I posted this on DFO as well but maybe some of you guys don't go there. I would love to hear opinions on what you would offer for these. I want to be fair but I don't want to pay retail.
This isn't mint, or unmolested. These were tools used for years by a working drummer, and maintained through the years as well. There are extra holes for added hardware, missing rubber parts, etc...
20" bass, twin 9x13's, 16x16 floor....and 5-1/2x14 snare. Then of course all the stands including WFL hi-hat and Speed King pedal. Oh yeah...there are also these really yummy bendy transition stamp paper thin crashes, and an old K 15 that he used as his top hi-hat cymbal. These guys are the really thin ones where you can see the stamp on the underside. I guess the only negative is that the owner kept them polished. The cymbals are 15" hats (one K and one Zilco), 3x 17" crashes (2 paper thin transition stamp A's, 1 newer A custom). These tins are ones that live up to the fantasy descriptions I see on Ebay. I got tingles, literally, when I crashed into that 15" K.
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I got a call this afternoon from a guy who got my name from the local music store (free plug for Music Shoppe of Normal). This fellow's father was a weekend warrior from the late 1940's until just a couple years ago when he suffered a major stroke. The son just brought them by an hour ago so and left them saying he was told he could trust me and he wanted for me to research these and give an offer.
Just looking at the drums got me liking the old guy immediately. The snare batter is blackened from brush strokes. He did a homemade install of a toe stop on the WFL Speedking, the bearing caps and linkage have been replaced (ie: maintenance). He stored all his cymbals in the tops of the fiber cases by installing a bolt through the center and used fur (real...rabbit I think) for dividers between the cymbals. One of the coolest things was in the hardware case I found a notebook he kept full of off color jokes to be told from the bandstand....it's not PC (ie; funny). Also in there were set lists, newspaper clippings, NOS 1980's Pro-Mark 7a's, brushes, and some vintage (50's-60's) drum keys.
It got me thinking about how some day some guy like me will be going through my stuff and seeing items that held some significance to me or are indicative of something about me. This is the 1st time I have been looking at a score where I feel like I might want to keep them and use them. These aren't museum pieces, these are tools used by a normal guy whose passion was being on that bandstand. I am that guy as are many of you. I won't be on the cover of MD or be called in for a session in Nashville or LA. No one is going to buy a DVD of me teaching poly-paradiddle-ratamaque-double bass fills. But when I am on the bandstand I am in my element. I am a drummer first and foremost. It just doen't pay the bills for me.
I really have no idea what to offer. I don't need another kit. But there's just too much cool mojo going on here.
ALSO!!! Does anyone have an idea what brand/type of tom mount is shown right above the Ludwig mount?