Hello all, I would like to know what kind of finish was put on Ludwig's maple hoops in the 1920's/30's. (lacquer/varnish/stain etc...?) I am in the process of refinishing all the hoops on a kit inspired by Levon Helm's ''pawn shop kit'' used with The Band from 1968-1970's.
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Here's an example of what color I am trying to acheive:
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Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
LevonPurdie-StarrGadd
It's a varnish, look at this wfl I own the rims you can see the natural wood where the claws have rubbed it off.
I love that kit so much. I am actually collecting pieces of WFL myself for the same color set up. I have a bass drum now. Did Levon talk about this "pawn shop kit" in the book "This Wheels On Fire?"
I'm a Levon fan so you have me very interested in your project. Please post pics when your done.
Hello all, I would like to know what kind of finish was put on Ludwig's maple hoops in the 1920's/30's. (lacquer/varnish/stain etc...?) I am in the process of refinishing all the hoops on a kit inspired by Levon Helm's ''pawn shop kit'' used with The Band from 1968-1970's. [Attachment: 24829] Here's an example of what color I am trying to acheive:[Attachment: 24830]Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks,LevonPurdie-StarrGadd
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Ah7tVDlSk&feature=related[/ame]
It's a varnish, look at this wfl I own the rims you can see the natural wood where the claws have rubbed it off.
Thanks! I had my mind set on spar varnish. My father, having experience finishing wood, sudgested it and after testing it out on scrap maple the color was almost spot on, but lacking siginificant yellow color. The finish should yellow over time according to him.
I love that kit so much. I am actually collecting pieces of WFL myself for the same color set up. I have a bass drum now. Did Levon talk about this "pawn shop kit" in the book "This Wheels On Fire?"I'm a Levon fan so you have me very interested in your project. Please post pics when your done.
I have yet to read "This Wheels On Fire" so I wouldn't know. But, be sure to check this thread out; http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=5726&highlight=King+Harv.
He had two kits that where comprised of single tensionned ''big kicks and marching snares as toms''
His first one, wich I have nick named the ''pawn shop kit''.
Quote from an interview in Modern Drummer, April 2008:
That particular set of drums I found out in Santa Monica in a pawn shop. They were old Leedy Ludwig drums - bass drum, snare, two toms and two cymbals for $160. Yes sir!
This vid has some great shots of the pawn shop kit in action:
(as does the vid in the king harvest thread)
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Y987Uf1wY[/ame]
Then ofcourse the ''kit he played on the weight with the staple singers'', wich is the same basic idea, except his rack tom had center posts, and they had that reddish finish (vm2k's wfl snare) instead of the dark mahogany (my project kit, the pawn shop kit and your WFL bass drum) also, he used the same maple tube lug foor tom, wich he allways played with no bottom head.
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He had a second floor tom too, wich you can catch a glimpse of some time in the ''Evangeline'' clip from the Last Waltz.
Oh, and one more thing, Levon once played a bass drum similar to yours, wich can be seen here:[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUL_zILXi0Q[/ame] While in full screen, pause the video at 2:41, you can see the seperate tension lugs, and the absence of a reso head. It's kind of a weird kit he's playing here, I find he had a habbit of mixing his different kits.
OK, after all this, you have the right to call me crazy, I'm a real nut with details! I wish you the very best of luck with your project.
Regards,
LevonPurdie-StarrGadd
There is just something to the sound of his drums! Love it! Very "woody" sounding! Please post pics of your kit when they are done.
He did mention the pawn shop kit in "This Wheel's On Fire" (which is a great book--it's required reading for anyone interested in The Band), but he didn't say much more than he said in the Modern Drummer quotation above.
I am really interested in reading that biography.. Can't wait to get my hands on it.
ec curtis - Tell me about it. I love the tones coming from those beautiful shells! When I first set up my toms after a clean-up session, I could not stop grinning as I played (tried to) the intro fills to The Weight. ''That's the sound'' I thought, and It really is. I think in IMO he went a bit over-board with muffling sometimes though. I'll post pics as soon as I get my bass up and running. This project might drag on for a while, as I still don't have a proper matching snare for the kit, and I still need to clean up all the hardware, refinish the hoops, get the bass drum shell back in the round, and tuck some heads for it also. I hope you post pics of yours too ;)!
Just a little update for any one who's interested. Just finished cleaning most of the hardware on the bass drum, and my father sprayed a second coat of spar varnish on the hoops this morning. The nickel is nice and gleaning, next is tucking a set of heads! Should have the kit up and running by the next few weeks.
Also my snare came in the mail a few days a go. Here she is !!
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Nice drum! The inner ply looks like black walnut and the outer ply is obviously mahogany. The re-rings are solid maple. The grommet is Bakelite. T-rods/claws are aluminum.
