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I think I'm going to go for the 70's Ludwig 6ply. I noticed for that time (mid 70's) the more common width is 14". Do you think I can get the sound I'm looking for with that width, or should I continue to look for the rarer, wider width drums?

thx!

Believe it or not, that 14 depth is fine for that sound. It becomes a matter of head selection and tensioning. I've hit it with a 22x14 6ply just fine. If you prefer, you can jump to a 24x14 and have it open up just a bit more. It's always a judgement call. Playing position is quite different between these two base sizes, though. That becomes a factor, also. Something to consider...

cool. Thanks.

One more.... What are "Rerings" and how can their absence help me to determine the specifics of a ludwig drum?????

RE: "Re-rings"

That is short for Reinforcement Rings and they are the "extra" strips of wood that encircle the ends of the shells on the shell's interior and help to amass the bearing edge profile.

When you are talking Ludwig, in particular, it is the vintage "3-ply" shells that are equipped with the re-rings. The re-rings on vintage Ludwig 3-ply shells are made from solid maple. They are added to the very thin 3-ply shells to add strength and stability so that, when put under tension, the shell can better resist the "warping" forces loaded on it by the lugs/rims. At the same time, it also allows the main body of the shell to remain thin and more "vibrant".

3-ply shells are often less-than-perfectly round because of the way they were laid up and formed -lots of "hands-on" work. Shells of this design became too labor-intensive to make and were outmoded by more modern, thicker UNreinforced shells (1976-ish?) made with more efficient machinery.

It's always easy to tell a Ludwig 3-ply shell at a glance once you've seen a few. I have several 3-ply sets and I have taken them all apart and cleaned them. In doing so, I was amazed at how lightweight they are -especially when compared to a more modern, thicker shell.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Agreed. People get all stoked about getting a deep depth bass shell, convinced it completely alters the sound. Not really so...significantly less than things such as tuning, head selection, beater selection, and the like.

Also, yes...folks get BIG bass drums for the same reason...but like mcj said...ergonomically, playing behind a 24 or 26 feels very different from a 22.[/COLOR]

The deeper the bass drum, the more you lose focus, tone, and definition from the bass drum. I, for one, prefer the sound of a shallower bass drum to a deeper one...

I've found some Ludwigs from the 70's, B/O badge, but they have the granitone spray lining the insides. Are these the sandpapery feeling shells I should stay away from?

Thanks again.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]They are OK shells...these are the b/o shels with the reinforcing rings ? Don't shy away from those shells, they're good quality, solid shells.[/COLOR]

What a great thread this has been! In reading it, I've learned more than I knew there was to know. (Know what I mean?)

While I have much less technical knowledge than most others on this post, I do want to add that I've been playing a late 60s thin-shell (with reinforcement rings) Ludwig kit for about 30 years. In the early years I played them hard and did not treat them as well as I should have (mea culpa). I'm happy to say, though, that aside from a bit of out-of-roundness (which it sounds like could have happened in the factory) and a few scratches on the interiors (played them w/o resonant heads for a while) they've held up extremely well... and, of course, I love the sound. Just my $0.02.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]That's cool...so you are the sole owner (i.e. you got 'em new ?)[/COLOR]