Description: For sale is an extremely rare 1928 Ludwig 'Super Ludwig' 14x6.5" Concert Model, featured in the 1928 Ludwig catalog. When I first received this drum, it was in rough shape and needed some attention. The brass shell had been hand-painted (with a brush!), the heads were torn, and the wires were damaged. Since then, I’ve done some light restoration to bring the drum back to playable condition. The brass shell, which is the same as the original Black Beauty, was stripped of the hand-painted layer, revealing a beautifully patinaed surface. I believe the drum may have originally had a 'Ludwigold' speckled finish, as there are traces of gold around the bearing edges.The tube lugs and hardware have aged over time, with some gold plating still visible. There are a few small cracks in some of the lugs (as shown in the photos). They are holding up fine, though you can see the cracks. About half of the internal screws that hold the lugs were missing, so I replaced them. They now secure the lugs to the shell well. One end/guide for a lug had been replaced before I got the drum. Inside the drum is a signature dated 1944.The original snare wires, which were individually adjustable, were in poor shape. Due to the rarity of this drum, finding replacement wires is very difficult. Puresound made compatible wires for a short time, but they’ve since been discontinued. Fortunately, a new set of wires was made by Bibin Wires, and they fit perfectly, making the drum playable again.The snare mechanism works well, though it has slight resistance when turning the wires on and off. The mechanism still snaps on and off properly, and the adjustable knobs function smoothly. There are two additional small holes each side of the mechanism (as shown in photos). There is also a slight bend in part of the cradle where the snare wires rest, but this doesn't affect the seating of the wires on the drum head.The original calfskin heads were ripped and unusable. Interestingly, when I removed them, I found a signature from 1944 on the underside, suggesting they hadn’t been replaced since then! Modern heads do fit (although they are a bit tight). I've now installed a Remo Fiberskyn on the batter side and a Remo Hazy Ambassador on the snare side. With the new heads and Bibin wires, this drum is fully playable and remains a highly collectible piece. I’m including both the original wires and heads as part of the drum’s history. I've described the drum to the best of my ability, but feel free to reach out with any questions. I’ll do my best to answer them. Shipping via fully tracked and insured courier. Please refer to the photos in the main listing above and below (click for high resolution) for more details. Sold as-is and as shown.
Price: 900 GBP
Location: Heanor
End Time: 2024-11-08T13:31:50.000Z
Shipping Cost: 105.25 GBP
Product Images
Item Specifics
Returns Accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: Ludwig
Type: Kit Snare
Item Diameter: 14 in
Items Included: Snare Drum
Model: Super-Ludwig
Material: Brass
Shell Material: Brass
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
