1967 Ludwig Downbeat Restoration (Part 3)
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- THE WAIT IT OVER!!!!!
Vintage drums, or vintage sounding drums are all the rage right now. So what do I do when I receive a vintage Ludwig Downbeat kit? Restore it!
This is part 3 of a multi-video restoration series. Make sure you visit my channel to watch video 1 and 2 to see how far along the kit came!
The set has be outfitted with:
Coated Weatherking Ambassador Classic coated/Clear Weatherking Ambassador Classic clear on toms
Coated Weatherking Ambassador Classic coated/Ambassador snare side on snare
Remo Fiberskin felttone/Clear Powerstroke PS3 on Kick
Kick drum beater in video is the Vic Firth Fleece beater
Cymbals (from L to R):
Zildjian 15" K Light Hi-Hats
Zildjian 20" Kerope Ride (around 2100g)
Zildjian 22" Kerope Ride (around 2400g)
Zildjian 22" Kerope Ride (around 2100g)
Thanks for watching! Check out the other links below:
Ludwig Drums - www.ludwig-drums.com
Ludwig Musser Percussion - www.ludwig-musser.com
My Official Website:
www.nickcostamu...
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/ practicallynick
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Music by Joakim Karud (Good Old Days) - / good-old-days
Vintage Ludwig Drum Kit Restoration
#ludwig #vintageludwig #drumrestoration
See where it all started!
Vid 1 - ua-cam.com/video/lWW_CDVP9ss/v-deo.html
Vid 2 - ua-cam.com/video/-PCOL1_7Hy0/v-deo.html
Great job on restoring the Ludwig downbeat it looks a little brighter. & great choice on the drum heads. I also have a Ludwig down beat ringo wrap finish. Had since 1976 jr high school
Many thanks - very happy with how the kit came out!
What a kit you got there! Black Oyster will always have a higher value thanks to Ringo.
Wow ! Excellent job on this restoration.
They look absolutely superb !
Many thanks, @rhythmmista7707 ! Appreciate you following along in the journey
Great job on that restoration. That is one sweet drum kit. Great sound.
Many thanks, Steven! Great to see you enjoyed the series and love the sound - Thanks for watching.
Ahh, these are looking & sounding AWESOME! This is the step where I always have to decide, "Do we replace the resonant bottom heads?" Originals are cool, but the drums will sound a lot better with fresh lively Ambassadors on them. Also, I am now grasping the entirety of this set. It's got a super-vintage vibe. Man, I might have re-wrapped that snare to match the kit! Yes, there's more time & $$$ involved, but it would a real gem of a set. Great job on this one!
Many thanks for following along! Definitely cool but you’re exactly right - those heads are way past their prime. When I made the decision to keep the edges original, that’s when I decided to get new heads.
Plus, when I got the kit there were no bottom heads/hoops
Wow - they sound great. Nothing like Ludwig !!! That snare ! Wow
Couldn’t agree more. This is the sound everyone is imitating with the “modern vintage” drums out today.
Appreciate you checking out the video!
Nice job !!! Sounds like the 60s
Many Thanks! Appreciate you checking out the vid.
Sounds really good!!! Nice medium tuning!
Not bad for original bearing edges, either! Appreciate you checking out the video.
NICELY DONE!!
Thanks again, Steve! I hope you enjoyed the series as much as I did putting it together - cheers!
That snare sounds really nice! The whole set does, but the snare surprised me the most. Enjoy!
I was surprised too - has a great sound with a solid crack. Appreciate you checking out the series!
Yes… in revisiting this video series, that fact hit me too. Very snappy snare sound. Of course, we know it’s because that gold paint was in there for just the right amount of time before removal. It’s a Ludwig snare secret. 😜
@@BadChizzle When in doubt, roll on some gold paint and let that thing simmer!
@@NickCostaMusic I like the “Simmer” expression very much. Kind of (paints) a picture, doesn’t it. Like… season and simmer for decades. Ha ha! Nice one! ! !
@@BadChizzle I mean I could have said marinate, but it’s not like we’re talking about meat here - we’re talking drums! Plus, marinating means soaking and no one wants a wet drum!
I didn't think you were going to get the snare throw-off cleaned up. It looks almost new. Same with the bass drum rail. I have 67s as well and replaced all the hoops with vintage Ludwig COB ones. Try it...I loved the difference. Nice job
Awesome drummer and a nice look into restoring drums.
