What color for vintage Ludwig bop kit?

[JazzDrumGuy]

I have 12/14/16 vintage shells and I'm making a micro bop kit. The 12 has Bumwrap blue oyster rewrap (not sure if regular or "more blue"). I have a Pioneer snare with blue OP rewrap that looks totally original to me and not sure if it matches the 12. I also have a 70's B/O 12" with psyche red wrap. The 14/16 have mahogany outer and would take work to make right. I am not sure about the 12 BOP. I would not strip the psych red. I already have a 60's Jazzette in mahogany so I want to do a wrap and I have a few options:

1) Get BOP for the 14 FT and 16 bass (about $100), 2) Go Psyche red and need wrap for the 14/16/snare (about $150), or 3), Do an entirely new color ($90 wrap), either full or a duco (maybe $20-30 for paint).

For #3, I've been looking at either gold pearl (I found a "rare" 40's Ludwig snare in that finish), or a couple import wraps I found on eBay - colored oyster pearl or a the blue/white "bowling ball" style. There are many colored diamond pearls, too. WMP is too white for my tastes with chrome (I wish they had an aged WMP like my creamy '68 Super Classic kit), I have a BDP Gretsch, and maybe red pearl would be cool although I have a red sparkle Gretsch kit.

As for duco, I've tried to do these before and failed. I don't have a spray booth or proper tools - my fails have been spray paint by hand! I do have silver sparkle wrap and I could use that as the center stripe over maybe an aqua, or other color. I can do "black panther" wrap via Con-tact paper that is easy and cheap ($10) and removeable].
Thoughts of silver sparkle duco over black panther? I could not find a sample.

Thus, I'm trying to balance a cool, unique color with what would be tasteful on a bop kit, look vintage, and not match my other kits......thoughts? I don't have a pearl kit (other than one black), nor do I have an oyster kit, nor a psyche red or duco kit. Keep in mind that I will wrap myself, I have a tight budget or I'd send them all off to Precision and have a field day. Any input is appreciated......thanks. I am leaning towards the oyster.......

 

[K.O.]

Lots of cool choices there. I have a similar situation with a set of fiberglass shells (8x12/14x14/14x18) that I'm going to turn into a set...someday and still haven't decided what I want to do with them. I am on the fence about doing something very unique or building them to look like something more or less stock. I've pondered some of those unique ebay wraps myself.

I'd only suggest that if you do go with a Bumwrap Psychedelic Red that you use the unfaded version (the "more blue" version is the closest match) rather than one of the faded ones you have pictured above. I mean it's your call but if going to the trouble why not make it them look like new rather than something someone left out in the sun too long.

You could get "salesman sparkle" made up as custom wrap by Precision...that's a cool look that you likely won't find on another bop sized set.

Actually that would be pretty pricey from Precision but I believe Walopus offers a more affordable version. Actually they offer a lot of very cool wraps. This one is neat in a florescent citrus mod sort of way...

Philosophic Fred Drum Wrap - Walopus Drum Wrap





Also for "duco" (by which I assume you mean the two color banded drums...Duco was actually the brand of lacquer paint they used) you can get faux duco made as a wrap by Bumwrap.

Lots and lots of choices....

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

K.O., I'll have to check out the other Bumwrap finishes as well as Walopus, thanks. As for "duco," yes I meant 2 tone finish.

I am tempted to do a play on duco with a stripe down the center, then a smaller stripe through the lug holes for a total of 3 stripes. I could do silver sparkle as the shell, then pick a color for the accents. I also like black with a single aged WMP band, or can try mahogany outside with a single silver sparkle band. It wont be a true faded "duco" but will be clean and precise. Insides will all be reapplied white of course. I am hoping to find a snare shell to match (in the wanted section).

 

[Drm1979]

Lately I've been partial to blue drum sets. So my thoughts is that blue would look really good.

 

[poco rit.]

Im gonna be annoying and say do peacock pearl

 

[funkypoodle]

I could live with option 1: Bowling Ball kick & floor with the Psych Red tom. Seems like the least work & to me BB + Psy Red are in the same family visually. I'd paint the kick & floor white before applying the wrap.

PS: I love my 12/14/16 Ludwig 'micro bop kit'. In the end it's the one getting most gigs.

 

[Deafmoon]

You're doing a bop kit, to me I think a mellow look. Black, Merlot Sparkle, Champagne Sparkle, Walnut Stain, Natural, no obnoxious colors. And certainly not Mod Orange.

 

[squidart]

Also for "duco" (by which I assume you mean the two color banded drums...Duco was actually the brand of lacquer paint they used)

Cool info! And all this time I thought it was an abbreviation for Dual Color.

 

[owr]

I say re-wrap everything to match. The 12 is already a rewrap, not molesting anything.

