01 Jan 1977
The choice is yours. Never before in the history of the instrument have the choices been so wide and varied, and we mean choices: Wood, fiberglass, woodcovered fiberglass, plastic, chrome, and stainless steel, plus the widest array ever of super sturdy hardware and beautiful finishes. The drummer of today is in a position to choose and custom design his equipment for every conceivable musical need. With so much to choose from, one might easily find himself in a virtual maze of shells, heads and hardware. We hope to clarify things a bit, to aid you in your decisions, in this our first
A D R U M SET S H O P P E R S G U I D E : PART O N E candid report on the equipment features of LUDWIG, SONOR and PEARL P A R T 2 next issue, MD looks at Gretsch, Slingerland, Fibes and Premier. In P A R T 3 we'll visit Rogers, Camco and Tama.
LUDWIG 1728 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, III. 60647 The Ludwig Drum Company, formed in 1909, is one of the best known names in percussion. Well known for its many innovations and unsurpassed advances in design and engineering, Ludwig always has been, and still is, a true leader in the world of drum equipment. Along with an outstanding wood line, the company also produces the "Vista-lite" series (transparent) in clear, tint, and multi-colored, and has recently added stainless steel to its list of goodies. The Vista-lites are very attractive and available in a wide range of color combinations from tints, to the colorful stripes of the rainbow. Both the Vista-lites and the stainless steels are excellent for sheer volume and projection and offer the player not only good tone, but durability as well. Melodic tom setups ranging from 6" to 14 x 16" are ideal for projection and tonal variation for the modern sounds. Ludwig's predominance in the design and production of hardware is well known. A glance at the rugged "Atlas" line says it all, with tubular legs for strength and self-leveling floor glides for maximum stability. The precision diecast "Speed-King" pedal, with compression springs has gone basically unchanged in design over the years and many a player will attest to its unde-
Drum-Set Shoppers Guide by JOHN McGARRITY and DAN
WIEDMAN niable reliability.
tom holders are the essence of efficiency, simplicity and sturdiness. Ludwig's new boom cymbal stand is superbly constructed and the perfect solution to the problem of getting those cymbals in close amidst multi-tom set-ups. Despite the predominant gap between toms in the design of both the #781 double tom mount and the #1345 floor stand, Ludwig mounts have still proven themselves to be extremely reliable under all kinds of playing conditions, and we don't know of anything that makes playing height easier to regulate than the pneumatic "Airlift Throne". In snare drums, the seamless "Super- Sensitive"
affords super efficiency in snare changing with many additional tensioning options, and, of course, the "Supra Phonic" has now become an industry standard in terms of precise and vivid definition. Don't under estimate Ludwig in the head department either. They're still very much in the running with their fine "Silver Dot" series designed to cut back on overtones. Ludwig is, and always has been carefully attuned to the needs of the drummer, from design concept, right on down to its fine network of dealers. They have kept in touch with todays drummer, and are deeply involved in the overall advancement of percussion. Perhaps this is what has kept them high on the list of the finest drum equipment manufacturers in the world today.