Ludwig ii was proud of the company his father started, largely based on the 1909 patented bass drum pedal, which allowed the drummer to sit down for the first time. History of the ludwig drum company paul william schmidt. Ludwig drum history theobald ludwig ludwig drum company. Ludwig and slingerlands historic drum rivalry reverb news. History of the ludwig drum company book sale price. So if you have a ludwig kit and would like to post it on here, feel free to do that.
Ludwig 1879 1973 was an american percussionist, drum maker, and founder of ludwig drums. Discover one of americas greatest contributions to the music world the drumset by exploring this book. Rebeats vintage drum history chicago drum show vintage. And in so doing it fills a gap of long standing in the published literature of kettledrums by providing for. Youll also discover why the best drummers ringo starr, joe morello, danny gottlieb, and others play ludwig drums.
When people think of iconic names in the world of drums, ludwig is usually at the top of the list. In paul william schmidts 1991 book, history of the ludwig drum company lots of cool pictures, william jr. The ludwig drum experts ludwig drums history vintage. Chris had a ludwig drum catalog from the early 80s, i think. The tradition and quality continues on today better than ever with a sound that could only be ludwig. Vintage drum guide houses all the research and history on ludwig drums and that is the place to do more research. Black oyster pearl ludwig drums, vintage drums, oyster pearl. Bill followed in his fathers footsteps by leading the company, overseeing the companys reorganization following world war ii, the beatles boom of the 1960s, and supervising a noted innovative. Vistalite drums were a line of acrylic drums produced by the ludwig drum company, introduced in 1972. I have not seen an official ludwig drums thread for posting ludwig kits and i thought it was time we had one. Ludwig acquired the musser mallet company, a manufacturer of xylophones, marimbas and vibraphones, in 1965.
He helped to create the national association of rudimental drummers and is a member of the percussive arts society hall of fame career. The ludwig drum experts are here to answer your ludwig drum history questions. Youll also discover why the best drummers ringo starr, joe morello, danny gottlieb and others. I was first drawn to the ghost for aesthetic reasons. Theobald ludwig, brother of william f ludwig and also a professional drummer at the turn of the century. So i asked al if it was ok to start one and he was all for it. According to harry canganys book, the great american drums and the companies that made them, robert. Moves forward to the 1920s and the the invention of the bass drum pedal and hihat pedals. The ludwig drum company was established in 1909 by william f. Created to be highly portable for the drummer on the go, ludwigs atlas classic series hardware is precision engineered for higher function and increased durability.
Complete business history and dating guide for all catalogued snare drums, outfits, and production clues such as badges, colors, etc. Ludwig standard drum set bronze strata 12,14,20 youtube. Over 150 photos and illustrations make the book history of the ludwig drum company an invaluable reference for all drummers. Centerstream publishing history of the ludwig drum company. Ludwig drum company history history of vintage drums. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. Bill as the sole owneroperator of the young company. The simple, lightweight approach of our original flatbased stands is enhanced with modern appointments, while retaining the core elements of their predecessors. The name vistalite refers to the translucent plastic that the shells were made out of. This is an excellent drum to consider if youre after the presence of a metal drum with the focus and control of a modern maple shell. Where possible, ive included tour book introductions and other comments by neil about the drum kit.
This unique publication uses extensive interviews with the ludwigs and photos from their personal collections to recall the origins, development, and tools of the craft. During the 1970s, ludwigs challenger line of snare drums offered sophisticated tuning and strong build quality. Ludwig drums for ringo starr are made in a small nc town. Youll also discover why the best drummers ringo starr, joe morello, danny gottlieb and others use. There is no question that bonham helped write the book for hardhitting rock n roll stage presence and drumming. The ludwig book by rob cook is an extensive and historic guide of the ludwig drum company.
Often imitated, never duplicated, ludwig snare drums have been the industry standard since 1911. A vistalite tivoli was also featured, as was the ghost pedal. Here are links to the different ludwig drum company history sections on this web site that will help you pin point the year and type of ludwig drums you have. Ludwig drums is a us musical instruments manufacturers, focused on percussion. It was used extensively on records by rock and jazz drummers of the fifties, sixties and seventies. Ludwig drums was now part of a merger with leedy drums under c. By 1923, the factory was the largest drum manufacturer in the world, employing 240 workers. My very first drum kit was a gold sparkle ludwig kit and just 2 weeks ago i went back to my roots and bought a. In 1917, ludwig signed a deal to build rope drums to support world war i. The ludwig book, by rob cook, is a business history of the ludwig family drum businesses which can also be used as a guide to identify many of the products they produced.
Theobald ludwig died in the 1918 flu epidemic causing bill to dedicate himself to ludwig full time. History of the drumset takes you from the late 1800s with brass bands and the founding of ludwig drum company. Ludwig vistalite john bonham zep set shell pack with snare. Who knows how many hundreds of thousands of them were made over six decades. The histories of the bass drum pedal, metal shell snare drum, and.
The ludwig zep set 5piece shell pack is a recreation of john bonhams legendary acrylic set. The ludwig book by rob cook is the definitive business and historical guide to this legendary drum manufacturer. The beatles drummer is one of its many famous clients. These acrylic shells and lm402 supraphonic snare give you those same looks and sounds. The ludwig bookcd the ludwig book by rob cook is the definitive business and historical guide to this legendary drum manufacturer. Discover one of americas greatest contributions to the music world the drum set. The ludwig supra phonic snare drum is one of the most popular snare drums of all time. Ludwig element evolution 5piece drum set with zildjian i cymbals. Combining a wealth of pictorial material with extensive written sources, it offers a rich and comprehensive survey of the instruments history from the middle ages to the present. A history of military drums and drummers in new york journal of books. The history of the ludwig drum company by william schmidt. This volume represents a unique iconographical and documentary history of the timpani. Listen to any hit song from the 60s through today and chances are youre hearing a ludwig snare drum.
The company added new products to its catalog, such as snare drums and timpani in 1916. I would probably start in the ludwig drum set catalog pages and the ludwig snare drum catalog pages since these cover many years of ludwig history. I seem to remember the catalog had the natural maple big beat kit with the american eagle on it. Includes dozens of interviews, a 64page color section, a dating guide including every catalogued ludwig snare drum.
History of american drums planet drum metodi, libri. A brief history of the drum set todays common drum kit is just 100 years old, even though drums have been around for millenia. This unique publication by paul william schmidt uses extensive interviews with the ludwigs and photos from their personal collections to recall the origins, development, and tools of the drum making craft. Theobald ludwig died in 1918 and william continued on his own. Unable to reconcile his feeling about drum production and management, william f. History of the ludwig drum factory by paul william schmidt available at the chicago public library and the making of a drum. The ludwig book a business history and dating guide book and. The histories of the bass drum pedal, metal shell snare drum, and the modern synthetic drum head are well documented. If you are learning about your ludwig drum set or ludwig snare drum and want help then please ask the drum experts. We truly appreciate your support of the ludwig family and keeping the history of the ludwig drum company going for many years. We specialize in ludwig, leedy, rogers, slingerland, gretsch. Vintage drum history is all about history for ludwig drum history, slingerland drum history, rogers drum history and the history of vintage drums, vintage snare drums amd vintage drum sets.
122 469 1076 1084 625 799 1379 189 366 924 1547 823 14 1387 1438 795 442 333 1293 244 364 289 696 435 964 1408 1160 12 403 810 26 1258 1052 300 715 802 882 153 1420 689 408 857 1182 713 721