Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week 2025
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew

Recommended reading

Yamaha Stage Custom drum set in a studio with spotlights behind
Drum Kits Best drum sets 2025: Top drum kits for beginner to pro drummers
DrumCraft Urban Beats
Drum Kits “A good-looking kit which won’t break the bank”: DrumCraft Urban Beats review
Millenium Drums book
Drums Millenium launches new book for drummers of all ages and abilities
DW SonicPly
Drum Gear Neil Peart called him 'the Wood Whisperer' and now he's blended metal and timber in DW's new SonicPly shells
Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors
Artists “I used the snare I played on Two Princes”: Why the Spin Doctors are still rocking with the gear they used in the ’90s
Gretsch Limited Edition Paisley Penguin [left] and Honey Dipper Resonator: the Penguin dresses the famous singlecut in gold sparkle with a Paisley Pattern graphic, while the 99 per cent aluminium Honey Dipper makes a welcome return to the lineup.
Guitars Gretsch just unveiled one of the most decorative Penguins you'll see – and a super-cool resonator
Zultan Cymbals
Drum Gear "Crafted from Heritage. Tuned for Tomorrow": Zultan Cymbals celebrate their 25th birthday with a new high-end 25 series
  1. Drums
  2. Drum Gear

Vintage drum gear: Leedy & Ludwig and Ludwig & Ludwig

News
By Geoff Nicholls published 30 May 2012

Two classic kits bearing the Ludwig name

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Leedy & Ludwig Marine Pearl kit

Leedy & Ludwig Marine Pearl kit

Each month Rhythm Magazine tracks-down and checks-out vintage gear in order to marvel at a bit of drum-making history. Here we have two exquisite examples of the evolution of the Ludwig name...

In the 1930s and 1940s Leedy Drums and Ludwig & Ludwig Drums were produced side-by-side by CG Conn, the famous US band instrument manufacturer.

Around 1950, Conn was finally compelled to rationalise and for a few years produced a single line, Leedy & Ludwig drums. These drums were an amalgamation of the two marques.

Mark Jeffs of Rusty Drums (www.rustydrums. co.uk) obtained this kit via eBay from the New York family of the original owner who bought the kit new in 1951.

“He bought the bass drum, snare drum and rack tom, adding the floor tom about six months later,” says Mark. “He couldn’t afford chrome plating on the floor tom so it’s nickel-plated instead.

“His daughter told me he only gigged with the floor tom and snare drum, while the bass drum and rack tom never left the house. Which is why they have the original calf heads on them and are immaculate.

“The floor tom also has its original calf batter with a plastic resonant, while the snare has its original resonant and a plastic batter. The toms have stick-chopper single-flanged hoops and claws.”

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Leedy & Ludwig Marine Pearl kit

Leedy & Ludwig Marine Pearl kit

The kit is in standard sizes, 22x14-inch, 13x9-inch, 16x16-inch and 14x5-inch snare.

“The original drums are date-stamped inside ‘0951’: September ’51,” says Mark.

The Leedy and Ludwig amalgamation is evident in the way the bass drum and toms have Leedy beavertail lugs while the snare has eight Ludwig Imperial lugs, like those on Ludwig’s SupraPhonics.

Ludwig hardware was usually relegated to the cheaper models, but this snare has double-flanged die-cast hoops and the Leedy Broadway Standard Extension snare strainer with brass ‘throw-off bands’ and 20 strand extended snare wires.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Leedy & Ludwig Marine Pearl kit

Leedy & Ludwig Marine Pearl kit

The hardware’s also original, with a Leedy hi-hat stand and popular Martin Fleetfoot pedal with leather strap and wooden beater with felt on one face.

“This particular Buck Rogers snare stand was patented in 1941,” says Mark. “It’s an early model with a matt grey painted finish as opposed to a plated finish.

“Leedy and Ludwig is embossed on the tom bracket and the kit came with Buddy Rich WFL signature sticks plus a couple of pairs of brushes and traps case. There’s a dealer sticker on the small tom from the Henry Adler store where it was bought.”

Mark concludes, “I have not gigged the kit, but I took it to a studio to record a clip for my website. I’d never played anything with calf heads before but I was blown away by the warm and rounded sound. Phenomenal. I have it up for sale on the website but I am in two minds about parting with it.”

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Ludwig & Ludwig Peacock Pearl kit

Ludwig & Ludwig Peacock Pearl kit

This next kit comes from the days before the two great names of Leedy & Ludwig were forced together under the cost-cutting auspices of the CG Conn company.

The original Ludwig company was founded by brothers William and Theo Ludwig. Theo succumbed to the flu epidemic of 1918. But his part in founding that most illustrious of companies lives on in this dazzling Ludwig & Ludwig kit.

