Getting to Know Ludwig's Classic Maple Line

[MrB]

Welcome and thank you for reading! A few months ago I created a thread seeking information on the Ludwig Classic Maple series, which may be found here: http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.p...ple-20000.html


In the time since, I pulled the trigger and purchased a three drum shell pack. Here they are from the shop:








2011 Ludwig Classic Maple in White Marine Pearl with Mini Classic Lugs


Sizes (all diameter by depth): 12"x9", 14"x12", and 22"x16"

Price paid (before tax): $1,470


Special Instructions: All drums ordered without mounting hardware; kick ordered without spurs (I had the shop install aftermarket Cannon Pro ones):





Once I picked the kit up, more adjustments were in store. All heads were replaced with Evans:


Toms: G Plus Coated over G1 Clear
Kick: EQ4 Clear, stock reso ported with 4" hole.


The tom batter hoops were replaced with S (safety) hoops which flare inwards, counter to tradition. This prevents errant strikes to the bearing edges. Peeking inside the shells while swapping heads, the insides were butter smooth (and sealed-no pores to absorb the sound), as were the bearing edges, which felt slightly rounded (the manufacturer claims 45 degree edges, but they feel rounded over like the retro style).

I then fitted the Gibraltar TSS Mounts, which are basically Gauger (RIMS) mounts. Here's everything set up.





The word count may get me soon, so I'll break off into a new post. To be continued!

[MrB]

Part II- What Ludwig Did Well and What Ludwig Can Improve

What Ludwig Does Well

-The overall construction is very good, especially for the purchase price. The shells are in round and the edges are smooth.

-The lugs are rather primitive compared to some other brands, but the teardrop shape has been around for some time and is fairly easy to get a replacement for if necessary. It doesn't take up much real estate, stays in line, and has a small gasket to prevent direct shell contact.

-Ludwig offers several finishes spanning stains, lacquers, and wraps. I looked into custom shops, and was surprised some would flat-out refuse to do a wrapped finish.

-The option to order the shells virgin (including the kick without spurs) was just right for me and not in any way a hassle.

-While changing the heads, I found each tension rod was equipped with these little guys:



Each rod has what I can only describe as a dental elastic. This serves to keep the tension rods with the hoop, an annoyance that Ayotte addressed some years earlier with a more complex solution of a special cut-away lug and a horizontal set screw (which is hollow to allow a nylon insert to lock the tension rod in place):



I think I happen to like Ludwig's take on this matter a little bit better. It's a simple solution using a cheap, widely available part. It's like something Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters would devise.

-Ludwig, being a mass market manufacturer, offered a turnaround time of eight weeks and by nature of the business model allowed me to try the kit in the sizes I wanted before purchase. This is markedly more difficult when going the custom route, but that's another matter that's been discussed elsewhere on the forum.

-THE SOUND! I'll discuss sound more in a later post, as I feel drum construction is merely one component in the overall sound puzzle, but within a few minutes I was simply amazed how powerful and rich the kit sounded with very little tinkering. Nothing has sounded this good in my practice space.

What Ludwig Can Improve

-I was shocked that the kick drum hoop didn't have a rubber area for the pedal to fasten on. I don't know whether I just happened to have the bum luck of having my kick shipped with two reso hoops, but I cut a black felt sleeve for the time being for a total cost of about $.17.

-The terminology and overall marketing of the kit is a little confusing. The term "classic" is abused by Ludwig much the same as "custom" is by Yamaha. I'm under the impression that the kit is Ludwig's professional level offering, something like a Yamaha Maple Custom/ Maple Custom Absolute, maybe a notch higher than the Tour Custom.

In the next installment I will explain why and how I ended up with this kit and hopefully you will find it helpful in deciding what kit is right for you. There's a lot of choices out there, and this is just one of them. Stay tuned!

[MrB]

Part III- Finding What Fits.

Let's continue with what I had before the Ludwigs and what made me change.

Here's the old kit: 2001 Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute (Vintage Natural) in 10"x9", 12"x10", 14"x12", and 22"x18". The 10" tom isn't pictured.



