I recently got some extra cash and wanted to buy a cool vintage kit to play gigs with. I found a Ludwig "SPARKLING BLUE PEARL" super classic close by. He says it's a 1964 but the keystone badge says #44xxx? Which means its from 1966?
The shells look alright but the cymbal arm is missing. 9x13 16x16 14x20.
He's asking for $1099. Is this a good deal? Just looking for some veteran advice. I'm also open to start restoring. Thanks
A super classic would be a 22" bass. That price seems high for a possible mismatched kit.
That price is a bit on the high side, but not totally out of line - if the drums are completely original, not modified, and in excellent condition. You might want to shop around a bit. BTW - the Super Classic set generally features a 22" BD.
$1100 is too high for those drums. I'm sure they're great drums, but keep searching. If the bass drum were 22x14, I could *maybe* see paying $1100 for them if they were a time capsule kit.
Where are you from? Here in Portland, you can buy vintage Ludwig sets all day every day for $600-700, but if you're in NYC, they go for about $1600 (I've heard...). Where you're at determines what they typically sell for.
Thanks for the feedback, this site is awesome.
I felt it was a bit high too. As far as the bass drum is concerned, the seller thinks that Ludwig always offered a 20" in lieu if a 22", if it was factory ordered. Is this possible?
Thanks for the feedback, this site is awesome. I felt it was a bit high too. As far as the bass drum is concerned, the seller thinks that Ludwig always offered a 20" in lieu if a 22", if it was factory ordered. Is this possible?
Absolutely possible, and quite common. I, for one, only looked for 12/14/20 and 13/16/22 setups when I was shopping for some Ludwig kits. 13/16/20 never really seemed attractive. I think it has to do with how well the 14 and 20 go together, as well as the 16 and 22. Just my thoughts on the matter...
44xxx is indeed normally a 64 drum.
mike
$1100 is too high for those drums. I'm sure they're great drums, but keep searching. If the bass drum were 22x14, I could *maybe* see paying $1100 for them if they were a time capsule kit.Where are you from? Here in Portland, you can buy vintage Ludwig sets all day every day for $600-700, but if you're in NYC, they go for about $1600 (I've heard...). Where you're at determines what they typically sell for.
Price variations depending on the location where it's sold is an interesting topic.
I was aware about discrepancies between a Vintage Ludwig sold in United States or Europe but within the States itself ? One would say that postal services are quite flexible and affordable these days.
Over here (Belgium, Holland Germany, UK), a 3-piece kit like that, depending on the finish, its condition and whether it has matching serials or not would go easily between 1000 and 1500 Euro. Showroom examples sold by well-recognized sellers go up to 1750 Euro and more!
Converted to US Dollars, that's about double the price mentioned above.
If a vintage kit is worth a price like that,... well that's another question,...
