The drums have definitely been repainted on the interiors.

The wrap doesn't look right to me, but I can't be certain from those pictures.

The red baseball bats should not be on a 1969 kit. A kit from 1969 would have had rotary knobs with gray, felt round pads -not baseball bats. And the interiors should be clear maple if they are from 1969.

The sizes for a Downbeat are correct -20 X 14/12 X 8/14 X 14.

Depending on the type of paint they used, paint removal could be a headache -not impossible, but time-consuming.

Derick, what all O-lugs has told you is all true, Here go to this link your serial #'s are in the 1969 list but go there and look for yourself !!http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/serial_numbers.html

Thanks for the response guys. These are old ludwigs though right ? They have the old ludwig lump and seem to be correct as far as holes for hardware etc.

Is there any way to tell if the badges have been swapped or if it is the mufflers that have been replaced. Don't know if I trust the badges.

I just want to put a nice old Ludwig vintage kit together for me to play. Would like for it to be period correct though. Is this worth the restore ?

At the end of the day I want it to look nice but doesn't need to be in the Smithsonian.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Derrick, take pics of the badge's and the vent holes from inside and outside, also the wrap show us the seams!! you can post them on your post here!!

Will do ! Be home from work in about an hour and I will knock em out.

Thanks

Yes, they do appear to be vintage 3-ply Ludwig shells.

I would need to see some close-ups of the badges and grommets (both interior and exterior shots) to say if the badges were tampered with. But, my guess is that they have been.

The wrap along the bearing edge of the bass drum looks as if someone really overdid the glue-job (if in fact that is what I am seeing)...and still the wrap appears to be separating from the shell. That makes me very suspicious of a poorly-done re-wrap.

Depending on what you paid for those drums, you might be happier in the long run if you just look for a different set and let someone with experience restore those...because once you start looking at loose wraps and fixing problems related to that, it could become frustrating. A loose wrap could certainly affect the sound.

Can you take some pictures of the badges/grommets and also take some of the outside seam of the wrap and some close-ups of the bearing edges?

beat me to it!

Burger Kin

I can help you out with the restoration(It looks like a cool old set) Send me a private message and I'll tell you every thing I know.

Wait just a minute...those serial numbers are 5 digits. 1964.

-Bill