Why on earth would any person in their right mind sell this kit? It's beautiful, it's professional grade, it looks lovely. Am I that picky that somehow this wasn't good enough for me?

No. I simply came to the realization that this wasn't the right kit for me. For ten years I kept this set in the house, safe from wandering guitar players, curious audience members who may spill their drinks on it, and free from the nicks and cuts of going in and out of bags, cases, the car, etc. It sat in the basement with a blanket over the kick to prevent tom rash.

One day I was watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off when it clicked. I was treating this set like Cameron's father treated the car. This was no way to live. I wanted a kit I could put in cases, put in the car, take to the guitar player's house, and just relax. A wrapped kit would take some scuffs in stride, and eventually, it could be rewrapped. That made sense to me. I also had stopped using the 10" tom, even considered selling it on its own. That would be difficult, and it would be foolish to break up the whole set.

One day I said the time was right. Let's sell the kit to someone either more carefree than I, or to a true professional who will place it in a nice home studio.

With that in mind, I knew from experience that I'd want:

-a wrap
-maple
-the 12", 14" and 22"x16" sizes. I explored sizes in detail with my black Stage Custom kit, which at one point went 8-10-12-14-16 with one kick. When I bought the MCA kit, I had fully intended on getting a 16" shortly afterwards. The 14" was equally powerful to the Stage Custom's 16", or at least close enough for me. Regarding the kick, the extra two inches made a difference trying to move the kick from one part of the house to another. The 18" got snared on door frames. The 16", not so much.
-a budget- I was willing to spend $1500 on three drums, and that's it. That's all it should be, for me, since this is just a hobby to me!

Armed with this, I started on a mission to try any and every kit fitting these three criteria that I could find. Time to visit some old friends on the local scene, the local shops, and CL.

I tried my teacher's DW kit. It was nice, it was White Marine Pearl, it was the same sizes as my MCA kit... it was good, but nearly indentical to my kit to my ears. Not worth spending more to me to get a wrap. I thought about just getting a wrapped Yamaha. I looked at another DW at GC. I tried my friend's Taye StudioMaples and Starclassics. I tried a GMS kit at the local open mic night.

I then thought about going the custom route. I got quotes from SJC and a local fellow who works with Keller shells, as well as Ayotte. You don't want to know how much. It's scary! I talked to Noble & Cooley. No wraps from them, no discussion.

I then thought about trying to go about getting the parts and assembling it myself. A quick look at the bookshelf I repainted reminded me this was probably something best left to someone with more woodworking experience.

Lastly I tried another friend's Classic Maples, and the search was over. My expectations weren't high, as the Ludwig name to me conjured memories of a battered elementary school kit I used to grapple with, and old black and white photos of drummers in the 1970s without reso heads and flimsy hardware. Ringo? He wasn't even the best drummer IN the Beatles! I was pleasantly surprised, and his kit (Gray Marine Pearl) looked understated and the price for what I wanted was in line with what I wanted to spend.

I think for a fourth and final installment I'd like to talk about brand perception, endorsements, and why this should be dismissed early in the purchasing process.

[gonefishin]

The white pearl finish screams classy.

I play a vintage Ludwig set and would be curious to know how these sound so if you ever get the chance to post some sound clips from the new set please post or let me know.

Great looking set.

[marko138]

Fantastic story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading that!

[MrB]

Thank you, gentlemen! I'll have to pester my guitar player to record a few snippets when we get together to jam. We did home recording before, but I have no idea what vault that got locked into.

[Larrysperf]

Very cool and welcome to the Ludwig family you will never leave lol.Drums look amazing. Ludwig almost always puts rubber on hoop ,wierd you didnt get 1
but I take them off and install a stainless piece on hoop you can see in my personal pictures. I play all Birch set, but have a maple set in storage. Great great set

[LudwigLifer]

Im glad you love them.There is something about the sound of maple that sets it apart.

[Larrysperf]

Also very nice Ayotte snare

[MrB]

Thank you, sir! Thank you also for the stainless steel suggestion- I'll check out the hardware store and see if there's a piece of cabinet hardware or something that I can slip over the hoop.