Many thanks, Seppo! Thank you so much for the kind words, and for checking out the series. 🙏
You earned it in your own right
Kudos on a great save! Consolettes aren't as bad as most people make them out to be. Especially Ludwigs version.
Thank you! The mount isn't bad - just like any mount with teeth sometimes it's hard to get it at the right angle, but super stable for something from the 60s!
For small sizes those drums sound fat and really good I want a leedy 6 .1/2 marine white pearl and it's unreal it's nickel on brass and the wood chopper rims just came across your channel tonight very impressed with the restoration I'm redoing some old Pearl with fiberglass from the 70s lucky tonight Show with Ed Shaughnessy. Really enjoyed your channel thank you!
Appreciate that, thank you! Sounds like you have a great project on your hands, those old fiberglass drums sound great
You did a beautiful job on the kit. And it sounds great! Kudos!
Thank you for the kind words! Definitely a labor of love, but super fun to play now that they're done.
Appreciate you checking out the series!
Three rides! They sound great. Love the resto job on this kit
Love the sound of the Kerope series - they pair beautifully with the vintage kit.
Thanks for the kind words, and checking out the series!
Very inspiring! I collect drums and my collection has been collecting dust lately. This motivates me to start taking better care of them.
Happy to hear, Aaron! What’s your favorite kit that you own?
A red sparkle Camco. 20/12/14. And a 5 by 14 red sparkle snare drum. Oak lawn tuxedo lug.
looks great
Many thanks bruce. Thanks for checking out the series!
I just binge watched this restor. And they sound just like I remember. DSW drums since 1967
Awesome, thanks for checking out the entire series and watching the process. Hope you liked it!
Nice job! Taking the time to do it right.
I"m restoring a 65 Ludwig black oyster pearl. I got some good tips from watching your restoration.
Thanks!
Appreciate the kind words, Giles! Sounds like you have a great project on your hands. Best of luck with it, and thanks for checking out the series!
Awesome seeing your process - thanks for sharing!
Not a problem, thank YOU for the support!
YES! I have been waiting for this video for so long! 😃
I cannot thank you enough for your patience. Who would have thought 20" bass drum hoops would drag out the process?!?
Kit sounds great!
Many thanks! Super happy with how the kit came out, especially with the smaller 20" kick and 14" floor. I'm usually one who plays 22 kick, 12 rack, and 16 floor.
Excellent job, bro! I know that was a labor of love for you! They look sparkelingly beautiful! :-)))))
Much appreciated! Very pleased with how it came out.
Great job,bro!💪🏽🙏🏼
Really appreciate that, thank you @artufrolov !
I recently purchased a vintage Ludwig as well and I want to do some restoration work on it.
Oh nice! What sizes and finish?
Great video series! You've inspired me to polish up and clean my Rodgers Holiday kit! Drums look sharp!
Thanks, Henry! Great to hear you enjoyed the series.
I’ve always loved Rogers Holiday drums! I’ve always like the blue swirl (don’t know the specific finish name). What finish are they?
@@NickCostaMusic Champagne Sparkle. 12, 14, 20 and 14 inch powerton snare! So much to play!
I expected the kit to sound great but the snare I didn't quite know what to expect and it's excellent. I enjoyed your playing and it's clear that kit found the correct, deserving owner.
Well done.
Any fool with a rich daddy can buy a top of the range new DW etc. and what you did is far more interesting.
Very humbling words John, thank you! I’m very lucky/happy to have them in my collection.
Thanks again for checking out my vids!
Man those drums look great!
Many thanks, Michael! Hope you enjoyed the video series, and Happy New Year!
Very nice restore. Enjoyed the process. I'm restoring 2 older Tama kits so this was the inspiration I needed.
Great to hear you enjoyed the series. Two kits?! Wow, that’s awesome - I hope they don’t give ya too much trouble.
Thanks for watching, and good luck with your kits!
Great job! They (and you) sound AMAZING!
Many thanks for the kind words, and for checking out the series!
Gorgeous! Great job 👍🏼
Many thanks! Hope you enjoyed the video
@@NickCostaMusic Indeed they did! It encouraged me to restore a 1970's Big Rock kit that I got for free as well. Can't wait to finish it.
@@avila2503 Awesome, much appreciated! Great to hear - would love to see how they turn out!
Great job and playing man!
Many thanks for the kind words, and for checking out the videos!
Great job! They sound fantastic!!
Many thanks!
Amazing sound!
Thank you - they turned out great!
Dang son! Those sound AMAZING! Great grooving!
