1965 Ludwig Kit....

[drumstik]

So I have had this kit sitting in my grandfathers house for about 7 years now. I got a hold of it when I was in high school and they were going to throw it in the dumpster (IDIOTS!!!!). Thanks god they let me take it. I looked up the serial numbers today and discoverd it was made approx. October 1965. Pretty sweet. Im not 100% sure but I beleive it is what they called the "Classic" series.

I think it is this kit pictured bottom left here (luw015K):

www.vintagedrum.com/museum/museum_sets5.htm

Again, not 100% sure yet. I really want to fix this kit up. It is missing all the mounting hardware on the kick (tom, cymbal, and spurr mounts) and also the hardware on the rack tom for the mounting arm. Anyone know of a good place where I might be able to find some of this original hardware?

I also need to track down the snare which I believe an old friend of mine has. I think that is missing everything (lugs, rims, etc...). I want to try to use as much original material as possible so it looks authentic (and so I don't have to drill any holes in the poor things). Any help would be great. If I can fix this kit up it will be totally sweet!

[Thrill Kill Will]

ludwig "classic" and "clubdate" are usually defined by the type of lugs on the drums. if your toms and bass drum have seperate lugs (1 tension rod per lug) then they are "classic" lugs and therefor its a classic kit. if they have double ended lugs (2 tension rods per lug, top and bottom) then those are the "bowtie" lugs and the kit is a "clubdate". the clubdates didnt have a 16" floor tom. i think.

ebay is always a great place for used drum stuff. either on ebay or off, another good way to great hardware is to find a complete drum with a trashed shell...something that has water damage or a cracked shell, chewed up bearing edges, messed up finish... that brings the value of the drum way down, sometimes you can get all the hardware in one shot, cheaper then if you pieced it together.

ludwig still makes some of the hardware you might need. depending on how much of a restoration you're looking to do. if you want to make it 100% authentic with all original 60s parts. thats a big challenge. but ludwig still makes bowtie lugs and some classic lugs. (ithink they have a few different types of the single "classic" lugs, classic - super classic - mini classic, etc) so make sure you know exactly what you need when you're looking.

hoops, tension rods, washers, etc is stuff that i wouldn't worry about getting 100% original unless the drums are in immaculate shape.

if the drums aren't in great shape, but the shells are round and the edges are good. then i'd suggest putting the neccessary peices together then playing it. you can skip on the tom mount stuff and just use a snare stand. i do this alot. also i'd skip the bass drum cymbal mount. i'd get the hoops/lugs/bass drum spurs working so the kit could be played, then take it from there.

let us know how it looks. and post a picture if you can.

-will

[drumstik]

Wow thanks for all the info Will! The kit is functioning. I took it out on a gig when I first got it. I just threw some heads on that I had laying around. I used a snare stand on the mounted tom and I think some little rubber door stops to keep the kick from rocking back and forth.

It must be a classic because it has the seperate lugs not the bowtie. Other than being a bit dirty and a small chip on the mylar and wood where one of the tom arm holes is, it is in pretty good condition. I'll try to head over there again soon and take some pictures.

Im totally excited to fix this thing up finally!

EDIT: And here is a good question. What is ok to use as a cleaner on the outside?