I love bdp and might be cool to have the 16 to mix up with the gretsch. I’m also quite partial to ginger ale sparkle, that’s what my Craviottos are done up with and it’s classy as heck.

 

[pedro navahas]

Why not do a black lacquer? That’s classy as can be and you can do it with rattle cans. It all about prepping the shells, and that is just time.

 

[pgm554]

Why not just do a Tony Williams yellow?

 

[2000dan2000]

Why not just do a Tony Williams yellow?

This right here!

Otherwise, that Gold Pearl/Aged Pearl/Whatever-its-called Pearl up there is beautiful

 

[CLMacPherson]

I'd say either black wrap or black lacquer for a bop kit. Stylish and timeless. It may take a little work, though.

 

[Pink69]

I would just leave them as they are and enjoy them. That way you save time, trouble, costs, and you will look like your too cool to care!

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

Great input folks....thanks. The 14 is in pretty bad shape - a lot of wood work over the weekend and little progress. I'll then need to drill the holes for the new lugs (1/2 old holes, 1/2 new holes). The entire kit will have small classic lugs. The big ones just look too big. for such small drums. I want a clean look with little hardware.

The 16 bass is nearly done with the wood work and is about ready to be drilled for lugs and rail mount. I have disappearing spurs but the knobs are janky so I need to get some metric ones (MIJ spurs), or buy a new set of spurs. I also need to rustle up some T-rods or I may just go long non-T rods...not sure yet how I will go. Claws will be generic Ludwig style. I'll be ordering wood hoops although I have a set of metal ones.

Got the 12" tom today. Looks great. I gotta say the wrap looks very disappointing - yes it's sort of like BOP but there is no pearl and it looks very flat.
Not going to do the BOP, sadly. My Pioneer has a BOP that has the pearly colors and I could swear was the original but is not, and the difference is night and day.

Also, I bought some "black panther" Con-tact paper "wrap" from H.D. this weekend. I am very bummed to see that they have flattened out the texture and it barely has any "leather" look at all. I re-did my DW bop kit a few years back and it (still) looks great with a very distinctive leather look. This new one is basically black and boring, frankly. Killer deal for $10, but I am looking at other black "wrap" alternatives.

I found these on Amazon - one is a textured black, one a black "wood" (like the Revette kit), one is a glossy "anniversary" type finish, and my favorite, a silver sparkle that reminds me of my Rogers kit, and also comes in gold:

 

[retrosonic]

JazzGuy: I dont think I personally would use that thin wrap on drums. I'd be afraid of it buckling and wrinkling when i tightened the tension rods.

 

[varatrodder]

I found these on Amazon - one is a textured black, one a black "wood" (like the Revette kit), one is a glossy "anniversary" type finish, and my favorite, a silver sparkle that reminds me of my Rogers kit, and also comes in gold:

I've used that gold sparkle once as a temporary fix while I was waiting on my real wrap, and wouldn't recommend it. It is very thin, and tends to bunch up around the lugs. Also, when you do peel it off it leaves a ton of residue and glitter stuck to your shells. It's basically contact paper.

If you like satin flame, you could get a roll of it from Canal for super cheap. You would need 3 yards of it, for a total of $60 (and you would have enough left over for inlays and a snare). Just be sure you buy opaque, otherwise anything under it shows through.

Canal Plastics Center

Canal Plastics Center offers plastics and fabrication services with a specialty in hard to find acrylic colors and small-scale projects for both industry and individuals.

www.canalplastic.com

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

The Contact paper is thin but did not bunch up at all on my DW kit. I have seen that happen and the result is not good, of course.

I am trying to keep a tight budget in this but I am also tempted to ship off the shells to Precision to get them done. So much for the budget!

The alternative is a distressed wood stain finish.......so the warts and all will give character and mojo.....

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

I can also buy remnants from Precision, wrap it myself, and butt up the seams in the center of the shells, then run a strip of silver sparkle vinyl tape in the middle to hid the seam and achieve a sort of a "duco" look. I don't have black kit per se at the moment (just a black sparkle Gretsch USA 12/14/18 and the DW "black panther"), but did have a black cortex kit for 20 yrs.

What about black oyster with a silver sparkle center strip? They also have blue onyx but that's not a "proper" Ludwig color.....

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

I say re-wrap everything to match. The 12 is already a rewrap, not molesting anything.

I love bdp and might be cool to have the 16 to mix up with the gretsch. I’m also quite partial to ginger ale sparkle, that’s what my Craviottos are done up with and it’s classy as heck.

I will be inspecting the 12" tonite - I am leaning towards rewrapping all. I have a ginger glitter Gretsch - definitely a gorgeous color. I'd love to see them Cravs, though.......