Why did this 1930's Ludwig snare bring so much?

[Bijan]

I got this drum last week. I have most of the correct throw on the way. Most of the clips are broken. The finish is the coolest deco I’ve seen.

 

[Bijan]

 

[ChicagoDave]

That's a gorgeous drum.

 

[Bijan]

That's a gorgeous drum.

Thanks! I saw it in the flesh, went back home, and couldn’t get it out of my mind. I knew I’d regret not getting it, so I got it haha.

 

[ChicagoDave]

You made the right choice. I passed up a snare last year, and I still think about it.
Behold, Moldy Goldie:

 

[Jolo]

View attachment 593155
I got this drum last week. I have most of the correct throw on the way. Most of the clips are broken. The finish is the coolest deco I’ve seen.

Super rare finish, Bijan! Now if you were a Packers fan you'd really be happy.

 

[Tama CW]

View attachment 593155
I got this drum last week. I have most of the correct throw on the way. Most of the clips are broken. The finish is the coolest deco I’ve seen.

I totally forgot about starting this thread with the green/yellow duco snare. And now a 2nd one shows up. Can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[Bijan]

I totally forgot about starting this thread with the green/yellow duco snare. And now a 2nd one shows up. Can't wait to see the finished product.

This is the same exact drum

 

[Tama CW]

This is the same exact drum

I thought that was possible. The same piece of masking tape is on the same lug as the other drum. I wondered about that.

 

[slapstick]

Good inputs. Thanks Redfern. Those all make perfect sense. I agree about the difficulty in trying to find an orig throw off. And I couldn't tell if extra holes were drilled for
that modern Ludwig throw. If there are extra holes.....ouch.

It's not unusual for some EBay sellers to have a buddy or even use a 2nd account of their own to run stuff up. But that type of bidding is pretty obvious when only 2 are doing it.....
and the feedbacks on one of the shills is really low (like 0 to 100). It's much more challenging to find someone running up the bid with multiple shills....all having sizable FB numbers.
And even if those 2 dealers with thousands of feedbacks were running up Mr. "93" feedbacks to dump the drum on them at a big price.....that buyer still has to be willing to pay that price.
And the group of shills if they take things too far, risk the chance of ending up with the drums themselves, probably permanently scaring off Mr. "93" and others forever.

Again, the bidding on this drum looks to be real competition from numerous sources. 50 bids total. 13 separate bidders over $500. And the winning bidding boldly posted their high
bid of $1300+ an hour early for everyone to shoot at. That's not even good bidding practices UNLESS you cannot be around when the auction is ending. It almost ensures you will
pay a lot more for the item. But, it does keep you from going beyond your MAX limit in the heat of the battle as bidding winds down. There was on bid "retraction" during this auction.
And that I don't like seeing. The bidding action was basically over with about an hour to go at $1250. One dealer showed back up with 10 min to go and placed their best bid. Not good enough.
And the one dealer sniper 1st appeared with 5 seconds to go and couldn't take our Mr 93's earlier bid. Everybody else in this auction placed their bids leaving plenty of time for others to counter.
Overall, the bidding action seemed very plausible....not the kind you see from shills and fake bidders.

have you ever sat behind one of these drums and played it?
Ludwig made --in my modest opinion -- the finest snare drums ever, and their tube lug, one piece shell drums were downright fabulous: characterful, responsive, rich in tone, accurate, not overly fussy with their tuning, beautiful and friendly to play,.....and they still look great too. 4 x14 ---wow...what a drum .,6 lug but 8 lug pioneer models possible !! even 10 lug pioneer models!!!!! ; standards with ten lugs....you name it 4, 5, 6.5 x 14 or even 15..ludwig did it. these drums are great. maple, mahogany, walnut shells......,when was it ever better ? drummers who are serious about the sound of their drums and not just their sellable cosmetics will love a drum like this. lucky to find one, never let it go.,.,,...

 

[Bijan]

have you ever sat behind one of these drums and played it?
Ludwig made --in my modest opinion -- the finest snare drums ever, and their tube lug, one piece shell drums were downright fabulous: characterful, responsive, rich in tone, accurate, not overly fussy with their tuning, beautiful and friendly to play,.....and they still look great too. 4 x14 ---wow...what a drum .,6 lug but 8 lug pioneer models possible !! even 10 lug pioneer models!!!!! ; standards with ten lugs....you name it 4, 5, 6.5 x 14 or even 15..ludwig did it. these drums are great. maple, mahogany, walnut shells......,when was it ever better ? drummers who are serious about the sound of their drums and not just their sellable cosmetics will love a drum like this. lucky to find one, never let it go.,.,,...

