Q: Purpose of grey paint inside Ludwig's circa 1970 floor tom

[g.hunt]

I have an early 70's Ludwig set. The mounted toms and bass had a natural
wood finish over the maple shells. However, for some reason the 16 inch
floor tom had the inside of the sheel coated with a gray paint.

Does anyone know why Ludwig did that? I have heard somewhere that it was
done to cut down on resonance, but I'm not sure that is the right answer.
Most drums I see today don't have that paint, nor the mufflers.

I somewhat tempted to remove the paint and refinish the inside of the shells
to their natural wood finish like the tom-toms, but I would first like to
know why it came from the factory that way.

Is anyone familar with this?

Thx,

Gary

[O-Lugs]

Anything is possible with Ludwig, but the gray-painted interiors were
indicative of the lower-priced Ludwig "Standard" line of drums. I have
certainly seen factory-original sets with a floor tom with the mahogany
ply on the inside, while the tom toms and bass rum have clear
interiors, but I have nbever seen/heard about a Standard shell mixed
with a Classic set.

Are there any numbers stamped on the insides of any of the shells? What
are the serial numbers on the badges? Are they all the Blue and Olive,
paralleogram badges?

Don't remove the paint, in any regard. You will de-value the drum to
zero value. Look for a matching floor tom on Ebay and sell the gray
painted one "as is" later on.

[Smak!]

Post by O-Lugs
Anything is possible with Ludwig, but the gray-painted interiors were
indicative of the lower-priced Ludwig "Standard" line of drums. I have
certainly seen factory-original sets with a floor tom with the mahogany
ply on the inside, while the tom toms and bass rum have clear
interiors, but I have nbever seen/heard about a Standard shell mixed
with a Classic set.

I once saw a regular Ludwig set with a floor tom that was painted on the
inside like the Ludwig Standards.. Everything else on the drum matched
the others.

Outt..
Jeff.

[g.hunt]

When I purchased these I was just a kid in high-school so I don't really
know if I bought the "standard" or something else line, although at the time
I was not trying to buy the econo-line.

No numbers stamped on the inside, but the badges have numbers.

The drums all have the same Blue & Olive parallelogram badge. The badges
have s/n's...
12 inch tom - 1008925. Has clear finish inside.
13 inch tom - 1124000. Has clear finish inside.
16 inch floor tom - 1123981. Has gray painted finish inside.

They all appear to have the same construction, size of stabilizer ring, etc.

A few years later I bought two more toms, 14 & 15 inch, and they again have
the same construction as the other mounted toms and the clear finish inside.

Any more thoughts or info appreciated.

Thx,

Gary

Post by O-Lugs
Anything is possible with Ludwig, but the gray-painted interiors were
indicative of the lower-priced Ludwig "Standard" line of drums. I have
certainly seen factory-original sets with a floor tom with the mahogany
ply on the inside, while the tom toms and bass rum have clear
interiors, but I have nbever seen/heard about a Standard shell mixed
with a Classic set.
Are there any numbers stamped on the insides of any of the shells? What
are the serial numbers on the badges? Are they all the Blue and Olive,
paralleogram badges?
Don't remove the paint, in any regard. You will de-value the drum to
zero value. Look for a matching floor tom on Ebay and sell the gray
painted one "as is" later on.

[Sablova]

I heard they did this just to cover up flaws in the wood.

[Steve Turner]

Interesting. I've seen plenty of Ludwig drums with white paint on the inside,
but other than those "Rocker" style drums (that have different lugs, and I
think with a different shell construction) I've never seen one with grey paint.
Did you purchase these brand new (meaning, are we sure no previous owner
might have applied that paint)? I'd tend to agree with O-Lugs that you
probably shouldn't remove the paint, but I'd be curious to see why they applied
it. Perhaps there are voids in the wood that were closed up with wood filler,
then hidden with paint.

Post by g.hunt
When I purchased these I was just a kid in high-school so I don't really
know if I bought the "standard" or something else line, although at the time
I was not trying to buy the econo-line.
No numbers stamped on the inside, but the badges have numbers.
The drums all have the same Blue & Olive parallelogram badge. The badges
have s/n's...
12 inch tom - 1008925. Has clear finish inside.
13 inch tom - 1124000. Has clear finish inside.
16 inch floor tom - 1123981. Has gray painted finish inside.
They all appear to have the same construction, size of stabilizer ring, etc.
A few years later I bought two more toms, 14 & 15 inch, and they again have
the same construction as the other mounted toms and the clear finish inside.
Any more thoughts or info appreciated.
Thx,
Gary

Post by O-Lugs
Anything is possible with Ludwig, but the gray-painted interiors were
indicative of the lower-priced Ludwig "Standard" line of drums. I have
certainly seen factory-original sets with a floor tom with the mahogany
ply on the inside, while the tom toms and bass rum have clear
interiors, but I have nbever seen/heard about a Standard shell mixed
with a Classic set.
Are there any numbers stamped on the insides of any of the shells? What
are the serial numbers on the badges? Are they all the Blue and Olive,
paralleogram badges?
Don't remove the paint, in any regard. You will de-value the drum to
zero value. Look for a matching floor tom on Ebay and sell the gray
painted one "as is" later on.

