When it comes to drums, I have found out that older can be better. It just took a bit of time for me to realize this.
I still have my original set of Ludwig drums built in 1970. These drums had been sitting in basements and for the last 15 years, in my garage, gathering dust, getting rusty and looking Ugly. Much of the original hardware was in pretty bad shape, my cymbals were cracked and the heads sounded awful. Since I hadn't played in any bands while the kids were young, they were downright neglected.
When I joined an online forum for drummers (aptly named DrumForum), I started reading about how coveted these old Ludwigs were. Ludwig built these drums with maple shells in a way that gave them a sound that's been used in thousands of recordings through the years. Drummers like Ringo and Zeppelin's John Bonham, not to mention the most recorded studio drummer of all time, Hal Blaine (Carpenters, Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Byrds and a lot more) used the exact same drums that were sitting neglected in my garage.
When I joined the band Close to You, I knew I had to get these drums back in shape. They were, after all, the same drums used by Karen Carpenter, too. (Hers were silver sparkle; mine are blue).
It took about a month, but my ole Luddies are back in playing shape, Ugly Drumlings no more. I played my first gig with them in about 20 years last December. They sounded fantastic! I think they look great, too, but I'll let you be the judge of that.
I still have my original set of Ludwig drums built in 1970. These drums had been sitting in basements and for the last 15 years, in my garage, gathering dust, getting rusty and looking Ugly. Much of the original hardware was in pretty bad shape, my cymbals were cracked and the heads sounded awful. Since I hadn't played in any bands while the kids were young, they were downright neglected.
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| My 1970 Ludwigs at Harlow's Nightclub in Sacramento. |
When I joined an online forum for drummers (aptly named DrumForum), I started reading about how coveted these old Ludwigs were. Ludwig built these drums with maple shells in a way that gave them a sound that's been used in thousands of recordings through the years. Drummers like Ringo and Zeppelin's John Bonham, not to mention the most recorded studio drummer of all time, Hal Blaine (Carpenters, Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Byrds and a lot more) used the exact same drums that were sitting neglected in my garage.
When I joined the band Close to You, I knew I had to get these drums back in shape. They were, after all, the same drums used by Karen Carpenter, too. (Hers were silver sparkle; mine are blue).
It took about a month, but my ole Luddies are back in playing shape, Ugly Drumlings no more. I played my first gig with them in about 20 years last December. They sounded fantastic! I think they look great, too, but I'll let you be the judge of that.
