I began playing drums in the 60's!! By far, the drums I saw the most at the stores I frequented, Wallach's Music City and West Covina Music, were Ludwigs. Both stores carried Rogers and a few Slingerland kits. Wallach's did have one really cool Sonor kit I drooled over, but for the most part, it was Ludwig all the way. I'll never forget the 4pc Super Classic at West Covina Music, in White Marine Pearl. That's the kit I wanted... but had to settle for a 4pc MIJ Lyra in gold sparkle. Aah, memories!

Mark

I aint harpin' on the beatles, I just cant hear what was supposedly so great ? they were ok, they were nowhere near the beach boys, the music speaks for itself- and ringo was nothing amazing drum-wise, he was no better than dennis.

And the only reason I can think of that ludwigs were more accessible is cuz they werent as good quality-wise as rogers or camco-

there was no drummer in the 60s or 70s that was even half as good as hal blaine and earl palmer, they played on the best records ever made.

their you have it. oh here is what you've accomplished. you have mar·gin·al·ized yourself. which means,,,, : to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group.

I feel an argument a-brewin here :)

My opinion is yes Ludwigs reign supreme and not because of Ringo. And just because Blaine played on a ton of hit records doesn't make him superior to Ringo or anyone. Honestly I think Blaine was a bit lucky and just kept getting the gigs because he was willing to do them. Right place right time. His playing never was like "wow". He just did what was asked for the music. Was also listening to Palmer on some erly 60s stuff and yes he was good, nothing wow-like. Ringo is certainly better than Dennis Wilson. Though Dennis' Camco's are worth more these days.... But we live a free country so everyone's opinon matters.Jump For Joy

p.s. As for the Beatles, all other music is just that - music. Beatles work is in another stratosphere. Heard youngsters sining "Here There & Everywhere" on American Idol last night and God if that wasn't the most perfect song every written I don't know what...

1960's - Gretsch, Rogers, Slingerland and then The Beatles happened and Ludwig ruled the second half of the 60's. Camco and Leedy were there but definitely not most popular by any means.

1970's - Rogers, Slingerland but Ludwig was still king. Gretsch became a lot less popular where Sonor was starting to gain ground.

1980's - Tama ruled the early 80's, Yamaha ruled the mid-80's and Pearl dominated the late 80's. Sonor was still fairly strong.

1990's - Pearl pretty much dominated this decade. But DW and other smaller shops like GMS and Noble & Cooley were starting to gain popularity.

2000's - The vintage revolt was well under WAY! Vintage drums became the norm. In the wake of all of this the big companies started to scramble and started offering vintage wraps again, something that was taboo once the lacquer finishes and virgin drums became in vogue in the 80's.

DW was very popular in this decade despite the other companies losing ground to the vintage market. Fibes seemed to have almost a cult following with their return in 1994 that got stronger into the 2000's, myself being one of the cult followers! Gretsch was also making a huge return to being popular again.

2010 to present - Gretsch, DW and Ludwig appear to be the big three right now. Only time will tell if they can hold their ground.

Hmmm...

I am not sure why you insist on berating the Beatles? And why is it the only comparison you ever want to make is to the Beach Boys? Again, music is not a sport or a competition. Everyone has opinions, but to quickly dismiss the Beatles is to display a complete lack of understanding of modern music history. Besides, I thought we were talking about drums...

I think we can all agree that Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers and Gretsch were the heavy hitters in the states in the 60's. MIJ drums became the disruptive technology that allowed multitudes of kids to start emulating their drum heros. Eventually Japanese drums morphed into quality instruments so the Pearls, Tamas and Yamaha kits became popular. Then the boutique companies. It is good to see Ludwig and Gretsch making a strong comeback. All of this from a Premier fan.... Actually, I love them all. If it's round and supports a drum head I am interested.

I think this post asked "most popular drums by decade" so popularity does not have anything to do with quality, quality drums may be very popular or not so popular depending on a variety of factors, including celebrity endorsements, price, and other marketing decisions. Of course as originally stated, without sales figures from each drum manufacturer we can only give our perceptions of popularity. This is not necessarily an endorsement of a particular drum, it just means that we saw a lot of those drums around at that time.

As far as the Beatles vs. B.Boys, or Ringo vs. Dennis, or Hal Blaine, or Steve Gadd, or anyone for that matter, I think when a drummer reaches a certain level of proficiency in drumming ability and musicianship it's impossible to objectively rate drummers. Not to mention that who you play with and the music you play impacts your opportunity to showcase your ability. Does it take more ability to restrain yourself and play a simple beat or to let loose and take an insane solo?

To say one top drummer is better than another is purely personal opinion. Of course you can tell a beginner from a seasoned pro, or even a proficient amateur from an experienced studio drummer, but how do you compare a jazz drummer playing to "Nica's Dream", and a rocker covering his version of "Won't Get Fooled Again". How do you judge that?

I am a judge at Guitar Center's drum off and I have a real problem with drumming as a contest. Yet, I continue to judge the drum-off because it inspires young drummers and gives motivation for people to improve on their drumming and work towards a goal.

And Dare I make this next statement, but I think there is an awful lot of subjectivity and personal preference with rating drum quality as well! There I said it, go ahead and rip my head off!

Amen brother! My favorite drummer is Billy Cobham yet there are plenty of drummers out there that don't like his style, it's all preference for the most part. Personally I don't like The Beatles but I dislike The Beach Boys even more, to each is own I alWAYs say.

You dislike the beach boys, so you don't like music in general but yet you post on a drum forum???

That's not the kinda remark you wanna make in public much less a forum pertaining to music and drums ??

At this point this threat has turned into a gag.

So now you're discrediting Hal Blaine who is widely known as the most important drummer post-jazz age and in the past 50+ years of recorded music. And how was ringo better than dennis ??? Ive heard that before but never anything to back it up. Watch any beatles footage with ringo, nothing great about his drumming, and dennis was just as good if not better if you watch footage of him or listen to records he played on. I dunno if some replies on here are just for laughs or if theyre legitimately what some people believe but it digresses to beyond confusing ??