Slingerland Serial Numbers. Can I determine the age of this bop kit by the serial numbers alone? From what I've gathered is a '68 or '69. Help with Slingerland serial numbers?, 04:35 PM Years ago I bought a set of used Slingerland drums and I have no idea what era they're from or how much they may be worth.
What year is your slingerland snare drums serial?
Snare throws & butt ends. Stand spares. Tension rods. Tom brackets. Tom posts & Arms. Bass drum claws. Bass drum mounts. Bass drum rods. Bass Drum logos. Cymbal mounts. Slingerland; Slingerland. We can't find products matching the selection. My Wish List. Last Added Items. Add to Cart Add to Cart. Remove This Item. Can old slingerland's serial numbers start in 254? And did they ever come in oak? This guy wants to trade me but the drums dont have badges since he said he restored them, so if you fellas (and or possibly ladies) can help me out i would appreciate it. Slingerland Snare Drum. Black and Silver Oval Badge Niles 70's Throught the early 80's. Serial Number: 39922. I can only clearly define two tension rods on the snare and they are not slingerland. As noted above, internal pics help. You may find a date stamp or can date range it by the number of plys, inner ply color, paint, etc. Taking a magnet to the hoops to determine brass or steal will help narrow the age and value too.
i dont nouw the u nouw? i only hawe the serial number Read More
What is the age of Ludwig drums serial number 1665506?
I'm guessing either 78 or 79. Hope that helps. Read More
What are the name brands of drums?
Ludwig Pearl DW Pacific Black Kat Orange County Tama Gretsch Pork Pie Yamaha ddrums Slingerland Taye Roland (electric drums) Hart Dynamics (electric drums) Read More
What brands are there for drums?
pearl,ddrum,PDP,DW,tama,ludwig,pork pie,slingerland,mapex,orange county percussion,yamaha,peace,gretsch,and a couple more but im having a mindblank Read More
Where is the drum kit serial number on TAMA swingstar drums?
The Serial Number is usually on the Badge. Unfortunately Tama did not associate the number with a date so there is no way to cross reference it. You can however research the year of the kit by the hardware used that year. Good Luck Read More
What is the number of people that play the drums?
How many people play drums in the United States Read More
What do you do if your cymbal on the guitar hero drums aren't working?
it sounds to me that it is broken, they break easily and it may need to be replaced i suggest you go on to thewebsite in the related links box its the people who make the drums and they will be happy to send you new parts in exchange for a serial number off your drums / guitar. hope this helps, Jon B-P Read More
What type of drum kit and cymbals did Ira Elliot use in Nada Surf's The Weight Is A Gift album?
I can tell you that many different drums and cymbals were used. Some were old drums in the Hall of Justice in Seattle and I used my seventies Slingerland kit for the later sessions in San Francisco. Jason McGerr, the drummer in Death Cab For Cutie, lent me some snare drums for the Seattle sessions. As far as cymbals, I think I was still using Zildjians ( A Customs I think) at the time though… Read More
What instruments are in dubs number one?
I think there's drums, violins and chello's ...... Read More
10 examples of membranophone?
Most membranophones are drums. Examples of membranophones include Kettle Drums, Tubular Drums, Mirlitons, Friction Drums, and Kazoos. Other examples are vessel drums, frame drums, cylindrical drums, barrel drums, and conical drums. Read More
What is the difference between acoustic drums and regular drums?
What are military drums?
Does Questlove play drums on all the songs on the album Momentum by Joshua Redman?
How many people play drums?
Its like asking how many stars are in the sky - a lot. There is no accurate number. Read More
What other instruments are used in calypso music apart from steel drums?
bongo drums and steel drums and electric drums Read More
What is the collective noun for drums?
A collective nouns for drums are a set of drums or a line of drums. Read More
What types of African drums are there?
There are hundreds of different African drums in existence. These drums include the Bata drum, the ngoma drums, the akana drums, the omelet, the Illimba drum, and the Gbedu. Read More
Can one buy used Rogers drums in Cleveland Ohio?
In Cleveland Ohio a person can purchase drums through out the city. The drums are called Roger drums. These drums were made in Ohio. Roger drums are very popular in Ohio. Read More
How do you say 'drums' in Spanish?
Tambores is the Spanish word for 'drums' Read More
Is there a connection between Sanchez drums and Tama drums?
What drums does Chip Davis use?
