These drums appear in the 1928 Ludwig Drums catalog and were apparently manufactured for a few years, so they date back to the late 1920s or early 1930s. Included are a 14" x 28" bass drum (Catalog No. 203-PK) and 5" x 14" snare drum (No. 22-PK). The No. 955 "Two-Tone Wood Block and Holder" is also included. The snare shell is solid (steambent) maple with reinforcement rings, while the bass drum is presumably 3-ply, mahogany on the inside with maple reinforcement rings. The drums are excellent candidates for restoration, as the condition is good and the pearl is in remarkable shape. Some cleaning, minor repairs, and two new heads would make them suitable for both playing and displaying. We'd like to keep them together, so we won't sell either piece separately unless necessary. Please review the detailed photos and contact us with any specific questions or concerns. What follows is a rundown of known issues, which may not be comprehensive; please expect typical wear and tear for approximately 90-year-old drums. First, each drum has one intact and one torn head. The bass drum has nice tone and is usable as is, but the snare side head must be replaced. The good news is that the snare drum will likely take modern heads; we tried a regular Coated Ambassador (snug) and a new Classic Fit Ambassador (floating) on the batter side after taking the shell interior photos. The bass drum, on the other hand, is typically undersized at around 27.5" actual diameter and will require custom tucked heads. Both intact heads are dirty.
The snare drum is missing one interior lug screw, and shows some minor separation between shell and reinforcement ring and at the seam of one reinforcement ring itself. Those issues are easily repairable. There is some glue residue inside the shell, and what is presumably glue residue on the exterior as well: see underneath the badge and extending to the panel to the left in that photo. We're assuming that that's removable using a solvent of some kind. The bass drum has a block reinforcing the installation of the marching eyelet which we're not sure is original. Note the Oliver Ditson tag on the shell interior, which presumably is original! Otherwise, expect some cosmetic aging of the metal parts, slightly bent tension rods here and there, and the like. All of the lugs and rods seem to function properly; we're not sure about the snare throwoff because of the trashed bottom head, but it seems to be intact. We're going to limit this listing to the US48 only due to the size of the bass drum. Shipping is free, and we'll evaluate offers based on the shipping costs to your location. Local pickup is of course welcomed. Thanks!
