Thanks for the correction!

more disapointment. I'm becoming jaded :(

So when did Ludwig start sub-contracting Supra parts to Asia? I have a 2000 Monroe Supra that I hope was made in the USA????

-kellyj

I guess nothing is sacred...

So, is a Monroe badge Supra less valuable than a Chicago drum?

The earlier ones may be worth more, but even though you are throwing this "China stigma" out there, the drums are still made to a high quality and most importantly.....they still sound like a supra should! The reason the metal parts are made outside the US is because of the EPA regs. It's very hard these days to have a dedicated metal foundry and plating business in this country without great expense due to environmental reasons. The Chinese have no such regulations at the moment, so the manufacturing costs are lower. The environmental costs will be much higher in the end to the Chinese down the road though. Ludwig is a manufacturer after all, and whether we like it or not, they are in business to make a profit. I'm sure this is the only way they can do it to keep making the metal snares affordable.

Guy's i did not say the shells are junk.I did not go to the NAMM show this year so i will not be able to check them out.What i was saying was the look of the stands and mount's these things look to me as M.I.J or M.I.C...I just dont like the look of the stands...Mikey

I'm with you, Mikey. No disrespect to anyone else who finds the new products contrary to the following opinion, but...

I look at those kits and the first thing I think of is, "It's just another Asian-made kit in disguise as an American kit."

I understand the argument about keeping the costs down and that Ludwig feels the need to play the game the way they do. However, the kits simply don't have the kind of original American styling that sets them apart from the next drum kit. No matter how good of a deal they are, money-wise, or how good they sound, they simply don't quite look right.

America is in bed with Asia. About every nine months, they produce a new baby. And each new generation of products carry the traits of the parents (so-to-speak). It's inescapable.

I DO applaud them for photographing the kits the way they did. The photos were very well done and they convey the old catalog-shot vibe. If I blur my eyes, it almost works...almost.

Its all about Asian made drums these days,its the norm. Don,t forget,some of us are old enough to remember the way it was. This new "marketing" is not for us but for the new generation who have no clue about the way it "was",or care for that matter.

It's curious though the number of twenty something drummers that prefer vintage.

I recently sold my blue sparkle 1967 Club Date to a twenty-one year old. Its what he wanted. Said he likes three-ply aged shells.

These people are doing their home-work and understand sonic differences between older aged three-ply construction and newer shells.

Nice video.

While I don't really care for much of the new stuff, I thought the gold sparkle Mach lugged kit was kind of sharp looking (everything being relative, of course).

That being said, give me the real vintage stuff over the new stuff ANY day.

Its interesting to note that in all Ludwig's offerings, the stand out and top end kits are 3-ply with re-rings! That formula for a resonant chamber was developed early on and has not changed and Ludwig knows it and is keeping it. Even the keystone badges are there! I don't think its co-incidental that 60's key-stones have been faithfully copied and offered in their new high-end kits. Young drummers are demanding the warm vintage tones of the 60's, 70's.

If you want heavy handed "attack", 6-9 ply birch is fine. If you want music from your drums...3-ply, warmer wood like mahogany, poplar, maple wins.

-kellyj

Guys, don't count out the thicker ply classic maple series either, they have a wonderful tone all their own as well....also a classic Ludwig sound....