Roland V Drums. they are electronic drums. Read More
What kind of drums are in marching bands?
Did africans have drums?
What is the best brand of drums?
every drummer has their own style. their own type of music. with differant style comes differant drums. i personnaly like truth custom drums or dw drums. these are very expensive drums, but are really awesome, pure drums. Read More
What drums does Alex shelnutt play?
Alex Shelnutt plays drums in the band A Day To Remember, and he plays various drums such as, Shine Custom Drums, Truth Custom Drums, and he uses Zildjian Cymbals. Read More
If you shipped a total of 1680 drums and of that 522 drums were orange flavor what is the percentage of orange drums shipped?
31 Percent of the drums were orange flavoured. Read More
Can you transfer the rock band drums to real drums if yes how?
No you can't change your rock band drums to normal drums because its a rock game Read More
Should I buy an electric guitar a bass guitar or drums?
What Traditional drums used in south Africa?
The conga and the bongo drums, and occasionally the steel drums Read More
Why does dun dun ba drums have two drums?
Are drums in classical music?
Serial Number Lookup
Yes, drums are used in classical music. There are several kinds of drums musicians use. For examples, they use kettle drums, snare drums, bass drum (only one), and cymbals. Read More
Who plays the drums?
What are the drums in Jamaica called?
Where did the timpani come from?
Timpani drums evolved from military drums in the 18th century and became a large part of orchestra music. These drums are also known as kettle drums. Read More
Where can one buy Pacific drums in the UK?
They have a dealer in Berkshire. The phone number is 011-44-1189-441418. There is another store located in Essex. Their phone number is 011441206368999. Read More
Is 55 gallons and 55 drums the same?
no unless the drums are 1 gallon drums which genrally isnt true Read More
What are talking drums what are they used for?
Talking drums are drums you play with you hand and are used to make music especially in Africa Read More
Best cheap drums?
CB Drums are the best cheap drums. Standard kits come in at around £160+ Read More
How small are the smallest drums in the world?
What do drums symbolize?
When were the drums first used?
What instuments do they use in Korea?
How many Different Drums are there?
What type of drums are you talking about? Read More
What type of drums do Africa have?
On guitarhero are drums harder than vocals?
Where are Ringo Starr's beatle drums?
What is better-drums or guitar?
What drums did nirvana use?
Dave Grohl of Nirvana usually used TAMA drums, and sometimes rarely Yamaha drums. Read More
How is a drums sound amplified?
An acoustic drum is amplified with microphones and amplifiers and electronic drums have cables that attach the drums to an amplifier. Read More
When was Denny's Drums created?
Ludwig’s expansive past is nearly as long as the line of drummers eager to get their hands on the company’s legendary vintage gear. However, with so many years of history under its belt, accurately identifying the year of manufacture for a Ludwig drum is a daunting task for those unfamiliar with the company’s evolution.
The lion’s share of vintage Ludwig drums available on the market hail from the company’s golden years of the '60s, '70s, and early '80s. The fifty years from Ludwig’s inception in 1909 to the early 1960s deserves its own article, so in order to give you the most pertinent information for dating, we’ll be looking at drums from the early '60s onwards.
Unlike the many components and changing particulars which make dating a guitar difficult, a few key, consistent elements make identifying a drum’s year of manufacture much easier. In this article, we’ll be looking at the three best ways to identify a Ludwig: date stamp, serial number/badge style and shell construction.
Forenote: The first two means of indication, date stamp and serial number/badge style, are the two most accurate for identifying the correct year of production. Throughout a drum’s life, it may be refinished, re-edged, and re-housed in hardware not from the drum’s era, but the date stamp and serial number will serve as a northern star to correct identification.
The evolution of Ludwig hardware is a detailed and multi-faceted story. For this reason and the aforementioned trend of updating vintage drums, hardware will not be covered in this guide.
Date Stamp
Date stamps are simultaneously the best and worst means to properly date a Ludwig drum from the '60s (use of the date stamp was discontinued ca. 1970 with the introduction of the “Blue & Olive” badge). A drum was stamped when the shell was finished, providing the most accurate depiction of the age of wood due to the fact final assembly came later.
The difficulty in date stamps is, more often than not, that the stamp has been rendered illegible or removed completely due to the wear and tear of the years. However, if you’re lucky enough to come across a particularly clean specimen with the date stamp intact, you’ll know the exact day that drum came to be.
