Vintage Ludwig / WFL / Gretsch 8 drum set in Black White Diamond Pearl + etc.

Description

Vintage Ludwig drum set with a Big Band connection. NO RESERVE! A big 25% of winning bid will go to ASPCA animal charity ! These drums were left by the previous owner of my house, in 2017, with her knowledge and consent. They had been her late husband’s. I know very little about drums but will do my best to describe this lot. Included are 8 drums, 17 cymbals, one gong, plus many parts and pieces.
Shipping is PICK UP ONLY! There is just too much for me to pack and ship! I’m located in White Plains NY near NYC.
Vintage appears to be mostly 1960s, with the larger pearl color drum being an earlier 1940s piece with the WFL keystone logo. ( See close up) and the two small Gretsch drums and “traditional tom tom” also being earlier.
*Cool Side Note* according to the widow, the owner played garage bands in the 1960s and his father had been a professional drummer during the Big Band era. Documents I found in the attic indicate the father was the Henry King Orchestra’s drummer (i believe also the bus driver). According to her, the older drums in this lot belonged to the father and were played while on tour, coast to coast. (Name and scans of documents will be provided to the winner on request. Documents not included in this auction). Henry King was a big name star back in the day. Pretty cool!
Overall the condition is used but not abused, and varies from very good to “needs some work.” Drums were stored in the attic for probably a decade or more since last played. Most were protected in the original brown canvas zippered covers. (Included but are very dusty and weak and probably not worth saving. ) To my untrained ears, the intact drums sound nice, however when factoring your bid, please assume all pieces will need tuning and some restoring work.
Included in the lot is as follows (all dimensions are approximate within an inch or so):
1) WFL Drum Co. Tom tom, 17” diameter x 17” height. Very good condition. White Pearl finish, aged toned to butter yellow. Plays nice, skins are tight and undamaged other than play wear and some dimpling. Bit of surface rust speckles to chrome parts. No missing parts noted. Thumb screws still on the 3 legs. No serial number to WFL keystone badge. Very possibly played on stage in the Henry King Orchestra!
2) Ludwig Tom tom, 17 x 17” in black pearl, condition as above, chrome is a little brighter. Serial # 30989 on keystone badge.
3) Ludwig Snare Drum. 14.5” diameter x 6” height. Condition about same as above, nice crome, some scuffing to rim. Rogers “weatherking” skins. No serial number on keystone badge.
4) Ludwig small tom tom black pearl finish. 12.5” diameter x 9” height. Condition good as above. Lots of dimples to Weather Master skins but sounds good. No serial number on keystone badge.
5) Ludwig Bass drum in black pearl. 21” diameter x 16” height. Condition is solid but needs work, One skin is missing. Tension ring is included but detatched. Along the loose ring a 10” strip of the decorative pearl finish material is loose and needs to be reglued. Upper skin has a gauze tape repair. A bit of scuffing and light surface rust overall. Original owner name “Neal” hand painted on skin in cool 1960s psychedelic pink/black lettering. Appears to be complete minus the one skin. In my opinion, a relatively simple restoration. No serial number to keystone badge.
6) Gretsch steel bodied drum 11” diameter x 6.5” height. Older vintage. Nickel or chrome plate body, relatively heavy. Skin appears to be actual animal skin. Overall showing age patina and light wear, with the tension band showing scuffing and small tears to the animal skin. The actual drum surface is intact and playable. Circular brass logo without serial numbers, “Gretsch Drum Makers since 1883”
7) Gretsch steel bodied drum 14” diameter 6.5” height. Basically same as above but slightly larger and skin is torn, needing replacement.
8) Traditional Tom Tom, hand made from natural materials. Appears to be quite old possibly antique. I assume of the same or earlier vintage as the white pearl WFL drum and probably belonged to the father. Nice mellow sound, like the Indian theme music heard in old Western movies. Leather skin material appears to have had chinese stamps, at some point painted over, now revealed by missing areas of paint. Condition is dusty and showing age. Finish is heavily age crackled overall but intact. One 4” chip out of body with several cracks to the wood, not structurally detrimental. Looks very old, sounds good to me.
9) 17 brass cymbals ranging in size from 12” to 20” diameter. Mostly good condition, some appear to have been played pretty hard and have wavy edges.
10) Gong, about 20” diameter appears hand made, old and probably of Asian origin. Makes that classic gong tone.
11) Various hardware, including a folding tripod with the WFL keystone logo, semi circular framework, an adjustable stool, drum sticks, case, etc etc etc. See photos.
Sold as is. Pick up only!! Buyer agrees to complete transaction including pick up within 10 days of auction close. Payment in advance through eBay. Buyer must provide own padding for transport. Everything is currently on the ground floor so no stair climbing involved. The pieces are still dusty from long term storage, don’t wear your Sunday best. :)
Thanks for looking!!!
On Aug-09-21 at 06:00:58 PDT, seller added the following information:
In response to inquiries— yes, this auction is for the entire lot. I won’t end the auction early or sell anything separately. Winning bidder agrees to take the entire lot.