Identify this Ludwig drum set?

alparrott said:
Trying to answer the last few questions that nobody else has:

Ludwig Rockers, in this case refers to the heads. There were several lines of Ludwig entry and midrange drums called Rockers in the 70s, 80s and 90s, but these are not those.

SR2s are factory refreshed Sabian cymbals that could have started out as anything (AA, HH, AAX, HHX) and now are unique one-off cymbals sold at a reduced price. They are a literal roll of the dice; sometimes you get something great and sometimes not so much.

Your pedal is a Ludwig 400 pedal, which was a line they had in the 90s and 2000s to pack with lower and mid-range kits. It's functional but not anything super special or collectable.

It's hard to tell what's going on with the tom mount on your smaller rack tom. I can see one of the mounting bolts lying around inside the tom. You'll need to take off one of the heads and try to bolt it back on from the inside. If you are missing one of the bolts, or they're broken, you can get functional replacements at any hardware store.

The snare drum is an inexpensive imported steel snare identical to millions that have been sold to students and beginners for decades. It has very low street value in and of itself ($25-50 depending on condition).

[EDIT:] The shells by themselves are in pretty decent shape, so judging by the prices being asked on Reverb, you could probably get at least $1500 for them as is; if you clean them up super nice and throw fresh heads on them, probably more than that. I would recommend selling the stands, snare, and cymbals separately if possible - the drums by themselves are desirable, but having to take it as a package deal might make it harder to sell. As I said above, the snare is worth no more than $50. The cymbals could maybe go for $200-250 all together. Each stand is probably worth about $50-60 apiece. The bass drum pedal is worth no more than $20.
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Thank you for this thorough answer! Yes, it is clear that these drums are not Rockers; perhaps the bottom heads were taken from a kit of that series? Or did Ludwig also make a series of Rockers heads independent of that kit series? Either way, the bottom heads are in good condition and do not need replacing. I will update the damaged Fiberskyn top heads though. These particular SR2 cymbals are great! I tried them with my band and am strongly considering holding on to them. The Gibraltar stands are also very nice and matching, so I may very well just sell the shells separate and keep everything else. Thank you for identifying the pedal; I will find a suitable replacement beater for it. I have tried fixing the tom mount from the inside already (believe it or not, I am a professional drummer/music teacher but my knowledge on the history of Ludwig drums is spotty at best). There does not seem to be any problem with the bolts. I think the hole in the wood itself might be stripped because the issue is that one of the screws won't fasten into the mount through the drum properly; what can be done about this? If I can solve that problem, clean up the drums and replace the top heads, I think I could make a pretty penny off this kit. Thank you for the estimate; that is the same kind of price I have seen online for this style of kit too. I will be tempted to keep them but I do need the money somewhat desperately. I will most likely hold on to the cymbals and their stands.
 
JoeVermont said:
If you were up in the northeast U.S. I'd say it might have been my old kit.
Had the same kit back in the 80's, sold it - did not regret it at the time but sure do now. :)
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I am in western Canada. Who knows? Maybe your kit did make its way all the way here. It does seem like a keeper but I do need the money somewhat desperately. 😭
 
jda said:
agree 100% @sutheric do you understand that? You'll have to take that tom tom's drum head off to get inside.. Which begs the question.

Did they come with a Drum Key? 😁 you'll need one of those..to remove a head

~
That's a (potentially) beautiful set when Service is complete. (bass drum heads seems salvageable) . 25 years ago may not have said that. That's a set that will last a 100 years of home use ; )
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Of course I have plenty of drum keys (I am a professional drummer) and have tried to screw the mount back in already. The issue is that one of the screws won't grip or stay in properly. I think the wood around the hole in the shell might be stripped. There doesn't seem to be any problem with the hardware itself. 🤔
 
Drumolator said:
That looks like a nice drum set, and I also like the cymbals. I have had good luck with the SR2's. I have one is my setup now. May that set give you years of musical joy. Peace and goodwill.
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These particular SR2s are great! I may need to hold on to them. I also really like the matching Gibraltar stands they came with.
 
sutheric said:
I think the wood around the hole in the shell might be stripped.
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not following. what's the wood have to do with metal screw into metal mount
you mean the wood's collapsed? or deformed there?
I mean you have that large washer should alleviate any 'wood' concern?
It's metal screw to metal bracket- wood's just in-between.

1753911122670.png

that ^ one should go together just like


1753911349984.png

^that one. If the screws are still rolling around inside.
~

the bracket mount nuts were 7/16" wrench size - when new- that one pictured "looks" (rounded-off)
~
I see one screw rolling around..
 
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sutheric said:
Thank you for this thorough answer! Yes, it is clear that these drums are not Rockers; perhaps the bottom heads were taken from a kit of that series? Or did Ludwig also make a series of Rockers heads independent of that kit series?
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Rocker is the name of a line of heads made by Ludwig in the 70s, 80s and 90s that is independent of any drums that were also named Rocker. They were standard equipment on any and all Ludwig drums of the era. There's no special significance to this. They were fitted to Supraphonics, Acrolites, Classic Maples, Rockers, and 3-ply Super Classic shells alike.
sutheric said:
These particular SR2 cymbals are great! I tried them with my band and am strongly considering holding on to them. The Gibraltar stands are also very nice and matching, so I may very well just sell the shells separate and keep everything else.
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Yeah, those stands are very serviceable and if you like them and the cymbals, might as well hang onto them. Less of a headache.
sutheric said:
I have tried fixing the tom mount from the inside already (believe it or not, I am a professional drummer/music teacher but my knowledge on the history of Ludwig drums is spotty at best). There does not seem to be any problem with the bolts. I think the hole in the wood itself might be stripped because the issue is that one of the screws won't fasten into the mount through the drum properly; what can be done about this?
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The bolt may have broken off with part of the threads actually stuck in the mount; check for that. If both the mounting holes on the tom mount are free and clear, just get a longer bolt at the hardware store so it reaches through the shell and catches thread in the mount. Those bolts are not anything special and I do this all the time.

