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The fashionable 20"-deep bass drum with small mass mini Classic lugs works great with a double pedal

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Back in 1909, Chicago percussionist brothers William and Theobald Ludwig launched the Ludwig and Ludwig Company with a revolutionary spring-return bass drum pedal. Ludwig has weathered massive ups and downs, but in 2009 the company will celebrate its centenary in good shape.

Part of that solid status stems from Ludwig's move to making its budget tubs in the Orient. This Centennial kit is made in Taiwan, and it's on the cards that Ludwig has even tastier offerings to come over the next year.

Build

Taiwan is now a first-rate manufacturing nation, and Ludwig's intention with this kit is to offer drummers who want to upgrade from the (excellent mainland China-produced) Accent series but can't yet afford the crazily expensive American-made Classics.

A laudable aim then. And the trump card is that the Centennial is made from 100 percent maple. It's described on the website as 'solid maple', which is misleading. It's not solid; it's eight-ply, which is quite different. It is, though, American maple, a more expensive timber than the oriental maple that is commonly used for budget kits. The implication is that American maple is 'better'. No doubt it is, though no-one we've spoken to over the last few years can tell us exactly why. Quality control, consistency and finish are hinted at.

The irony is that when we unpacked the review kit we assumed it was Chinese maple – it had that browny-cream colour, not blonde, and not much grain pattern. We prefer the look of the three other high-gloss lacquer finish options: Green and Silver Sparkle and Charcoal Stain. Ludwig's website features a Bonzo-style green sparkle kit in Bonzo formation – one-up, two-down – just the colour and layout the great man played (though a very different bass drum size). It looks great.

Never mind, the review kit's lacquering is excellent – as shiny and smooth as glass. The eight-ply shells are admirably thin at just 6mm. The shells are round and look well made, although there were rather prominent seams on two of the drum interiors. Certainly the slightly rounded-off 45-degree bearing edges are typically Ludwig and good at the price.

The Centennial is available in a choice of three four-drum shell packs, plus a good range of add-on toms. The shell packs each have a 12"x8" tom with a 20"-deep bass drum in three standard diameters – 20", 22" and 24". Then there are 16" floor toms in 13", 14" and 15" depths. There are just two matching wood snares, a 13"x6½" or 14"x6½".

The small tom has a newly designed chromed-steel Vibra-Band isolation bracket, and a tom holder is included for clamping to a cymbal stand. There's also a new lug, a smaller and more rounded variation of the mini Classic.

In comparison with some other brands, Ludwig is a bit light on small details. For example, the lugs have thin plastic isolation gaskets but the bass drum claws do not. The claw rods are not recessed, and there are no memory locks on the floor tom legs (although the brackets are sturdy enough without).