Aside from the exact date printed on the shell, the color of ink used will assist in identifying the era of the drum and indicate the possibility of forgery. From the inception of date-stamping in 1960 through 1963, Ludwig solely used red ink. From 1964 to 1969, both red and black inks were used with black as the predominant color.
Serial Number/Badge Styles
These are the gold standards for identifying a vintage Ludwig drum. The general rule of thumb is a “Keystone” badge indicates a drum from the '60s and a “Blue & Olive” badge indicates a drum from the '70s or early '80s. The Blue & Olive badge replaced the Keystone in 1969, so there’s some natural overlap.
1960-63 (left), 1964-69 (right)
If you find yourself wondering if your Blue & Olive badge might be a ‘69, a quick consultation of the serial number will clear up any uncertainty. In addition, the Keystone badge was reintroduced on certain models in the early '80s.
Whereas the Keystone badge only had two iterations (one from 1960-63 featuring no serial number and an update from 1964-69 with serial number found at the top or bottom of the badge), the Blue & Olive badge went through a number of modifications from its introduction in 1969 through the mid-'80s.
The first B&O badges from 1969-70 continued sequentially from the six-digit Keystone badges, but in 1971 the company incorporated badges with no serial number, referred to as “blanks.” Ludwig re-integrated the serial system in either 1971 or 72, but the leftover blanks were occasionally used throughout the '70s.
Much debate exists on the “pointy” and “rounded” Blue & Olive badges. Pointy badges - those with a pointed edge - are typically associated with models from the earlier '70s.
After receiving a number of complaints that the badges catch on clothing and fabric, Ludwig began rounding off the edges, producing the “rounded” badge. In addition, individual owners may have trimmed the badges themselves, so consulting a serial number will provide a better gauge on the drum.
'Pointy' and 'Rounded' Badges
The “Black & White” badge was introduced with Ludwig’s Rocker series which ran from 1984 through the mid '90s.
These badges also adorned the aluminum Acrolite snare from 1994 to the mid 2000s, when the drum featured a Black Galaxy Sparkle finish. One last thing to bear in mind: a drumset featuring sequential serial numbers tends to be higher in value than sets with era-correct badges and hardware but non-sequential serial numbers.
Keystone
1961-62 | N/A |
1963 | N/A-7900 |
1964 | 9XXX - 33449 |
1965 | 108532 - 259XXX |
1966 | 260XXX - 449XXX |
1967 | 450XXX - 548XXX |
1968 | 549XXX-665372 |
1969 | 670XXX-741215 |
![Snare Snare](/uploads/1/2/6/8/126892322/572155422.jpg)
Blue & Olive
1969 | 765XXX - 834XXX |
1970 | N/A |
1971 | 835XXX - 895XXX |
1972 | 896XXX - 916XXX |
1976 | 917XXX - 1290XXX |
1978 | XXXXXXX |
1979 | XXXXXXX - 2013537 |
Shell Construction
If you happen to know your woods, examining the plies and interior finish can be instrumental in era identification, but again, the drum may have been modified through the years. Shells from 1960 through the fall of 1968 were comprised of two mahogany plies with a single poplar ply sandwiched between. The shells were complemented by a 1” reinforcement ring of maple.
From 1961 until 1968 the interiors were painted white. A clear lacquer finish was used in 1960, 1968, 1969, and part of 1970. At that point, Ludwig introduced the Granitone finish, a gritty grey coating used to cover aesthetically displeasing blemishes in the interior wood finish.
From autumn 1968 through 1975, Ludwig changed the mahogany plies over to maple, and in 1976 introduced the Classic series, abandoning the reinforcement rings and opting for six plies of maple and poplar. The Classic drums also opted back to the clear lacquer interior finish.
The Classic series marked Ludwig’s transition into larger volume, frugally-minded production techniques to meet modern demands. The more coveted vintage drums feature the 3-ply construction.
Conclusion
Armed with this information, you now have the tools at hand to begin identifying and dating the Ludwigs of yesteryear. Purchasing a vintage snare or set is a thrilling experience not only for the find, but also for the knowledge that your new instrument persevered through the decades and is now at your fingertips to create anew. Now, get out there and grab a piece of history.
Oops, looks like you forgot something. Please check the fields highlighted in red.
We understand the importance of online privacy and are committed to complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. By continuing to use Reverb, you agree to these updates, and to our cookie policy. Learn More