I've got some MIJ snares here and trying my best to duplicate your tone. Im pretty sure they're the exact same woods as your WFL era Luddys.
It sounds like you were using 16 strand wires?
Im on a mission 😎...😂😂
Appreciate it, @JasonWelchMusic ! So glad I left the bearing edges alone. Because it’s a classic throw, they need a specific set of wires - I don’t think they made them in different strand widths
Looks really nice and it sounds great. Awesome job !!!
It looks like alot of work but it was worth it. By the way, nice playing there. You sound pretty good !!!😊
Many thanks for the kind words, Danny!
Thanks for checking out the videos
Those sound great man, very interesting series of vids!
Many thanks - appreciate the comment and checking out the videos!
Nice set man
Many thanks, Jim! Hope you enjoyed the restoration series.
Thanks for the info...Just acquired a Dec 1967 Ludwig Hollywood psychedelic red kit with a Jan 1969 5x14 supraphonic snare... *note to protect the date stamps on the inside of the drums during restoration!*
YES! Doesn't matter how careful you are, if you clean the inside, you're gonna run the risk of removing the stamp.
Did it on a mid 60s supraphonic like a moron...
They sound great, I've a 70's 3ply Ludwig great sounding drums !
Thank you - nothing beats that vintage 3 ply sound.
This was an awesome series of vids!!! I’m about to do a 69 blue sparkle Ludwig kit and wasn’t sure what chemicals were safe to use on the wrap. Thanks for all the info in these vids. Your 67/68 looks beautiful now. And sounds great!!!
Many thanks, Devin! Happy to hear you enjoyed the videos, and they helped give you some insight. Best of luck with your restoration!
Looks good well done
Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the video.
Just finished restoring a 67 20-12-16 myself in yellowed silver sparkle.... Love em!
That’s awesome! I bet they sound amazing.
Thanks for checking out the video!
Thanks for posting this. It looks and sounds amazing! I'm currently restoring a 60's Ludwig Silver Sparkle Pro Beat. It's a "players" kit so the Toms are from different years from the 60s. The 13" tom has a nice even patina that is almost ginger ale. Someone rewrapped the other drums. I'm struggling with whether or not to clean the ginger ale patina off of the 13" to get it to match the other drums. Any guidance would be appreciated.
No problem - glad you enjoyed it! Video 1 and 2 covers how I cleaned the hardware and shells. I’d recommend trying something like goof off to see if that helps remove the patina. If it doesn’t, you can lightly wet sand the shell with super fine sand paper. Finish it up with novus 3 step plastic polish to restore to original shine!
If that doesn’t work, then you can try to re-wrap. That’s always last resort since they usually press the wrap into the ply’s of the shell.
@@NickCostaMusic Thanks for the reply! Yes the 13" has the wrap embedded in the scarf joint. Thanks for all your help, I appreciate it!
Just picked up a 13/22/ and get this 18 floor In blue oyster pearl ... your drums look great. A lot of work ahead. Not sure if I’ll need to recut heads.
Sounds like a rad setup! Clean em up, put new heads on, then make the decision. If they're hard to tune you could probably flatten em on a granite stone with some sand paper - otherwise keep em!
Thank you for putting these restoration videos out. I just purchased my first vintage kit - Ludwig 1968/1969 22/13/16 Blue Sparkle and this will come in handy over the next few weeks. I've seen people actually sand the wrap finishes to get the grime, etc. off. Have you tried that method before?
That’s gonna be a fun kit to finish up. I’ve tried it with an orange sparkle wrap, but it looked slightly dull when finished. If I can’t get the wrap to clean up with blue dawn and water, then I’d consider wet sanding.
Thanks for checking out the vid, and good luck with your restoration!
Well done... Out of all videos on here this will be the one I use to help me restore my set........👍🏽... Still wondering where you got that soundtrack of the music In the back ground.....
