70's ludwig snares

[gmiller598]

So i'm looking at a local craigslist posting for what is labeled as a vintage 70's 5x14 Ludwig snare drum. It is blue sparkle, blue/olive badge, with 6 bowtie lugs and an internal muffler. Looks to be all original, including the heads. Is this most likely a Ludwig Pioneer?

I was going to inquire to the seller looking for more details but what should I expect? Would this be a maple/poplar shell? The ask is $350. Is this worth it or would a newer classic maple snare be a better buy?

 

[ARGuy]

That seems high to me. If you have a blue sparkle set, it might be worth it to get a matching snare drum, but otherwise I don't think Pioneers usually bring that much.

 

[thin shell]

A six lug would be a Pioneer. While Pioneers have been creeping up in price, $350 is a bit spendy for a six lugger.

 

[gmiller598]

That seems high to me. If you have a blue sparkle set, it might be worth it to get a matching snare drum, but otherwise I don't think Pioneers usually bring that much.

yeah, I have a new blue sparkle Classic Maple arriving this week and an opportunity to buy the matching Classic Maple snare for virtually the same price as this vintage one. I wasn't sure but after doing a bit of digging I don't think the Pioneer is what I'm really looking for.

 

[K.O.]

$350 seems a bit high although there don't seem to be a lot of B/O Pioneers and Jazz fests around. If it's a clear interior it is most likely mahogany/poplar/maple but might be maple/poplar/maple. If it had 8 lugs it would probably be worth that price to most folks, six lugs complicates things, they are still cool drums but for that same money you could explore a lot of other more versatile options like the Classic Maple you mentioned.

 

[CLMacPherson]

A local player/collector is selling a blue sparkle b/o Jazzfest for $390, so I'd say $350 is a bit steep. I can put you in touch with him if you'd like an 8-lugger.

 

[Swamptrashstompboxes]

I think I would not spend that much on a 6 lugger unless I was desperately trying to find a match for a set. Even then, way too steep.

 

[aldenyc2012]

I found a blue sparkle 1966 pioneer on Craigslist about two years ago. It is in almost pristine condition. I negotiated a price of $275 which I thought ( at the time ) was a tad high. It did not have the original snare and it had the white interior. Pehaps these days the going price might in the low 300. At the time I had just ourchased a 71 Hollywood kit blue sparkle and wanted a B/O jazz fest but the few i found were very expensive

 

[franke]

About five years ago or thereabouts, before the drumming world lost its mind and started pricing the most common "brand-name" snare drums in existence at 3x or more than their "actual" value, a Pioneer (50's-60's-70's) were $50-$75, and although no one asked, KS badge Acrolites were $75-$100, B&O 5.5 Supras were $100-$150, B&O 6.5 Supras were $200-$250 (B*o*N*h*A*m*!*!*!*! in CraigsList speak), while KS 5.5 Supras and 6.5 Supras traded hands at about 25% more their B&O counterparts. Most regarded the battleship-gray, fugly Acrolites at $50 or less, while the toneless black Acrolites (a.k.a. "Blackrolite") made good BB gun targets for shooters with double astigmatisms; also, just like now, irrational prices asked and received for anything in 60's BOP based on the collector market's valuation of the Ringo-juju of the BOP Jazzfest.

 

[Bun Carlos]

About five years ago or thereabouts, before the drumming world lost its mind and started pricing the most common "brand-name" snare drums in existence at 3x or more than their "actual" value, a Pioneer (50's-60's-70's) were $50-$75, and although no one asked, KS badge Acrolites were $75-$100, B&O 5.5 Supras were $100-$150, B&O 6.5 Supras were $200-$250 (B*o*N*h*A*m*!*!*!*! in CraigsList speak), while KS 5.5 Supras and 6.5 Supras traded hands at about 25% more their B&O counterparts. Most regarded the battleship-gray, fugly Acrolites at $50 or less, while the toneless black Acrolites (a.k.a. "Blackrolite") made good BB gun targets for shooters with double astigmatisms; also, just like now, irrational prices asked and received for anything in 60's BOP based on the collector market's valuation of the Ringo-juju of the BOP Jazzfest.

Five years ago, really? Maybe two or three decades ago prices were this low....imo.

 

[aldenyc2012]

Five years ago, really? Maybe two or three decades ago prices were this low....imo.

Most definitely... no way on this planet snare drums as described in the "5 years ago" post were selling at those. Bottom basement prices because if so, I'd be in possession of far more snare drums than I currently own .. which ain't many

 

[franke]

My 5.5 70's Supra in good condition went for $130 on eBay four years ago. If there was a way to search back through eBay five years ago to cite other examples, I could prove myself correct, but since there isn't, please feel free to continue to believe whatever you want, I really don't care.

 

[aldenyc2012]

My 5.5 70's Supra in good condition went for $130 on eBay four years ago. If there was a way to search back through eBay five years ago to cite other examples, I could prove myself correct, but since there isn't, please feel free to continue to believe whatever you want, I really don't care.

Sorry if my reply was interpreted as possibly being adversarial so please accept my apology but understand that I have been perusing sites like vintage drums, dfo eBay, reverb etc for far more than the last five years for drums and in all that time the only Ludwig snare drums I've come across at the prices you've seen were in pretty poor condition.

 

[CaptainCrunch]

I have no quarrel with you, but this simply is not the case, unless you meant twenty-five years. 20-ish years ago, I was professionally in the vintage drum biz and those were the kind of prices the guys would brag about paying “a couple years back, but not anymore now that THIS INTERNET MACHINE has ruined it”, and I trust my own memory more. My shop actually had standing “shopping lists” from multiple big names to call them up if we got X finish in whatever sizes, or certain size/pattern Black Beauties, etc. We were Bush League, but we weren’t in some isolated pocket of the country paying unusual prices.

 

[Rich K.]

My 5.5 70's Supra in good condition went for $130 on eBay four years ago. If there was a way to search back through eBay five years ago to cite other examples, I could prove myself correct, but since there isn't, please feel free to continue to believe whatever you want, I really don't care.

No such thing as a 5.5 supra.