Yes, age indeed... Remember the version done by Leonard Nimoy? Enough to make your ears go pointy...

Okay, check out the actual finish swatches pictured.

http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/ludwig_standards.htm

That shows a better depiction of what Ruby Strata actually looks like. And it does fade. When it fades, it goes almost pink and gray. To MY eye, your kit is a slightly-faded Ruby Strata kit.

I will agree that the PICTURE of the Ruby Strata sample is much redder in that one example. In fact, I've never seen a Ruby Strata kit that red. But I have seen a few that look just like the kit in question, here.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk57tQmRw70&feature=related[/ame]

Were those the ones in Richmond, VA. You beat me to them. They are so cool!

To add to the ongoing discussion of whether these are Gold Strata or faded Ruby Strata, the interiors of the shells have a handwritten (in pencil) "G". Could this possibly signify "Gold Strata"?

Also, if it's a faded Ruby, how can all 5 drums equally fade the same all the way around -- even the bottom of the bass drum? I had a Psych Red bass drum that was faded out on the top and sides, but the bottom of the drum had all the rich greens intact and no fade at all. The bottom of this Ludwig Standard bass drum is the same as the top.

Yeah, they're the ones from the Richmond VA Craigslist

I reserve the right to be wrong! But.. of the examples I have seen and from the way the finish looks in the photos you provided, I am sticking with Ruby as my guess.

The examples shown in the Vintage Drum Guide do not accurately represent which finish your drums are. So, something must have happened to make the color a bit ambiguous by comparison. However, I have seen Ruby Strata look exactly like the drum set you have posted.

I am less familiar with Gold Strata, but based on the examples in the Vintage Drum Guide page, your kit doesn't even come close to what it says Gold Strata is, in my opinion. It mmmmmight be Bronze Strata. It doesn't look like Gold at all, to me.

As far as how they could fade evenly: Chemical reaction. I have drums that have never seen the light of day and yet are faded or "honey-ed".

What does the "G" mean? I have no idea. I have a red sparkle drum with "J" written inside it.

Man oh man. These Standards are potent enough to start another civil war! States Rights, my eye. That ain't got nothing on the debate for which strata is wrapped on a drum. I feel comfortable with the blue and maybe the avocado. You get into the bronze, gold, red, or even lemon...and it's time to bring the youngun's in from the field and prepare to lay down cover fire. Shoot, this is tough. I can see why the previous threads were so darn wild. I've looked at these drums over and over and over...I still think they are ruby...and then I see traces of gold...and then I see that red plain as day...and then it's a bit bronze-like. Futile.

OK, I hate always being the brilliant one with all the answers, but here is a solution to the problems were having identifying those evil strata wraps. Everyone should ship all their Ludwig Standard drums with any strata wrap to me. This includes any orphans out there, I don't want to discriminate. I'll create a study group. Local people that know nothing at all about drums or percussion. Every so often, we'll remove a lug, look under it, and note the difference in color under the lug vs exposed. This difference will be known as wrap leakage, not fading. I will keep the drums in large conical containers to attempt to slow and or capture the leakage. Maybe one could paint it back on. After all, a drum wrap is only a pigment. Unfortunately it's not edible, like bacon. All the drums should be able to be returned at the end of the study, in about twenty years.

Now, wasn't that refreshing?Toilet

a few more pics. Yeah, maybe it IS faded-out Ruby... ???

Either way, it's pretty cool-looking still! :)

OK, I wasn't voting before. I don't own any weapons, so was a bit nervous about it. Now, I agree... Faded Ruby Strata! Cool!