Thanks Shaun! Glad to hear this series helped you get some ideas when the time comes to restore your drums. For the music, all of it is from Chillhop. They have a creator’s program for royalty free music
Thanks for doing the video series, great work. I know I’m late to the party, but wanted to ask more questions about the snare. Looks to me like it’s 14 x 5.5in, and if so, I’m wondering if it is a Super Classic snare? I just repaired/restored one very similar to yours (also did a video, not as good as yours though!). Mine is a “no serial number” keystone badge from 1961-63 timeframe I believe, just after your transitional badge. My drum had white interior paint when I acquired it, but no idea if it was painted at factory or not. In my case, I had interior wood damage that I wanted to repair (it’s a keeper for me too, not selling)... so I chose to repaint it white again. Totally understand why you left yours natural though. My experience so far is it’s been very difficult to find any info at all on the Ludwig’s Super Classic snares... most references seem to be to the mid-late 50s WFL “Buddy Rich” versions, many of which are White Marine Pearl. IMO, very few photos/videos of sparkle wrap Super Classic snare drums out there, and even less technical info. Mine also similar to yours in that looks like it’s a silver sparkle that has yellowed a bit over time, to kind of light champagne now (other than under the lugs!). Check out the guy with the blue Super Classic here on UA-cam, sounds amazing-I’m trying to get mine sounding Ike that. Thanks again!
Hey there!
The drum very well could be a super classic. It's 10 lugs, has the WFL classic throw off and a transition era badge. I would not be surprised drums like the snare in this video were put together with whatever they had lying around.
I'll have to take a look at the video, thanks for the tip and for checking out the video!
Well, maybe myth-busted already, my super classic is an 8-lug... more mysteries!
@@noslugs well I guess I can’t count. Mine has 8 lugs too (just pulled it out the case to check)!
I didn't know Woody Allen had a son, but I'm impressed that he can play drums!
He owes me 34 years of birthday presents, that’s for sure. Luckily my step dads Buddy Holly and Elvis Costello were always there to pick up the slack
@@NickCostaMusic Lol....the cheap bastard! You'd get some pretty cool presents from Holly, and Costello though. 🎸 🥁 🎷 🎹
Good job on the restoration, BTW!
Appreciate it - thanks for checking out the series!
Great videos! Did you ever find a better/modern rail mount part for the consolette?
Also, did you find a cymbal arm to go off the bass drum? I need those parts too, so I'd like to know if you found good solutions for those 2 situations. Thanks again.
Honestly, I didn’t look for the new rail for the rack Tom - this one is working out just fine. Apparently the modern day atlas rail will work - it should have the same hole spacing as the lugs. I haven’t tried it to confirm, though. amzn.to/4cVrbpg
As for the cymbal arm, I still have the original that came with the kit. I don’t use it though cause I always hear the cymbal rattle when I hit the kick drum. Ludwig does make a classic cymbal holder for bass drum that looks pretty period correct. Modern day durability, vintage look! amzn.to/3W3og8h
@@NickCostaMusic Thanks!
Wow. Great job. I especially like how the shells and hardware cleaned up. It looks like a new kit. All drums sound great especially the snare. Did you put a new rail consolete on.? Also are those kerope cymbals. They sound sweet. I had a 64 Slingerland kit similar to yours. But I had the tom edges redone. Better to keep the original edges as you did. Regards
Really appreciate the compliments, thank you! It's the original rail consolete, just swapped out the bolts for some wing nuts to make it easier to adjust. The cymbals are kerope's - good eye!
I debated on redoing the edges, but decided not to since they tune up well. If they didn't sound the way they do, I definitely would have had them redone. What finish were your slingerlands?
Slingerlands are red glass glitter Slingerland had some really cool finishes as well. The kit was in really good condition except the tom re rings needed gluing so the tom edges were redone. I have a Kerope ride 2355 grams. Do you find that yours is good for most musical situations? It’s funny but most of my modern kits (Ludwig/DW) required some edge work but my vintage kits have not. I also have a 61 Rogers. The exception is my Pork Pie kit which was great out of the box.
@@sopasadena1499 Very common with slingerlands - a buddy gave me a slinger kit because the same thing was happening with the rack tom! Although everyone says vintage drums are 3 ply, they're actually super thin veneers with a thick poplar core. Since there's no structure there, they put the solid re-rings to try and keep it stable.
I have 3 Keropes - 2 22", and 1 20". The first 22" I got was around 2100g, so I got a second that's around 2400g. I wanted one slightly heavier so I could get better stick definition. They're great cymbals - fantastic sound, great wash, although they have a very little bell definition. I'm okay with that, but if you need something with a bit more bell character, might not be the best choice.
Your drum kit sounds great! Maybe a dumb question, are the vintage classic drum heads constructed similar to a evans? Does the head sit flat or does it still have the step, like the regular heads. Hope that makes sense? Thanks Again, great project!
The classic fit heads from Remo are slightly larger to make sure they sit flat on older drums. Because I wasn’t sure if the drums were in round or not, I went right to em. Sit nice and flat, and tune up very nicely. Appreciate you checking out the vid and for your kind words!
