Vintage 1967 Ludwig Super Classic - Holes in Kick Drum, original tom rail mount??

[JakeMackay]

Hi all,
Just had a question in regards to my Ludwig Super Classic Kick drum.
It appears to have hole 4 holes where I believe the original tom mount went. I'm assuming the original rail mount was taken off and replaced with the dual tom mount?
Just looking for some background information on this and whether this was a common practice? And also what this does to the value of the kit?

 

[Rotarded]

Yes, It was fairly common, but a shame, to replace the rail mount and drill for a post mount. It does affect the collectability, and price. How much? I cannot answer with any certainty.

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

My '67 Jazzette 18" & '68 WMP 22" have the original rail mounts and no extra holes. My '69 sky blue pearl 20" has the center diamond post and I do not believe has extra rail holes.

Both work fine, but I prefer the rail. Any extra holes (ie: diamond plate added to original railed bass) will affect value negatively. I don't have a huge problem with the adding of the diamond - it depends what it looks like inside. The issue for me is that yours is off center - ie: not well done. I hope the inside is clean, though.....

 

[ARGuy]

That particular modification makes a huge hit on the value of that kit. If that kit was un-modified, even though it has some miles on it, it could be worth $2K+ to the right person, depending on the sizes of the drums. With that modification, it's no longer considered collectible, and you might be able to get half of that, again, depending on sizes.
That modification was, unfortunately, pretty common. Drummers wanted a "rock" configuration rather than a "jazz" configuration, and it was a lot cheaper to buy a double tom mount and an extra tom that to buy a new kit.

 

[squidart]

It's still a gorgeous instrument regardless. Put some nice chrome carriage bolts in those holes and don't let it bother you.

 

[Rockin' Billy]

If you wanted rail mount you or a professional shop( I recommend Precision Drum) could plug the 4 holes from added mount and install correct rail mount. The plugs can be covered in WMP. I have seen this done and if done correctly you will barely notice.
Orrrr, follow just as squidart wrote. Enjoy.

 

[ARGuy]

It's still a gorgeous instrument regardless. Put some nice chrome carriage bolts in those holes and don't let it bother you.

True, and as far as usefulness and stability goes, the diamond plate is more practical for real world gigging purposes.

 

[Tama CW]

One could estimate a price deduction of $100-$200 for that drum and/or kit. One way to figure out for "you." is what difference would you pay to swap out that drum with an exact "duplicate" without extra holes? $50? $100? $150? $200?
If the drum were part of a 3 piece set worth approx $1000 with no extra holes, a $150-$200 drop for the kit would be reasonable imo. I suspect most would look at it as a 15-25% deduction.

 

[JakeMackay]

Thanks for all these great responses! Much appreciated! Its great to get a gauge on what I'm working with from the experts