Does anyone know what the triple-flange rims on the Ludwig Jazzette kits were?
Were they simply the pressed steel version or were they chromed brass?
I'm just finishing the buildout on a Canopus custom Jazzette and now it's time to buy rims.
Thanks to the Ludwig professors here in advance!!
Ludwig started transitioning from brass to steel hoops in as early as 64. it took a while though. I would think by the time the jazzettes came along that they were steel hoops.
mike
I'd agree with Mike.
There were no such thing as "Jazzette" drums. The name refers to a particular size and hardware combination of regular production Ludwig drums. As such they would have the same hoops as any other Ludwig drums of the time and by the time the Jazzette outfit configuration was introduced that would mean steel hoops.
Now if I were trying to recreate a Jazzette set and had the option of getting COB hoops I'd probably go with those but the originals were likely steel. Even if a brass hoop that was still floating around in the factory somehow randomly got sent out on an early Jazzette set it would not have been by design and would most likely been intermixed with steel ones (as many sets from the transition period had mixtures of the two types). The hoops looked the same and were made the same way, they just switched metals to a less expensive raw material in the early/mid 60's.
Brilliant answers from the forum. Thanks.
I'll be posting pictures of my all-Canopus Jazzette set here soon.
12x18, 8x12, 14x14.
Custom built 3-ply shells of Maple-poplar-maple with re-rings.
I'll go with the steel triple-flange for now and see how they sound.
If you're that concerned about the hoop material you also might consider this...
The earlier (and later too, most likely) Jazzette sets would have had a mahogany outer ply with the exception of the Natural Thermo-Gloss sets which, obviously, had a maple outer ply. The mid sixties Jazzettes most likely had a mahogany inner ply as well but once Ludwig went to a clear interior in circa 1968 the interiors were all maple. Despite what most people seem to think (and what Ludwig perpetuates with their Legacy series) on most wrapped drums during the clear interior 3 ply years the exterior ply was still mahogany. This was because the glue stuck to it better than smooth maple. So any wrapped Jazzette sets you see are probably either Mahogany/poplar/mahogany or Mahogany/poplar/maple.
The iconic catalog "Jazzette" clearly had a Mahogany outer ply since that was the finish of the drum.
