwig I've owned had a finished interior, unlike these. Also, it looks like the floor tom uses vistalite gaskets with the leg mounts (see original pic that has since been deleted from the ebay listing).

This guy knows they're fakes and that's why he deleted some of the close-up photos. He changed the ebay listing to read "As I was told it was custom ordered in 1984".

I heard back from the seller! Here is his response...

"No, and no. All I can tell you is all the parts are authentic, the shells are maple ply, and the badges have no serial numbers. I used the kit to record some real drums in my music and they sound amazing so I wasn't worried about it since the music store that I was told sold them (Bob Fisher's Musictown) went out of business in Memphis years ago. The intriguing part for me was the date stamp....was my 15th birthday. That tripped me out. I went with the sound right in front of me. The badges not having serial numbers kinda put doubts as to what exactly the situation was, but the sound well made up for it. Whether he was in fact the first&only owner or not really didn't matter that much to me-it was their big, pronounced sound I was interested in. The cymbals ARE vintage Zildjian small stamp 1970's and they definitely have the "old school" sound as well. The hi hats are heavy (dark, rich) Paiste 2002 black stamp also from late 70's and sound great as well. The hardware I bought new (Ludwig 400 series) and still have the packing they came in for shipping. If you find out any "no serial number" info on Ludwig badges-please share. Thanks for looking. Regards, Marty Petty"

"No and no" has to do with the questions I asked about any documentation about this kit and if he was related to Jim Petty in Texas.

-Mark

Thanks for the additional info on his making changes. Perhaps I only had a look after the close ups had been removed. With a closer shot I guess we could see if he got his Blue Olive badges from some place like this

https://bumwrapdrumco-com.3dcartstores.com/Ludwig-Blue-and-Olive-repro-badge_p_50.html

I hadn't considered that the unfinished interior makes the shells unlikely to be genuine Ludwig shells. I've only had 3 80s shells and yes they did have some sort of lacquer finish on them -- or whatever they use.

With the members on this site, you might get a fake by for a day or two.(cuz they aint seen it yet) This site is where you go to find out if it`s live or memorex !!

Members here are just that damn good at it.

Sorry for swearing, slipped out !!

I cannot in good concience dismiss these drums as fakes. I am not a Ludwig expert, did not work there during this or any period. The ink stamp looks legit, the sharpie numbers not so much. The finish is not as smooth as I'd expect, but I do know the 80's were an all-time low as far as quality control on American drums is concerned.

this is where it pays off Mo,

I for one, am having trouble with the placement of the badges,...ESPECIALLY THE FLOOR TOMS.

That`s research looking, not expert advice. I can`t find an example of a fT badge that low. Anywhere. But it`s supposed to be SO.

Oh, and the asking price,...it`s quite low.

Shouldn`t the sticks through the logo have the circle around the logo ?

Mo, the more we through out, the more,...I`ve seen it or I have it, members will say.