Notice two things about these Vintage Ludwig seams:ġ. Never! Here are examples of typical Vintage Ludwig seams: I have never seen a single Vintage Ludwig seam that was completely filled to match the shell thickness. Their seam process left much to be desired! It was joined together with a "V" type groove being filled (partially at best!) with the same acrylic as the shell. I hate to say this, but Ludwig's quality control back in the 1970 - 1980's was pretty bad. However, their website will remain online through January 2010. Gold-N-Times is no longer in business due to the death of Ray Ducoat (11/20/09). * * Note * * - News flash which I just learned moments ago:
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There are basically two companies that make acrylic drum shells today and no matter what the badge says on it - you can bet money it was built by either Gold-N-Times Drums () or RCI Starlite () and the easiest way to tell the difference between their shells and the Vintage Ludwig shells made by Cadillac Motors is to look at how the seam is put together. The same holds true with the new line of Vistalite Drums except that now they are made by a company called "Gold-N-Times Drums" instead.
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This article is just going to touch on the basics: who makes what and how, seams and mounts, known issues and how to tell them apart with about 90% accuracy at just a glance.Įven though most of Ludwig Drums were produced at the main Ludwig factory in Chicago, Illinois, the early Vistalite shells were actually produced by "Cadillac Motors Plastics Division" from the very beginning back in 1972. For a more in-depth look into the history of acrylic drums, one site that stands as the best source for information on all drums acrylic in my opinion is "VISTALITES.COM" and can be found at While there have been other major drum manufacturers, such as the Zickos Drums and Fibes Drum Co., who have put out quality acrylic drums over the years - I am only familiar with the Ludwig Vistalite Line of acrylic drums that many players - such as my personal hero, John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Robby Bauchman (Bauchman-Turner Overdrive), Karen Carpenter (The Carpenters) and Johnny Jackson (Jackson 5) - have helped to make famous since Ludwig first introduced the Vistalite line in 1972.Īlso. I am simply a drummer who has enjoyed playing and collecting Ludwig Drums for well over 35 years and enjoy talking about drums with anyone who shares those same feelings. Hopefully this will provide some basic information that will help prevent anyone from being taken by buying a "Vintage Drum" that was thrown together just last week or just simply buying something that you're not going to be satisfied in the long run.īefore I get too far along, let me just state for the record: I am not an expert on Vintage Drums by any means. With so many drum builders, both well known major manufacturers as well as the small, custom drum shop enthusiasts, putting out their own unique versions of acrylic drums, it is easy to get confused with what is a vintage drum or a reissue of a famous drummer's kit or just what. This article was written to help the novice drummer and/or drum collector to be able to identify the different types of drum shell construction used in the making of various manufacturer's acrylic (plastic) drum shells.