DW, I reckon they have turned a corner of late. My Jazz Series kit is sweet. I'm a little confused about new Ludwig too. Based on the Legacy kit on show at the London Drum Show a couple of years back they have not achieved in my mind the goal of bringing back that old sound.

Maybe people are thinking of the entire history of Ludwig instead of just new offerings. Or maybe a lot of people have not really examined DWs up close and personal.

Of course this forum should really be called the Ludwig Vintage Drum Forum since almost everyone on here has at least one Ludwig.

I've played Ludwig's for most of my drumming life but a good friend of mine loves Yamaha'a and I play his a lot. They aren't vintage but they feel and sound really nice. I get to play some Dw drum at the school where I teach and they are really well made, tunable and have a beautiful finish. I don't think I would buy a new Ludwig if I was shopping for a kit. If I couldn't buy vintage I think I'd go for Dw's.

So I am curious for all who voted Ludwig; which model are you considering?

Pretty much impossible as everyone has their own hierarchy of what is important to them.

Still I have to wonder Ddrum as #2 on your list?

Rolls Royce, Yugo, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari,.......

Now that's a funny post!

Welcome back to the forum K.O.

John

what it comes down to you can have the best set in the world if you have the wrong heads and cant tune them they mite as well be 1 ply luan, so any decent made kit can sound great with the right control...

Ok, I thought I had to have 10 choices, I don't know if I could have 9, I haven't done that many survey's. So using Modern Drummer advertisements, posts on this website, my personal experience, Guitar Center gear, and some drum catalogs, I listed the most common new drums available.

I wasn't listing them by any criteria or that could influence poll takers. I just alphabetized them.

More like: Ferrari, Mercedes, Porsche, Rolls Royce, and Yugo, alphabetically of course!

The reason I asked is two-fold:

1.) Were people just voting for a name brand they know and love?

2.) I am considering adding some additional kits to the rental fleet and one would be Ludwig. So which of their new lines might be considered most versatile?

I agree that proper head selection and tuning to fit the particular idiom will have a serious impact on the final outcome, however, there are indeed fundamental differences between vintage drums and modern drums and from manufacturer to manufacturer that certainly weigh in. For instance, I find I can tune all of my modern kits in their lowest range and still get a lot of them. The same is not true with my B/O early 70's kit. It sounds good tuned low but it sure does not give the player much in return. I feel like I have to beat the daylights out of it. When I tune it up into it's mid range, it quickly turns into a Bonham-esque kit that is pretty awesome.

If I had to choose from that list my choices would be Sonor, Gretsch and Ludwig. To answer the question above the Ludwigs would be legacy.