All, I'm selling my late 90's Classic Maple snare finished in African Pommele Sapele. This is an odd drum in the fact that it is finished in the exclusive African Pommele Sapele finish that was used in the 90th anniversary drums. This drum is just like those with the exception of the badges. Instead of the oval anniversary and signature badges, this drum has a keystone badge. It even came with the fancy leather case. The case is in rough condition and I plan on keeping it and restoring it. I will throw in a Ludwig backpack snare case that is in decent shape.
Here's the rundown. The drum isn't dated but is stamped 120 on the interior of the shell. My guess is they had an overun for the anniversary drums and used the best shells for the lot. There were only 90 official anniversary drums. I believe this is #120 of the produced shells. The drum is beautifully finished and is in excellent condition. There is a spot on the drum where there is just a tiny bit of a raised area. It follows the wood grain and is behind the tube lug. It can really only be seen if you look at it at an angle. There also is a little bit of stain on the bearing edge which could easily be sanded off. I didn't bother with it since it really isn't that noticeable. There also is a very small scratch to the finish that doesn't show up well in my photos. I would guess that since the shell isn't exactly 100% perfect that it was maybe sold as a B stock item. Again, this drum is gorgeous!
I replaced the P-85 with an exact copy that works fine. I also put Ludwig 20 strand snares and a Ludwig batter head on the snare. The snare side head already had a Ludwig head. Now, the drum is exactly as it would have came from the factory. If I were you, I'd throw a P-86 on this sucker! I would have but didn't have one handy. The only non-Ludwig item on the drum is that I took off those horrible plastic strips and used grosgrain ribbon instead.
The drum was purchased online from a music store in Monroe North Carolina which is where the drum was made. This drum is beautiful! I'm just saving my pennies for possibly going to the Chicago show this year.
Here's some crappy pics of the drum. There are tons of reflections in the pics:
http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/pandfac/Ludwig%20Classic%20Maple%20Snare/
Here's what an actual anniversary drum looks like:
I'm looking to get $300 plus shipping. Thanks!
Ray