Agreed on some points, but the main point in the post you quoted was the fact that this drum sold for so much more than average. That’s what happens in a bidding frenzy.
I love old Ludwig&Ludwig drums from the 20’s and 30’s. One look at my snare pile makes that obvious. I’m a huge fan of the maple and mahogany varieties, but I’ve yet to hear a walnut shelled model that’s done it for me. Some have been outright offensive e to my ears- waaaay too harsh.

And yep- cosmetics and extra holes certainly play a role in a vintage drum’s value- that’s a simple fact, not an opinion, hence the discussion of the replaced throw, which is, sadly, commonplace on snare drums from the 20’s and 30’s. And 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, etc…

 

[slapstick]

Agreed on some points, but the main point in the post you quoted was the fact that this drum sold for so much more than average. That’s what happens in a bidding frenzy.
I love old Ludwig&Ludwig drums from the 20’s and 30’s. One look at my snare pile makes that obvious. I’m a huge fan of the maple and mahogany varieties, but I’ve yet to hear a walnut shelled model that’s done it for me. Some have been outright offensive e to my ears- waaaay too harsh.

And yep- cosmetics and extra holes certainly play a role in a vintage drum’s value- that’s a simple fact, not an opinion, hence the discussion of the replaced throw, which is, sadly, commonplace on snare drums from the 20’s and 30’s. And 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, etc…

I just couldn't read through all that percentages stuff. I understand...extra holes and stuff like that. I have friends in europe with double basses --even violins---full of patches and what not still worth a fortune if you care & for all kinds of reasons, but always --always---it ends up being about the sound !!!!!
maybe as drummers, we need to shift our emphasis....,.

 

[Bijan]

Um, yes. But those double basses and violins would be worth more if they were in more original, and better, condition. Condition and originality are what drives monetary value of anything collectible. Ive sold a few six figure guitars. The ones that are original and in better cosmetic condition ALWAYS bring higher prices. Sound is not what primarily drives value in vintage drums. If it did, nickel over brass two piece drums would bring nearly the same price as a DeLuxe model. But that’s not the case, EVER.
If you don’t want to read all the “percentage stuff”, then please don’t chime in on the subject.

 

[Elvis]

$1300 for an old snare, eh?.....might be time to sell the Ludwig kit.

Evils, the band wagoneer

 

[Elvis]

You made the right choice. I passed up a snare last year, and I still think about it.
Behold, Moldy Goldie:

Lyre badge?
Would fit with the Zephyr lugs.

 

[Sinclair]

Bijan first of all can't wait to see it with the period correct hardware. A beautiful instrument. Also, what's your take on redoing the edges on older wood drums of this vintage? I ask because the top edge of yours looks in pretty bad shape. My thought is if you get someone who knows what they're doing and can replicate the original edges I would have it done, and have had it done. It's possibly the best way of getting back the drums original sound. I can't imagine good edges reducing the value.
Your thoughts?

 

[Bijan]

Bijan first of all can't wait to see it with the period correct hardware. A beautiful instrument. Also, what's your take on redoing the edges on older wood drums of this vintage? I ask because the top edge of yours looks in pretty bad shape. My thought is if you get someone who knows what they're doing and can replicate the original edges I would have it done, and have had it done. It's possibly the best way of getting back the drums original sound. I can't imagine good edges reducing the value.
Your thoughts?

Top edge is as it left the factory. The pic might make it look off but it’s perfectly fine. The edge discussion will need to wait til morning/ coffee

 

[Pre ‘72]

I immediately thought it must be solid maple shell.
It’s a real nice drum in great shape in a rare finish and beautiful hardware. I’m not too surprised.

Kind of a score, really.

 

[ChicagoDave]

It's the "foil badge". Not sure if it sported the lyre.

Lyre badge?
Would fit with the Zephyr lugs.

 

[DWSlingerland45]

Maybe someone needed a drum to go along with their ‘30’s strainer and 12 single flange hooks. Hahaha

I was thinking the same thing. If the winning bidder is a collector, maybe they already have the parts required to complete this drum?