Picked up a mixed set of 60s and 70s Ludwigs and I am in the process of cleaning them. Much to my dismay when I took off the heads I found that some clown spray painted the inside black, lug washers and nuts too.
Bearing edges are in great shape so it wasn't done because it was played with the bottom head off.
Think I should attempt to spray the inside white or just move on? Maybe at least remove the paint off the washers and nuts?
Rats, the bass drum too.
Clean the hardware and put the heads back on.
Adding white might dampen a bit, and removing black is more work then you want to do, without damaging the shell.
Back in the day, many drummers ditched the resos and painted the interiors black as they would then been seen more since the heads were gone. I've restored a few 60's 14x14 that were painted inside and out. It's rough. I just had to sand and repaint them white though...and soak the fasteners to remove the black.
Mike
I will reiterate. I have a 14x14 that someone painted black in the inside. I tried to remove the paint. Big pain and I wasn’t successful.
Having drummed through the 60's I can say we were 'told' taking the head off and spraying the interior would make the bass more 'reflective' and thus sharper sounding. You could throw a small pillow in and mike it up and 'boom'. Now I see drummers fill the bass almost full of 'stuff' with the front head on but mike it up to get the same sound.... dead. Not my preference as I aged- but some techs still say you gotta make it just 'thump' and not be a real drum -(they have resonance)!!
I have seen black, gloss white, silver, tan and (YES) even pink bass drum interiors..... Times change- people get educated!
If you try light sanding and the paint is too heavy the only answer is repaint -IMO
I think I will try that Benjamin Moore white paint so I'll let you know how it comes out. I'm cleaning the lug screws and washers now.
The fact that someone painted them black drives me crazy even though I won't be able to see it with the heads on.
So what do you think?
Looks fair. You could have used a coat of white primer first, the top coated with the paint that you used for a more solid white.
But, more importantly it is ultimately what YOU think! If you're happy with the results, then all is good...now start playing 'em!
True, thanks. That's 2 coats over what appeared to be black enamel. At least the lug screws and washers aren't black anymore.
