Thanks, tnsquint! If you ask me...it looks bounds better than before. Purdie did the same thing to a seriously bad pitted Supra, but he stripped it and then had it powdercoated gloss black...looked really sweet! Not sure how he got the rest of the chrome off, though...hope he chimes in!
I have a Supra that had been powder coated black when I got it. The previous owner said the chrome had really started flaking so he pulled it apart, took it to an automotive shop and had them strip it and paint it. For me, it was a cheap way to buy another Ludwig snare drum. It's a great sounding drum. To my ear it is a little more dry sounding but that may just be psychological. Regardless, it is dry in a really good way and looks good as well. I take it out as a snare option on rental dates and it gets chosen a lot. I am pretty sure a lot of drummers just think it's a 5" Black Beauty. I actually had one drummer tell me that was a great sounding BB. I smiled and said thanks and then I showed him what it was.