Absolutely! I have a classic maple downbeat set, maybe I can get a similar sound. Thanks again ✌️
@@ozoz2931 Awesome! You're probably going to get a better sound in my opinion. Classic maple is a 7 ply maple shell, where late 60s saw ludwig go to a maple/poplar/maple 3 ply configuration that was more 2 maple veneers with a thick poplar core. They sound warm, but don't project as well.
Hi Nick, thanks for sharing this!
I would love to know how you stripped the snare interior back to its bare wood.
Did you just continue with the acetone? Any sanding required for it to look nice? Thanks!
No problem, Riley! Yep - just used acetone to remove the interior paint. Apply a little to a paper towel and wipe the interior until paint is removed.
Appreciate ya Checking out the series!
Thanks for the great video series! I'm working on a '66 downbeat and have a few questions:
1. How did you clean up the mufflers? I'm trying to decide whether to take them off or not. Mine are pretty gnarly but fully functional.
2. Did you get a new rack tom mount that doesn't require a wrench? If so, what did you get?
Hey Patrick,
1) because of the mufflers are spring loaded, I kept them on the shell and use never dull to polish them up both inside and out. It’s super cheap, and will be able to polish a lot of hardware with very little. You can get some here - amzn.to/2QMku0V
2) I actually took the guts out of an older tom mount with wing nuts and swapped them over (since the ludwig logo varies by era). Everything else I just looked for wing nuts that fit the screws at my local hardware store. Of course, I kept all original bolts, screws, etc just incase I ever have to switch back.
Thanks for checking out the video, and good luck with your restoration!
Hey Nick. Great vids. I would like to see how you dealt with the out of round floor tom. My '67 16" floor tom is pretty out out of round. I'm able to fit a Remo vintage ambo but man is it difficult to tune.
That’s Jarrod! I just put Remo weathering ambassador classic fit heads on them with no problems. The classic fit series are slightly larger to help fit over vintage (out of round) drums. I’d say try that fist, you can get one here - sovrn.co/x0866be
@@NickCostaMusic Hey thanks Nick. Actually fitted one of those and really struggling to tune. Gotta crank on the lug nearest the flat spot and still having wrinkles... May be that it's just too far gone....
@@xiage965 That, or the hoop is a bit warped and not catching the collar of the drum head. If you happen to have another 16" hoop, try swapping to see if that helps. If not, could possibly be fixed with a slightly shorter tension rod?
@@NickCostaMusic Thanks for the tip Nick, that's a good suggestion!
@@xiage965 No Problem - hope it fixes the issue!
Hey Nick, thx again for the inspiring videos! You mentioned the trouble finding the hoops for the 20" bd. Mine also has 20" but the hoops are in far more bad shape and i want them replaced. Thickness about 0,7 mm ( 0,27" i think). Are those the ones that are not available anymore by Ludwig? If so i can ask a drumbuilder here to make new ones... thx alot. Joris (Antwerp, Belgium)
sorry that should be 7 mm
@@JorisPtrs Not a problem! Great to hear you enjoy them.
As for the hoops, modern bass drum hoops are thicker than the ones from the 60s. This causes issues because the bass drum claws are too narrow to catch onto a modern day hoop. The best option is to get them refinished, or keep searching until you're lucky enough to find replacements
Nice restoration. I have a 65 club date sky blue pearl which yours is not oyster Your new rack part from Ludwig did not show clearly on video. Is it an exact replica or different?
Nice cymbals
Many thanks! Are you talking about the rail mount? It’s the same one, I just found a T wing nut with the same threading so I don’t need to use a wrench.
Fourteen inch floor toms from that era are rare.
Interesting - I thought downbeat configs were 20, 12, 14 ?
They are, even Ringo's first Ludwig set with The Beatles was a Downbeat in that configuration (snare was replaced with a 5x14 Jazz festival wood snare drum).
What r the hi hats they sound good
Many thanks! They’re Zildjian 15” k light hi hats
Awe man you didn't show us what you did to the tom mount on the bass drum .
Just went to my local hardware store and found T wing nuts that fit the threading
Kneeling on a hardwood floor...oh, to be young again. Sigh. 👴🏻
LOL - can still do it, but concrete is starting to get tough...
Appreciate you checking out the vid!
@@NickCostaMusic It was great, thanks for sharing it!
@@RustyKnorr Appreciate it - thank you for checking out the series!