That is a great idea. How do they sound?

The sound is great on the kick, really nice on the floor tom, the snare could use new wires, and the 11" is kind of flappy. New heads would make a real difference on all the drums, but that would defeat any purpose I had in mind for these, especially for display.

Bermuda

Happy B'Day Bermuda!

Note: I aint trying to wiz in your corn flakes...

I would question a re-wrap on this kit based on the fact it is showing virtually no sign of age... how likely is that? However, that I can't see any discoloration/fading may simply be due to the white balance of the camera and the small image size.

The wooden hardware appears to be been re-finshed as well, stripped of the orignal matching white laquer finish. The accessory rail seems to be in the incorrect postion as well. I believe they were attached to the inboard bass hop and that would explain the purpose of the extra holes in the rail that are in between the lugs in your photos. I believe the correct postion for the main accessory rail would be much like the small rail on the outboard or front hoop that are housing the bass drum anchors (albeit on the rear hoop).

Also, I think that floor tom should have come with metal legs and not the wood folding stands.

Nontheless, it is a stunning kit and I think I prefer the "natural" hardware over the lacquered version... the contrast is so much more visually interesting in my opinion.

Those drums are beautiful.

I noticed the lugs and rims. They were available painted white and were also offered painted in matching duco that matched the duco drums. They might have been available in natural finish as an option. The floor toms can be seen with legs and metal baskets. I could see a shortage of steel forcing them to use wood to make the stands. These drums can be seen with a all metal strainer and one made out of wood and metal so I don't think you can pin the details down too tightly given the time these were made in.

Wow! Those just ooze cool. Nice score. Definitely video, and display worthy.

I had also questioned how original the kit was, but it shows more signs of being original that a re-furbish.

I've seen the rail in both positions: on the batter hoop, and on the lugs. there are no stray holes on either BD hoop, so that rail was indeed installed where it sits.

I too have seen painted lugs, but mostly on the lacquered kits. I know I've seen the natural lugs though. These are too nice to have been stripped, but not so nice that they've been refinished, at least not lately.

Same for the wrap. It is a bit yellower than the photo shows, but still really nice. There are a few overly yellowed portions where the heads sit, so the wrap can't be too new. If they are a re-wrap, it would have been done quite some time ago, definitely not in the last 30-35 years when professional rewraps became common.

But based on the info I got with the kit, they are from the original owner, who was a player in a well-known group in the '30/'40s. He definitely lived close to where the kit was, and either just passed away or in his mid-eighties, was at a point where he was liquidating his possessions.

And the heads are obviously from the '50s or earlier. If the owner wanted to upgrade the the kit, he would have also upgraded the heads and snare wires at some point along the way.

There are too many little inconsistencies with it being re-done in any way, so I have to assume it's a 'survivor'.

Bermuda

The metal legs were an option according to Ludwig's literature, and I actually just saw a kit with those on the fl tom.

But the wood stand is unusual, the metal cradles are more common. The only thing I can think of is that in 1944 when this kit was sold, the war effort was well under way and more wood was being used where possible.

But inconsistencies and anomalies were the hallmark of Ludwig, even though these were made by Ludwig/Conn (not Bill or Bill II over at WFL.)

Bermuda

Thanks, the more I look at them each day, the more I love them!

Three of the drums do have dates: snare is 4406 (June, 1944) Floor tom is 43-9 (Sept, 1943) and the bass drum is 4407 (July, 1944.) I'm thinking that as the war progressed, more wood was integrated within the kit, hence the wooden cradle for the floor tom.

It also occurs to me that since the metal restriction (10%) was by weight, those extra thick hoops gave the drums more overall weight and leeway for using more metal, even though there's precious little metal parts on them to begin with.

Bermuda

Wonderful! Yes Sir