Monroe Ludwig Question

[tama1310707]

Quick question for the Ludwig Monroe owners: Does anyone know if Ludwig made any kicks with small classic lugs? I have a 26/14/16/18 that I just grabbed and I'm trying to figure out if it's legit or not. All 4 drums have matching small classic lugs and Monroe badges.

 

[& You Dont Stop]

Ludwig Classic Birch from about 20 years ago. The Line started as Rocker Pro. The giveaway is silver keystones.
I doubt they made a 26" kick, though

 

[& You Dont Stop]

can't see the lugs too well, but

 

[712drummer]

I have a 98 kit (classic maple) with small classic lugs on all drums

 

[70's Drummer]

I have 2004 Classic maples with all mini classic lugs.

 

[blikum]

I have a Classic Maple Monroe kit with small classic lugs. I ordered it that way. Not sure if they were put on kits that were non custom.

 

[Heartbeat]

When I ordered a kit in '06, you had the option of mini-classic, classic, or long lugs. You could have minis on every drum.

 

[K.O.]

At some point (I don't recall exactly when) the "mini" classic lugs became the default lugs on all drums and you had to order the bigger lugs that used to be standard on bass drums and floor toms. So from that point forward all the catalog sets generally only had the minis although the option for the larger lugs was available if you were ordering a set built to your specs.

So actually the small lugs on the bass drum have been the norm for the past (approximately) couple of decades.

 

[yetanotherdrummer]

My Classic Maple set came with mini lugs as standard when I purchased it new in 2011.

 

[fun2drum]

I owned and recently sold a 2003 Classic Maple Set that had minis on all drums including the 24" bass. That was a great drum set. Can you post pictures? Not closeups of the lugs - I mean so we can see your set.

 

[dangermoney]

My 2003 CM kit came standard with mini classic lugs. Same thing for my 2017 CM kit that I purchased this past summer.

When I purchased both kits, Ludwig also offered the option of going with the (large) classic or mach lugs at (I believe) an extra charge ...

 

[TomR]

I picked up a set of used Ludwig drums that were billed as Classic Maple with the mini classic lugs and silver keystone badges. My research tells me they are 4-ply Super Classic shells and an early Monroe set.

 

[dangermoney]

I picked up a set of used Ludwig drums that were billed as Classic Maple with the mini classic lugs and silver keystone badges. My research tells me they are 4-ply Super Classic shells and an early Monroe set.

I purchased a 4-ply Super Classic kit new back in '88. It came standard with the (large) classic lugs. Perhaps they switched to the mini classic lugs later on or the original owner special ordered them that way ...

 

[mlucas123]

Mini classic lugs are not the same as mini elite lugs.

Silver-badged drums were the Rocker Pro or Classic Birch. These came with the mini elite lugs.

 

[dangermoney]

Yes, my 4-ply Super Classic kit has gold Monroe badges ...

 

[K.O.]

Yeah, what they now call the Mini-Classic Lugs have been in use since the 1950's. Among other things they were used on marching drums, smaller toms (12" and under), snare drums with individual lugs, and all Concert toms (regardless of size). Bass drums and floor toms usually had the larger version as did 13" and bigger double headed mounted toms. The smaller lug became the standard one for all drum set drums quite a while back. I'd guess it was around the turn of the century but may have been a bit earlier. I remember reading it in the sales flyers but don't recall exactly when that was.

The mini-elite is a smaller yet version of the same basic design and, as far as I know hasn't been used on Classic Maple or Legacy drums.

 

[TomR]

The mystery about my kit has been solved. Thank you to everyone who contributed in this thread; it helped lead me to the answer.

I knew mine weren't Classic Maple shells (I own an actual set of CM). My initial research suggested they were Super Classics. The seller said they were early Monroe shells. Now I know they are Classic Birch series (verified via Ludwig catalog), made in 1998, in Midnight Black finish, silver keystone badge, with elite lugs and mounts. Even though I was hoping they were Super Classics, they are still very nice sounding drums.

On a side note, I cannot find any evidence that Rocker/Rocker II series ever used a keystone badge.

 

[mlucas123]

They didnt. Rocker Pro used (silver) Keystone badges.

Classic Birch was Rocker Pro before Ludwig renamed them.

 

[& You Dont Stop]

Im surprised Classic Birch offered a 26 kick

 

[AaronLatos]

Near the end, classic birch were available in most all of the regular classic maple options. Kinda wish I'd picked up a set... really liked how they sounded and appreciate them even more now. I was studying with jazzdrummer at the time and he had two or three sets over the years.

The nice thing about them is that they're mixed, birch-poplar. A wee bit milder than a full birch kit.