If this doesn't describe the problem, then maybe you can take some more pictures to help us understand what's going on. There's likely a very simple solution.
 
jda said:
not following. what's the wood have to do with metal screw into metal mount
you mean the wood's collapsed? or deformed there?
I mean you have that large washer should alleviate any 'wood' concern?
It's metal screw to metal bracket- wood's just in-between.

View attachment 159830

that ^ one should go together just like


View attachment 159831

^that one. If the screws are still rolling around inside.
~

the bracket mount nuts were 7/16" wrench size - when new- that one pictured "looks" (rounded-off)
~
I see one screw rolling around..
Click to expand...
Yes, it is clear where everything is supposed to fit. If it were anything that obvious, I would have figured it out by now. The issue is that one of the screws won't fasten in properly. I have tried both screws and they both work in one hole but not the other. They both fit in the mount in both holes without the drum, so this leads me to think it must be a problem with the drum itself somehow, even if that doesn't seem to make sense. Thank you for your help!
 
alparrott said:
Rocker is the name of a line of heads made by Ludwig in the 70s, 80s and 90s that is independent of any drums that were also named Rocker. They were standard equipment on any and all Ludwig drums of the era. There's no special significance to this. They were fitted to Supraphonics, Acrolites, Classic Maples, Rockers, and 3-ply Super Classic shells alike.

Yeah, those stands are very serviceable and if you like them and the cymbals, might as well hang onto them. Less of a headache.

The bolt may have broken off with part of the threads actually stuck in the mount; check for that. If both the mounting holes on the tom mount are free and clear, just get a longer bolt at the hardware store so it reaches through the shell and catches thread in the mount. Those bolts are not anything special and I do this all the time.

If this doesn't describe the problem, then maybe you can take some more pictures to help us understand what's going on. There's likely a very simple solution.
Click to expand...
Thank you for clarifying all of this. I will try using a longer bolt.
 
You noticed that large washer (iirc) is curved right? so you have it flush against the shell..
 
sutheric said:
Yes, it is clear where everything is supposed to fit. If it were anything that obvious, I would have figured it out by now. The issue is that one of the screws won't fasten in properly. I have tried both screws and they both work in one hole but not the other. They both fit in the mount in both holes without the drum, so this leads me to think it must be a problem with the drum itself somehow, even if that doesn't seem to make sense. Thank you for your help!
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More likely a problem with the mount, not the tom shell itself - the threading might be stripped or the bolt might be broken off in the threads. Those mounts are very easy to find on Reverb or eBay, and not super expensive.
 
alparrott said:
More likely a problem with the mount, not the tom shell itself - the threading might be stripped or the bolt might be broken off in the threads. Those mounts are very easy to find on Reverb or eBay, and not super expensive.
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Sounds good. Thanks for your help! Everyone has been very informative. I will update you all when things are sorted out with the kit.
 
heartbeat said:
Rounded badges, so I'm gonna say '79 or '80 (before the modular hardware). My '78s have pointy badges and I believe they switched '79ish. Six-ply maple/poplar shells, butcher block finish.
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Beat me to it. I bet with new heads they would sound really good!
 
jda said:
not following. what's the wood have to do with metal screw into metal mount
you mean the wood's collapsed? or deformed there?
I mean you have that large washer should alleviate any 'wood' concern?
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1000013863.jpg
The screws fasten into the mount as they should when the drum and washer are not in between them, so I would say it has to be a problem with the wood. In fact, here it is...
1000013864.jpg
The hole with damage around it on the outside is the one that neither screw will fasten through. I have even tried turning the mount upside down, and still, neither screw will fasten through that one particular hole into either end of the mount (and yes, I always use the big washer inside, secured properly). This seems to remove any doubt that the problem is the wood itself, but I am at a loss when it comes to finding a solution for this.
 
don't see how that chipping would increase the distance the screw has to reach the mount or any other reason.

-What do you think the wood is doing there to not allow the screw to enter the mount. Any guess

-is the bulging wood moving the mount outward (then sand the wood down) Any other reason you can see?
-the mount will cover that area so experiment with chipping some of the damaged wood away.

Whats Your Solution or the reason why there's a problem

- I think you're getting close to the solution

- I'd get a small metal file out of the toolbox and flatten that bulging wood down

- If that's what's stopping attaching the bracket

- drummers partly are mechanics
 
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jda said:
don't see how that chipping would increase the distance the screw has to reach the mount or any other reason. What do you think the wood is doing there to not allow the screw to enter the mount. Any guess
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This is what puzzles me. The problem must be properly identified before a solution can be found, but I am not well versed in mechanics or woodworking. The chipped wood does create a *very* slight bulge in the shape, since this is the part of the drum where the layer ends, but it seems unlikely that such a small deformation would present any issue with working hardware...
1000013865.jpg
And the hardware DOES work independent of the drum. Both screws fasten into both slots on the mount, and they even both hold secure into both slots through the other hole in the drum with the washer. Just not through the damaged hole. So it MUST be a problem with the wood around the hole at that point. Are you on board with that?
 
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