Hello, I am a new member around these parts and this looks like the place where I can get some advice. I just bought up a bunch of vintage Ludwig Speed King Pedals to restore as a hobby. My very first bass drum pedal when I got my first kit in 1974 was a Ludwig Speed King. I had a fit of Nostalgia bought myself a couple of Speed Kings off Ebay and fell in love with the simplicity and speed of the Speed King. I am trying to figure out what material the Ludwig Factory installed on the bottom of the pedal to keep it from sliding. I have bought about 15 Speed Kings in the past couple of months and not a single one had the original non-slip pads on the bottom of the footbard. Can anybody tell me what material Ludwig used to use? I am guessing either rubber or neoprene but I am not sure. I want to restore these pedals back to exact original specs so any info would be much appreciated. Also, how thick was the original non-slip pads??? Thanks for any help.
Question About Non-Slip Pad on Ludwig Speed King
Not meaning to be disrespectful but Yes, they did put a non-skid pad on the bottom of the Ludwig Speed Kings. I had one brand new in 1974 and it had a black pad on the bottom of the plate. The old brochures and parts lists from Ludwig show a non-skid pad in the parts listing and it had a part number of P-2476. Every Speed King I have bought lately has the same glue residue left on the bottom where the pad used to be.
See attached photo of parts list from Ludwig 1967 Hardware Catalog showing the parts list.
Glad you didn't take offense to this newb stepping in here and shooting his mouth off. :) I have been buying up a bunch of abused Speed Kings and all were missing the pad but you could see /feel the yellow adhesive left on the metal where the pads used to be. I just completed my first Speed King restoration and only need to add the correct non-slip pad to make it 100% correct.
The "Speed King" sticky topic at the top of the page here tells you on pg 6 about the black rubber matting. Says it can be bought at any home improvment center and razor cut to fit then rubber cement to install it. I'm sure you can use a thin neoprene that might hold up a little better. 3M makes a nice spray glue that I like to use on things like this. Boy you sure jogged my memory with this topic!!! I remember the 2 thin sides of that pad hanging off mine in shreds after about a year.
Not a guru just havin fun with some old dusty drums.
Thanks for the props, vintagemoore2000. I love repairing/restoring drums. To do the restorations right, I went to Northern Tool bought a Sandblast Booth, Dual Polishing/Buffing Wheel, Heat Gun, Bench Grinder, Punch Kit, Dremel tool with Polishing Attachments, HVLP Spray Gun, and Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner. It's been a blast working on the pedals. I have gotten so good at it, I can totally disassemble a Speed King in less than 10 minutes, even one seized up and rusted.
Yes, FFR428, I saw that thread when I did a search on here for any info on the original pad material. I was mainly just trying to get something as close to the original material as I could so as not make the pedals look like they just rolled off the factory floor. I am not opposed to installing velcro though....it would probably provide more grip than the original material anyway. I remember as a kid that my original Speed King did the same thing after a few months of use.
good info here!
ive got three speed kings. one early-mid 60's, a late 70's and an unknown date. all are ludwig models. i never even thought to look under them. the 60's model doesnt have the pad but the other two do. so, if you need a pic or something,let me know. the pad on the 70's model is nice and intact but has moved off to the side. you can see the yellowed adhesive where it was before moving. the other one is kinda rough. they feel like a textured hard rubber,kinda...
mike
kinda bored tonight, so i grabbed the pedal and snapped a couple pics for us. on the one pic from taken from the side, you can see the pad up top and how it is a good bit thicker than the plate that it is adhered to.
hope this helps some...
mike
You might take a look at these:
I am not sure how close they are but it might be worth checking them out.
Mike
Wow, Thanks for the close up pix, MLayton. Those are a big help. You are lucky to have a pedal with one still in tact. That looks like a closed-cell neoprene material on close examination. Any clue how thick the pad is? I am guessing either an 1/8" or 3/16" maybe.
Mike-Yeah, I have seen that guy on Ebay who offers what he calls "His Version" of the Non-Slip Pad. His prices are a bit high. I went ahead and purchased a roll of 1/8" and 3/16" thick Closed Cell Neoprene onlline this morning from a rubber supply place online in 20 foot rolls so I am all set now.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions everyone. Sure is nice to see so many folks pitching in to help each other out here. Some forums your lucky if anyone even replies to your thread. A great welcome for this newb here for sure. Excited
Wouldn't Lude-Wig just sell that part?
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