Ludwig Drums - Bearing Edges

[bloodsuga]

Okay. So I've had my Ludwig Classic Maple Kit for about two years now and I am quite happy with it. I recently talked to some fellow drummers however and they told me that If I had the bearing edges redone that it would sound EVEN BETTER! So I have a couple of questions:

1. On average how much does this cost? and how is cost decided ( size of drum)?

2. This sounds a bit risky!! Are there a lot of horror stories out there?

3. Is the difference in sound worth the price?

4. Anyone know any place in the Chicago area that they've had a good experience with?

thanks guys!

[drumzealot]

They are probably suggesting that you make the edges a little sharper. This will make them a bit more resonant (the tone will last longer), and a little more responsive.
I've done this to some older Tama Superstars and liked the results. But you can't undo it so assess the risk and proceed with caution. Well, you can undo it but - after 2 edge mods - your looking at changing the depth of the drum.

Don't know anybody in Chicago. But find someone with lots of experience. If there is a local drum store with a repair shop then take them there.

I normally pay about $40 per drum is a fair price. It only takes about 5 - 10 minutes per drum.

[Nutmeg II.]

I wouldn't do it.
The Ludwig is what it is with the typical round bearing edges.

You might try some flavor of RIMS.

A different tuning might do the job too.

[tombak]

Send your shells (sans all hardware) to Nodar Rode, he's gifted when it comes to edges.
Nodar Rode Drums | Manhattan Drum Shop

[Podgorny]

So you want your ludwigs to sound like DWs?
You can all keep your sharp bearing edges.

[girlthatdrums]

The Ludwig bearing edge is what makes a Ludwig a Ludwig. If your drums are only two years old, you don't need a bearing edge recut, unless you've abused them. Leave them alone.

[Chunkaway]

+1. The edges are already 45 degrees and pretty sharp. I have a 2008 Ludwig Classic Maple and a 2008 DW kit, and the edges are pretty damn close to each other. Don't worry about it, just rock your tubs.

[localhothead]

hi , i got my 1968 super classics recut in england ( im in ireland ) ( not much use to you i know ) the egdes were flat and untunable , gary noonan at noonan drums did them and he did them as a hybrid vintgae round but sharp crown

they sound a billion times better now than they did , and still have that warm vintage low tone .

i wouldnt put modern edges on them though - go for a vintage cut if its an old kit

[Nutmeg II.]

Originally Posted by girlthatdrums

The Ludwig bearing edge is what makes a Ludwig a Ludwig. If your drums are only two years old, you don't need a bearing edge recut, unless you've abused them. Leave them alone.

I wouldn't bet on that one.
There are plenty of drums with crappy edges new out of the box.

[drumzealot]

Originally Posted by girlthatdrums

The Ludwig bearing edge is what makes a Ludwig a Ludwig. If your drums are only two years old, you don't need a bearing edge recut, unless you've abused them. Leave them alone.

Err...He’s aware that they are not damaged.

[Beefsurgeon]

The first thing I would do is take a look at your edges. Are they dented up from stick hits? If so, they'll probably benefit from an edge job.

If they're not dented, you might check their flatness. Ludwig's quality control is pretty questionable these days. If you always have trouble tuning one or more drums, and have tried multiple heads on said drum(s) to no avail, you might have a flatness issue.

If none of the above is true, leave 'em alone.

As for the notion that recutting your edges will ruin the sound that your drums are famous for, it's worth noting that any shop that knows what it's doing will be able to replicate the contour of any edge you bring them, vintage or otherwise. And they will cut them with much greater precision than anyone bothered to do forty years ago.

[Chunkaway]

Originally Posted by Beefsurgeon

The first thing I would do is take a look at your edges. Are they dented up from stick hits? If so, they'll probably benefit from an edge job.

If they're not dented, you might check their flatness. Ludwig's quality control is pretty questionable these days. If you always have trouble tuning one or more drums, and have tried multiple heads on said drum(s) to no avail, you might have a flatness issue.

If none of the above is true, leave 'em alone.

As for the notion that recutting your edges will ruin the sound that your drums are famous for, it's worth noting that any shop that knows what it's doing will be able to replicate the contour of any edge you bring them, vintage or otherwise. And they will cut them with much greater precision than anyone bothered to do forty years ago.

I haven't heard of Ludwig having many (if any) recent problems with flatness or bearing edge dents. That comment seems out of left field.

[Beefsurgeon]

Perhaps I should qualify that statement. I've been building and repairing drums for nine years. We've recut many a Ludwig edge at our shop, and it's always been an improvement. One of my co-workers was a huge Ludwig fan and we spent many hours tinkering with and improving the drums he collected over the years.

I definitely didn't mean to imply that Ludwig ships drums with dented edges, I was referring to their flatness and the general craftsmanship of their drums. If you take a close look at a set of Ludwigs and compare it to most other high-end kits, you will see a difference. The construction is, in general, less precise. I'm talking about wrap jobs (sloppy seams), bearing edges (imprecision), and accuracy of the holes drilled in the shell (I've seen plenty of Ludwig snares where all the lugs were slanted to one side, particularly the tube lug models).

I think this is simply a product of the fact that Ludwig is an old company, and some of their methods are probably pretty old as well. The fact that they tend to cost a good bit less than their equivalents from other companies also suggests simplified manufacturing processes.

Most people are aware that with vintage Ludwigs, there are good ones and bad ones. My argument is simply that to some extent, the same is true with the modern ones.

[Chunkaway]

Originally Posted by Beefsurgeon

Perhaps I should qualify that statement. I've been building and repairing drums for nine years. We've recut many a Ludwig edge at our shop, and it's always been an improvement. One of my co-workers was a huge Ludwig fan and we spent many hours tinkering with and improving the drums he collected over the years.

I definitely didn't mean to imply that Ludwig ships drums with dented edges, I was referring to their flatness and the general craftsmanship of their drums. If you take a close look at a set of Ludwigs and compare it to most other high-end kits, you will see a difference. The construction is, in general, less precise. I'm talking about wrap jobs (sloppy seams), bearing edges (imprecision), and accuracy of the holes drilled in the shell (I've seen plenty of Ludwig snares where all the lugs were slanted to one side, particularly the tube lug models).

I think this is simply a product of the fact that Ludwig is an old company, and some of their methods are probably pretty old as well. The fact that they tend to cost a good bit less than their equivalents from other companies also suggests simplified manufacturing processes.

Most people are aware that with vintage Ludwigs, there are good ones and bad ones. My argument is simply that to some extent, the same is true with the modern ones.

Okay, that makes more sense. Thank you for the clarification. I had heard about some issues with the wraps, so I'm with you there. Any experience with the Legacy line of drums from Ludwig? I would think that would probably be of higher quality, but that is just a guess.