The Ludwig Acrolite

Hi All,
OK- I'm new to this forum so I'm gonna' start out being obnoxious. For the last two years I've been using an Acrolite ink stamped Nov. 1 1967, Keystone badge number 543130. I bought it for $6.99 at a nearby Goodwill store. It even had the original Ludwig triple hoop labelled Remo heads on it. Both heads have "Eric Barton" in felt pen marked on them, with a peace sign added. I'm guessing master Barton did not pursue his percussion studies.

It is a wonderful drum being put to good use (new heads of course) with my "small gig" set. Dry as a bone and cracks like thunder. I also have a larger set for bigger venues (far and few between for me nowadays) with which I use my keystone COB '69 5.5" Super Sensitive I bought new in 1969. I saved up from my job as a retail stock clerk. Just about the best $200.00 I ever spent on drums.

My third and little used snare is a 1964 6.5" Ludwig mahogany black oyster pearl concert model. I bought it from a guy who said plaintively, "Will you give me $40.00 for it?" I said, "Yeah, I guess it's worth that."

Some days you get lucky!

O.K. I'm done being obnoxious;)
 
Hello, this is my first post and first Ludwig snare. I purchased a 1967 Acrolite and didn't notice the bent lever on the strainer. I can't imagine how it got bent, it seems pretty sturdy. So, the strainer moves nice and smoothly and the bend doesn't seem to affect any moving parts but I would like to know if it is possible to straighten it. I feel like I paid a fair price for the drum (not a great deal however) and the cost of buying a replacement P-83 looks to be pretty expensive. It's a shame because it's nice and shiny and not pitted. I've thought of ways to straighten it if I take it off the drum but I don't know how brittle this metal. Any suggestions on how to do it successfully or where to get a replacement lever would be greatly appreciated.

Also, is there a way to tell if the tension bolts and hoops are original?

Here's a pic of the strainer.
 

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Also, should there be washers between the P-83 and the outside of the shell?

See pics:
 

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here's my modded blackrolite, tried a dunnet r4l on it, the original p85 works smoothly tho. s-hoops and tube lugs as well.
 

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Yes scarlit, that is a Black Galaxy Acrolite (Blacrolite). Good find, great price. Well done!
 
Thanks, every now and then Guitar Center has some really good deals on used gear online. Been looking for an Acro for a while but didn't want to drop $150+.
 
How did I get into this story? I am a beginning drummer. I was sitting with 2 co workers in our coffee shop talking about our music. I talked how I was to purchase a snare drum to practice rudiments and brush techniques when one coworker said " I have a snare drum you can have for that." Turned out to be a Ludwig Acrolite with a serial number. I started digging and stumbled upon this thread. After considering all mentioned facts about the drum I ended up with a 1978 Ludwig Acrolite. My coworker purchased it from a buddy in the seventies, then he lend it out to a beginner drummer for basement practice. When he got it back he practically shelved the thing in its case until he gave it to me. Its in mint condish, no scratches on shell. Batter heads worn and snare side punctured, that was all. Replaced both sides with evans and have beautiful sound.
 
cruzmiguel said:
here's my modded blackrolite, tried a dunnet r4l on it, the original p85 works smoothly tho. s-hoops and tube lugs as well.
Click to expand...

Wow, I hope that sounds as good as it looks ?
I want to put tube lugs on my Blackrolite now too !
 
Anybody still watching this? I finally got mine. I was hoping that one of you gurus could date it for me. Early 80s?
 

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Here's a refurbed Ludwig Acrolite that I own. I found this used at a GC for $30, including the broken Tama snare stand it was sitting on. It was crusty and dirty, but structurally sound - no dents or anything, although about half of the original lugs had broken nipples.

I finished it with Rustoleum black hammered metallic spray paint, added tube lugs, put on a new P-85 throw, and turned it into a nice drum.

The hoops were crusty with surface rust, but extra fine steel wool and Brasso took all of that off. A bit of TLC on a $30 investment put me into a really sweet snare that I've used a lot.
 

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betterlatethannever said:
Anybody still watching this? I finally got mine. I was hoping that one of you gurus could date it for me. Early 80s?
Click to expand...

Based on the serial number and the rounded Blue & Olive badge, perhaps this is an early 80's as the 7 digit serial number is higher than the last '79 numbers shown (2013537), according to the info provided on the Reverb web page "How to Date a Ludwig."

https://reverb.com/news/how-to-date-a-ludwig
 
Thanks! I know this is the acrolite thread, but I thought you all might enjoy seeing what I got to go with it. A vintage Ludwig HH stand for $10. This thing is a beast and works perfectly.
 

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Awesome Acros here! For those of you who modified your acro with tube lugs... what brand of lugs did you use and where did you get them? Thanks!
 
This is just a fun story about the Acrolite:

My brother had this drum before me and parents were renting it from the music store, for probably $5/month or so. They kept renting it when he quit since I wanted to take school lessons eventually, and they had probably paid in enough to almost own it (rent to own thing). they made me wait until school let me take lessons since I was not in high enough grade yet (how I wish I could have started with lessons at age 6 instead of 12 - what difference that would have made). I think he started with it about 1978 or 79. i got it and never quit.

It always sounded really good. I never knew why, maybe the snares were just right I thought…

When we would do live shows with rock band, or go into the studio the tech and other bands even were always amazed how good the snare sounded. I would sometimes use the acrolite instead of the expensive studio snare for recordings. It sounded good so I kept using it even though it was a 1978 Student cheap-o drum.

Couple years ago I got back into drumming then researched why the snare sounded good and found that , like this post says, it was just a good snare.

Mine has the pointed olive n blue badge with two hole throw and original snares. The felt muffle is in a drawer somewhere, but I still have that along with the original plastic case and stand and even the cardboard separator and rubber practice pad. I think our family was probably the original renters/owners but am not sure, but has been with us since 1978.

If it would not have sounded good it would have been sold long ago with that original poc set I had. I am glad to see something from my childhood has worth and value, and I will keep the snare until I die.
 
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f15c said:
Awesome Acros here! For those of you who modified your acro with tube lugs... what brand of lugs did you use and where did you get them? Thanks!
Click to expand...
I think I got mine from Drum Factory Direct:

https://www.drumfactorydirect.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_9_10

Dunno - it's been a good long bit since I redid that Acrolite - 10 years maybe? It might have been Drum Foundry - I don't think they are in business anymore.

I think that the hole spaceing is 2 and 3/16ths in. Any tube lug with that spacing will work.
 
I have a bunch of different snares - some I paid over $600 for - but the one I like & use the most is a used Acrolite that bought for $75.

A lot of snares are louder than the drums in the kit but the Acrolite is a perfect blend.
 
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