[g.hunt]

Yes, I purchased the set new. I can't remember for sure, but I seem to
remember that we even ordered it through the local music store.

I've heard to theories so far:
1) To reduce resonance (a more noble reason, true or not)
2) To cover up defects in the wood.

My other toms do have a little bit of filler, here and there.

Thx,

Gary

Post by Steve Turner
Did you purchase these brand new (meaning, are we sure no previous owner
might have applied that paint)? > it. Perhaps there are voids in the

wood that were closed up with wood filler,

Post by Steve Turner
then hidden with paint.

[O-Lugs]

Gary,

Wow, What's really odd is that the serial numbers between the 13"
clear-interior tom and the 16" gray-painted floor tom are really close
in sequence. Like I say, Ludwig was known for using up whatever stock
they had on hand and kind of piecing kits together AT the factory!

Yes, in fact, all the shells would have been the 3-ply at that time
period -whether they be painted gray, white or clear maple or clear
mahogany. So, "WHY" did Ludwig and other companies paint the insides of
their shells? Some say it changes the reflectivity of the sound...kind
of closes the grain of the wood. There might be something to that -if
it were to be put under the sonic microscope, so-to-speak, but it more
than likely was used to cover up blemishes on the inner veneers of the
shell.

You MIGHT just have a factory-original, mixed shell kit. You certainly
would not be the first person to have this experience....but, like I
say, I've never heard of a Standard (Later, Rocker) shell being sold as
a Classic. Those numbers are close, though!

[W. B. Boo McGoo]

It's probably stock. Ludwig supplied lots of Classic drums with
the gray paint in the early 70s, it's not unusual. Why? Probably to
provide a little uniformity to mis-matched inner plies and also just to
cover icky cosmetics on same. The shells were various combinations of
maple, mahogany and poplar, the poplar in the middle and the maple and
mahogany being either inner or outer.
Also, mixed interior finish sets were common in that era. Ludwig
tended to fill orders with whatever was at hand, often creating drastic
mismatches (by today's standards) in the process. Email for pics if
you like.

Post by O-Lugs
Gary,
Wow, What's really odd is that the serial numbers between the 13"
clear-interior tom and the 16" gray-painted floor tom are really close
in sequence. Like I say, Ludwig was known for using up whatever stock
they had on hand and kind of piecing kits together AT the factory!
Yes, in fact, all the shells would have been the 3-ply at that time
period -whether they be painted gray, white or clear maple or clear
mahogany. So, "WHY" did Ludwig and other companies paint the insides of
their shells? Some say it changes the reflectivity of the

sound...kind

Post by O-Lugs
of closes the grain of the wood. There might be something to that -if
it were to be put under the sonic microscope, so-to-speak, but it more
than likely was used to cover up blemishes on the inner veneers of the
shell.
You MIGHT just have a factory-original, mixed shell kit. You

certainly

Post by O-Lugs
would not be the first person to have this experience....but, like I
say, I've never heard of a Standard (Later, Rocker) shell being sold as
a Classic. Those numbers are close, though!

[Trevor Magnusson]

However, for some reason ­the 16 inch
floor tom had the inside of the sheel coated with a gray pai­nt.
Does anyone know why Ludwig did that?

Gretsch wannabes?

[g.hunt]

Sorry, I'm not very familiar w/ Gretsch except name recognition.

Why did Gretsch paint the inside of their toms?

However, for some reason ­the 16 inch
floor tom had the inside of the sheel coated with a gray pai­nt.
Does anyone know why Ludwig did that?

Gretsch wannabes?

[Steve Turner]

Yes, Gretsch has been painting the inside of their drums with a "special
formula" silver sealer for years; since the early 60's, I believe. I'm not
sure the real reason has ever been documented, but they've often advertised
this feature as being an integral part of "That Great Gretsch Sound". I kinda
think it's hogwash, meeself.

Post by g.hunt
Sorry, I'm not very familiar w/ Gretsch except name recognition.
Why did Gretsch paint the inside of their toms?

However, for some reason ­the 16 inch
floor tom had the inside of the sheel coated with a gray pai­nt.
Does anyone know why Ludwig did that?

Gretsch wannabes?

[Jim]

Post by Steve Turner
Yes, Gretsch has been painting the inside of their drums with a "special
formula" silver sealer for years; since the early 60's, I believe. I'm
not sure the real reason has ever been documented, but they've often
advertised this feature as being an integral part of "That Great Gretsch
Sound". I kinda think it's hogwash, meeself.

Hogwash is more of a pinkish hue