"The Chief"...and Armand...THANKS!

 1968 Hybrid Hollywood Vintage Kit 

 

Marc...Ludwig...Zildjian...

Celebrating 40 years together in 2008!

"Ludwig and Zildjian...the best musical marriage I've ever heard!"-Marc

Marc's 1968 Oyster Blue Pearl Ludwig Hollywood Kit

Marc at St. John's Hall Biddeford, ME with Love, Inc.  February 1969

Marc at Lowell Tech (now UMA Lowell) October 1970

In 2008 my kit is now 40 years old. Little did I realize on that fateful day in 1968 when I first purchased them I would still own them...let alone still be playing them! The drums and cymbals have stood the test of time through literally thousands of performances...playing conditions...and various stages of "abuse and hard use" during the past 40 years. That I still play my original kit is a testament to Ludwig and Zildjian for making quality instruments that truly stand up over the years.  Thank you!

In 2007 I had a major reconstruction job done to bring the kit back to life. My good friend Mike Sangello of Portland Percussion did the recon job for me. Additionally I added new Ludwig hardware to replace my old worn-out hardware which had actually exceeded it's expected life...some of it no longer properly functional.

I consider my kit a "hybrid" or "transition kit" between the Ludwig "Hollywood" kit...discontinued in late 1968 with the original "Keystone" badges...and the "Big Beat" which was introduced in late 1968 and carried the new "Gold and Olive" badges beginning in mid-1969.

The original Hollywood kit had two 8x12 Rack Toms and the Big Beat an 8x12 and 9x13 Tom...both with 16x16 Floor Toms. My kit is unique in that it has the 8x12 and 9x13 toms.

I bought my kit from my friend Mike Foster in the old Eastern Musical Store in Portland, Maine on September 28, 1968. The date inside the Bass Drum faded many years ago. As I suspected the serial number on the snare is from December 1967 as evidenced by the dating guide on "The Ludwig Drummer" website and Rob Cook's "Ludwig Book". When Mike and I pulled my original resonant head the date was still clearly stamped on the inside.

In 2007 Ludwig brought out the new Legacy Series drums which introduced the Maple/Poplar/Maple 3-ply shell as a tribute to the original sound.

 An important note here is during the reconditioning...we did NOT alter the bearing edges of any of the drums.

For Vintage Enthusiasts and Collectors here are my Serial Numbers and manufacturing dates:

• 14 x 22 Bass Drum                     S/N 567653     N/A...I suspect near the same date as the Toms

• 8 x 12 Rack Tom                        S/N 567631     January 11, 1968

• 9 x 13 Rack Tom                        S/N 566564     January 11, 1968

• 16 x 16 Floor Tom                      S/N 565933     January 11, 1968

• 5 1/2 x 14 Supraphonic Snare       S/N 564391    December 27, 1967

Original Hardware I still use:

• #781 Double-Tom Holder

• #1305 Bass Drum Spurs.

• #1363 Snare Drum Stand.

According to the "Ludwig Book" my drums are the original 3-ply Mahogany/Poplar/Mahogany...and one of the last original manufacturing runs of this 3-ply.  In mid-1968 Ludwig changed over to maple (the "wooden kit" as Ringo called it and used in "Let It Be"). I have replaced all my original cymbal stands (#1400) with the new Ludwig 126CS flat-based stand. I replaced my original 1123-1 Hi-Hat stand in 1984 with a Pearl Hat stand...and in late 2006 replaced that with a new Ludwig L-3053 Modular Hi Hat Stand. Currently I am using my third Speed King pedal. I recently cleaned and polished my snare stand and don't plan to replace that.  Although it's worn I am also keeping my original Ludwig Oval seat...it is still very functional.  It has long been discontinued and I don't have a model number to refer to.

I use Ludwig Weather Master heads on all my drums except where noted on the snare.

I play the original..."A Zildjian"...exclusively. Over the years they have developed a truly remarkable warm "marriage"...and I've used them in just about every type of musical situation. They have never been cleaned in 40 years!

22" Medium Ride.   Purchased with my kit

20" Medium Ride.   Purchased with my kit

18" Medium Crash. Purchased in 1971

16" New Beat Hats. Purchased in 1984

 Here are some detailed pictures of my reconditioned kit. 

My original 781 Tom Holder

New Speed King Pedal and hoop detail with new Ludwig Weather Master head

Detail on the tom chrome...they look like new...excellent job Mike!

An older photo from June 2005 showing great deterioration of the Bass hoops 

           Same original hoops showing complete reconditioning. Mike was very careful to preserve the oyster blue inlay and finish since it's been discontinued almost 30 years

Detail on toms and new heads

Side view of completed kit showing 20 inch Medium Ride and 22 inch Medium ride in the background.

Mike...Marc and Vintage kit before leaving Portland Percussion after the recon

Supraphonic 400 Snare (LM 400)

Mike completed the reconditioning of my entire kit with my snare being the final drum to be finished.  He told me it's condition is excellent for a drum 40 years old and could not believe how well it has aged.  There are pits on it of course and a lug or two is worn on the outside...but overall in remarkably good shape.

To give the snare a fat sound we deviated a bit and put on a clear Aquarian resonant head and top of the line Pure Sound Percussion 20 strand snares. These are the only two non-Ludwig items on the entire kit.  We wanted the snare to have clear projection.

Here are some before and after pictures.

Before: Classic Lugs on my Supraphonic 400.

After Reconditioning the lugs.

Before: P-83 Strainer with original cord still attached.

After with new snares attached.

Before: Original resonant head and original snares. Three have broken off over the years. I kept these two items

Aquarian Head and new snares. Mike cleaned up both top and bottom hoops and also cleaned up the inside and tightened up the inside muffler.

Top view of completed recon.

Celebrating my 40th Anniversary 

Kathy and I attended the NH International Drum Expo in October of 2007. There was lots of vintage drums and memorabilia to make everyone happy! Here are a few photos from our visit.

Todd Trent owns Ontario Music in Ontario, California and is Ludwig Artist Relations Coordinator. His customer list is a Who's Who in the drumming and music world, and is good friends with some of the greatest drummers in the world.  Todd is featured in Rob Cooks Ludwig Book. A conversation Todd and I had late last year was interrupted by another call from Jason Bonham!

Kathy and I at the Kurt Ekstrom display.

The highlight of the Saturday night show was Steve Smith...drummer for his group Vital Information...and former drummer with Journey...who played on all their Megahits in the 1980s.  He was kind enough to autograph Kathy's Journey Greatest Hits CD for her.

Cindy Blackman closed the show.  She went to Berklee in Boston and had wonderful stories of growing up and her love of drumming.  She is most famous for working with Lenny Krativz.   Cindy put on a spectacular performance to close the show.  We all left exhausted from watching her. Cindy is featured in the June 2008 issue of Modern Drummer.  She kindly signed for us and also posed for the two photos above.

Click on the Icon for the link to Expo page

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This page updated with

July 9, 2008

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