That is a gorgeous drum...and a heck of an anniversary present! As I said, I absolutely love deep snares. I actually own two 6.5" drums and three 7" drums. I'd love to acquire the 6.5" brother of my new old Ludwig.

My congrats to you and your wife on 25 years, by the way!

Lynn

That's a beautiful drum as well!

You're right about nickel being under the chrome plating! I can't remember all the steps in the plating process, but nickel is the last step before chrome. I wasn't thinking about that earlier. I'm gonna call my plating guy tomorrow and see how much he'd charge me to strip the P80 down to the nickel. Hopefully not much...and I hope he can do it in less than a month.

Thanks for the info on your plate. No worries on the pic. What you explained was about what I was thinking, which is a moot point since I bought the P80. But, now I feel more comfortable if I need to try that route in the future. The one you got off eBay looks pretty nice...and solid.

Lynn

I got the P80 in yesterday and got it mounted. So, I can at least play the drum now - which I intend to do this Sunday at church - until I can find the original bottom hoop, strainer (or parts), tension rods, and buy some new NOS clips.

I have another question, though. Does anyone have any suggestions for dealing with the P80? When I first installed it, I pulled the arm into the up (or locked) position, but the wires were too buzzy. I lowered the arm and dialed up the tension about a full turn, then I could barely pull the arm up to the locked position, but it was still too buzzy. In order to adjust the tension of the wires how I want them, I had to loosen the knob, then bring the arm up to the locked position and turn the knob to add tension. I didn't try, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to release the arm now...and if I could, I wouldn't be able to bring it back to the locked position. Has anyone else had the same experience with the P80?

At least it's playable now. Here's a pic of how it will be until I can find the original parts.

Lynn

That looks slick! Nice job on the cleaning. Wish I could help you on the strainer issue. Maybe a bit of lube on the arm mechanism of the strainer?

Hi SlingerLynn. Your problem may not be the strainer. What wires do you have on the drum? Standards have narrow snare beds. They were originally designed for 12 strand wires. I would try a set of modern 12 strand wires or perhaps 16 strand wires and your problem may be solved. If you are running 20 strand wires they aren't fitting the beds properly and are causing the buzzzzzz.

When tuning keep in mind you can't force a 1920's drum to be a 2000's drum. IMHO they work best with narrower wires and a medium tuning.

I am a Rogers collector, but I love to play these drums. My "go to" snare for the past 15 years is an unpolished (I prefer the patina as it took 80 years to get there) player 1920's Standard 6.5x14 with 8 tube lugs that has the same p80 you have, set up with 50's NOB triple flange hoops and 16 strand Puresounds with a medium tuning and it is one of the best playing drums I have ever owned. Yes the p80 is stiff, but it holds the tuning. With the right wires you won't be cranking as tight and your t.o. will work just fine.

Enjoy! You have a nice drum that just needs the right set up.

Thanks, Mike! It looks much better that the dirty thing I pulled out of the box a couple weeks ago. My fingernails still look like I soaked them in old motor oil, but that's all part of the experience of restoring an old beauty to it's former glory.

Lynn

Thank you very much for the advice! I had a set of used 20 strand Puresound Blasters laying around, so that's what I put on the drum to get it together. As you recommended, I ordered a set of Fat Cat 16-strand wires (I'm pretty fond of Fat Cat and have them on 3 of my other vintage snares, but they don't offer a 12-strand). If that doesn't solve the problem, I see that Puresound offers a 12-strand.

I actually don't have another set of 8 lug hoops available. I have a set of NOB hoops on my Jazz Fest, but I play that drum at church quite often. It's set up just right, so I don't want to borrow the hoops off of it.

Your drum looks real nice with the nickel triple flange hoops. It's almost time for me to change the batter head on my Jazz Fest, so I'm real tempted now to go ahead and borrow the hoops since I'll have one off to change the head anyway. I can always set it back up. Decisions, decisions... :p

Oh yeah, I'm a fan of medium tuning anyway. So, I certainly won't be trying to tune this one up too high.

Thanks again, Powertone! I really do appreciate the help.

Lynn

SlingerLynn.... Sounds like you are on your way to a great drum sound. Bet the wires make a big difference. Had the same buzz issue when I tried 20 strand wires on my 5x14 Standard. Think I tried 16 and then ended up with 12 strands.

I really like the NOB triple flange hoops for playing. I do a lot of Roots music and ride on the hoops a lot. Triple flange are definitely easy on the sticks and you dont totally sacrifice the character of the drum. Try out those NOB hoops from your Jazz Festival. Bet you dig it.

Be sure to keep us posted on how it works out.

By the way, I was able to narrow down the dates a little. I did some digging on the internet and found a 1922 Ludwig catalog (I guess the direct link is not allowed, but I searched "1922 Ludwig drum catalog in Google and found a link to catalogs at www.drumarchive.com). The 8-lug, "Ludwig Trade Mark" stamped-shell drum with 338 strainer and single-flange hoops is not shown in that catalog. So, I'm quite sure now this drum is no earlier that a 1923 model.

I could not find a 1925 catalog, but I did find that John Aldridge referred to the 1925 catalog in "Guide to Vintage Drums" on page 137 (https://books.google.com/books?id=SQkjBOF-iH4C&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137&dq=1925+ludwig+drum+catalog&source=bl&ots=-b7WZR5KyN&sig=_-zDP4SH6mkWrWd16IaJErtqjiQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjthu3G4LLOAhXERSYKHZSHC1sQ6AEIRDAK#v=onepage&q=1925%20ludwig%20drum%20catalog&f=false). He states, "The DeLuxe Model doesn't appear to change in the 1925 catalog, but 1926 brought in a whole new configuration. The Super Ludwig DeLuxe snare drum, with 10 tube lugs..." I know the drum I have is not a DeLuxe Model, but other than the engraved gunmetal finish and gold or Artgold hardware, all other features are the same.

Also, the Super Ludwig in the 1924 catalog on pages 1 and 2 is the first brass drum I see with 10 lugs. The 8-lug drum with 338 strainer and single-flanged hoops (like the one I have) is shown on page 3. The engraved gunmetal finish DeLuxe Model is shown on page 4, also with 8-lugs and wearing a 338 strainer and single-flange hoops. In the 1926 catalog, there are no 8-lug models shown - the NOB drum with 338 strainer and single-flange hoops is now shown with 10 lugs and advertised, "Equipped with 10 separate tension rods..." I don't think I've overlooked anything...and I hope I put all that in a logical order.

So, with this information, I feel certain this drum was made between 1923 and 1925. If anyone else has any other information, I'd appreciate it greatly.

Lynn

Is that what this drum is called...a Standard? I didn't see that in the catalogs, but I may have missed something...it's a lot of info to absorb. The only thing I picked up on so far was that on the top of the catalog pages advertising this drum, it said, "The Ludwig Snare Drum" and lists the 5x14 as the All Round Model.

I know what you mean by "sacrifice the character of the drum." I like the look of die cast hoops, but they just look totally wrong on this drum. It looks nice, but just not right. I may sacrifice using my Jazz Fest a while to use the NOB hoops on this drum for a while. I can't make up my mind. You've got me thinking hard about it, though.

You've also got me thinking that maybe I should just go ahead and order some 12-strand wires. I can always use the 16s on another drum.

Again, thanks for all your help and advice.

Lynn