This was a typical set-up before Gene Krupa came along in the mid 1930s with his tuneable tom toms and defined the modern kit. It’s a perfectly preserved example of how the drum kit started to take shape in the jazz age and we are grateful that Wigan drummer and collector Dave Brown brought it along to the National Drum Fair last Autumn.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Ludwig & Ludwig Peacock Pearl kit

Ludwig & Ludwig Peacock Pearl kit

Somehow this kit has survived the last 80 years in showroom condition. It consists of a big old 28x14-inch Artist’s mahogany bass drum and 14x5-inch maple snare drum augmented with various contraptions.

There’s a ratchet, a dual-pitched wood block and a Chinese tom along with a suspended cymbal and bass drum pedal with a 'clanger' cymbal extension.

It’s almost exactly as it appears in the 1929 Ludwig catalogue. The bass drum pedal is a 1924 single-post Ludwig, similar to the first ever widely available spring action pedal with which the Ludwig brothers had kicked off their business in 1909.

The snare is a Standard model with a shell and reinforcing rings both of solid maple. There are 'stick chopper' single-flanged hoops and 10 tube lugs with hooks, all in nickel-plated brass.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Ludwig & Ludwig Peacock Pearl kit

Ludwig & Ludwig Peacock Pearl kit

The most stunning feature is probably the Peacock Pearl finish. Wraps were a new thing back then - drums were previously painted or stained. So this glorious Pyralin celluloid plastic must have had a serious wow factor. Still does!

On top of this you can’t miss the painted front head of a dancing girl on a tropical island. Ludwig offered various standard scenes for around an extra 10 or 12 dollars - you could even request personalised paintings from the artists employed in the factory!

Then there’s the electrical lead coming-out of the bass drum’s air hole. Because drums had hide heads, which were affected by humidity and temperature, drums routinely had heating elements inside and also coloured light bulbs.

Dave Brown says he’s seen up to six bulbs in a single bass drum! These could be made to flash and bring to life the hand-painted scene on the front.

Vintage Gear continues each month in Rhythm Magazine.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Geoff Nicholls
Read more
Yamaha Stage Custom drum set in a studio with spotlights behind
Best drum sets 2025: Top drum kits for beginner to pro drummers
DrumCraft Urban Beats
“A good-looking kit which won’t break the bank”: DrumCraft Urban Beats review
Millenium Drums book
Millenium launches new book for drummers of all ages and abilities
DW SonicPly
Neil Peart called him 'the Wood Whisperer' and now he's blended metal and timber in DW's new SonicPly shells
Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors
“I used the snare I played on Two Princes”: Why the Spin Doctors are still rocking with the gear they used in the ’90s
Gretsch Limited Edition Paisley Penguin [left] and Honey Dipper Resonator: the Penguin dresses the famous singlecut in gold sparkle with a Paisley Pattern graphic, while the 99 per cent aluminium Honey Dipper makes a welcome return to the lineup.
Gretsch just unveiled one of the most decorative Penguins you'll see – and a super-cool resonator
Latest in Drum Gear
Man jams with a guitar player and bass player on an electronic drum kit
These huge drum deals at Sweetwater are about to disappear – here’s your last chance to bag up to 60% off electronic drums, cymbals, sticks and more
Sleep Token drummer II Drumeo
“I’ve taken inspiration from the UK dance music scene": Mixwave put Sleep Token’s drummer in a plugin
DW SonicPly
Neil Peart called him 'the Wood Whisperer' and now he's blended metal and timber in DW's new SonicPly shells
Zultan Cymbals
"Crafted from Heritage. Tuned for Tomorrow": Zultan Cymbals celebrate their 25th birthday with a new high-end 25 series
Roland DrumLink
Roland's V-Drums go wireless for new simple and seamless WT-10 sensor and DH-10 hub DrumLink system
Millenium Drums book
Millenium launches new book for drummers of all ages and abilities
Latest in News
Money
“This shows just how important live music is": New report shows immense contribution of music tourism to UK economy
Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith
Olivia Rodrigo surprises fans during her headline Glastonbury set by duetting with The Cure’s Robert Smith
Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon perform at Riot Fest 2024
“I won’t miss being in a sh** band with horrible humans”: Mastodon guitarist slams his ex-bandmates
Black Sabbath get the freedom of Birmingham
“We’re all proud Birmingham people and we love this city”: Black Sabbath have been awarded the freedom of Brum
Van Halen
“Eddie told me, ‘Roth is driving me nuts'": When Eddie Van Halen asked to join Kiss — and they turned him down!
Charli XCX
"The most boring take ever”: Charli XCX addresses "boomer vibe" criticism of her Glastonbury performance

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...