The Ludwig Super-Sensitive Snare Drum

[@Ramshackled17]

I have a hammered bronze that I got from Alan White of Yes. I play it everyday. It's so precious to me. My favorite drum.

[@GregKnoll]

I just got a 1966 Super Sensitive. It is such a special drum. The snare mechanism legitimately allows for an uncommon level of dynamics. But also, the shell has a controlled dry quality, while still having metal drum feel. It’s perfection.

[@andreirlmeier]

with Keystone Badges ?

[@GregKnoll]

@@andreirlmeier Yes sir.

[@andreirlmeier]

@@GregKnoll does this snare sound good ??

[@GregKnoll]

@@andreirlmeier It sounds great.

[@thestationstudios]

I have the same Snare 410 supersensitive, with my Ludwig 1971 Drum set , 50 years by my side!!💕

[@gostbatsohg]

What’s the name of the Ludwig drum kit

[@thestationstudios]

@@gostbatsohg I put together the set, and I ordered it from Ludwig, Chicago, it doesn't have a specific name, I don't know if any pre-assembled set had the Snare L410, I chose that one, the 20” Bass Drum, two 12” and 13 tons ” al and 16” floor tom, and Avedis Ziljian cymbals, two 20” raides and a 20” Swish and hi hat

[@ThePercussionDiscussion]

There is nothing like a reliable piece of equipment! I am glad yours has served you well for so long!

[@gostbatsohg]

@@thestationstudios nice ! your setup seems epic. i had a reissue probeat and it’s super fun to play 🥁

[@monger6689]

Just got one of these for christmas, wouldn't trade it for the world!

[@rubytuesday1345]

I have a 1929 super sensitive. It is a thing of beauty and sounds amazing.

[@ThePercussionDiscussion]

That is wonderful! I’m glad it’s still being used to this day!

[@davidvenegas6457]

I have one of those 1970 snare in amazing condition, sound FK great, and I love the muffler that came inside, It fix the overtones in any kind of situation, It was my father's inheritance

[@drumdiscussion7776]

Thanks for demystifying the Ludwig Super Sensitive snare drum. It makes more sense now!

[@barberjeff67]

I bought a black beauty super 6.5x14 in 1988 with my new Classic kit. I loved and played this snare til 2010. It took a very heavy 2 and 4 for many years. I'll take a SS over a standard throw off any day.

[@gstrauss_percussion]

Very well made Ben!!

[@annmyslinski962]

Very, very interesting. Thanks for the info.

[@michaelc7955]

I used one for many many years playing in dance bands. I got it used, and believe it was made somewhere in the 1960s. But because of severe carpal tunnel I had to sell my drum set along with my Chrome plated Ludwig super sensitive snare drum

[@scottdrums2128]

I fixed my 1990 Bronze Super sensitive 6 1\2 inch with expensive used parts from Ebay. Are you saying Ludwig still sells new parts for the drum? I did not have any luck with finding new parts from Ludwig.🤔

[@augustotorres9746]

The Best snare in the world!!

[@thomasmoje5926]

I have a 5 x 14" Ludwig Supersensitive snare drum. Picked it up about 15 years ago from a private seller for quite a good price. It is in excellent condition with very little 'pimpling' of the chrome finish which is common on the older chrome over alloy shell Ludwig snare drums. All I had to do with mine was replace the reso head with a Remo hazy Ambassador and get new snare wires put on it. (I don't know if they are Ludwig snare wires or not I had a drum shop do it). Mine dates from mid-late 1970's blue and olive badge. It is a well made drum but quite frankly is not my favorite snare drum in my collection..rather awkward to fit into a drum set application as the snare guards stick out quite a bit and just have to finagle the drum around in the snare stand to allow clearance for the snare guards yet still have the snare throw off lever in a convenient location. Mine has an issue with snare wires rattling when the snare throw off is lowered all the way down..I don't get a clean 'no snares' sound in the event I want the snares completely off. Anybody know how to fix this?

[@deejaaywalker2314]

It's possible your snare wires are too tight OR your lever isn't allowing the snares to lower beyond the snare bed (they keep in contact with the head when they shouldn't). Try backing off the snares a bit using the wheels at the ends... gradually listening for improvements by tapping the top head with a drum stick. Oddly, I believe the wheel is counter-intuitive, meaning that the direction you think might loosen them actually tightens them and vice versa. If that doesn't help try lubing moving parts on your mechanism, it might free up the range it's suppose to function with, thus allowing your wires to lower as they should away from the bottom head. Otherwise, a slight bend somewhere in the mechanism might be the cause. Look for areas more prone to damage. Assess if something doesn't look quite right that might be preventing the mechanism from fully disengaging. Let us know if anything helps!

[@thomasmoje5926]

@@deejaaywalker2314 Yeah I found out about the snare tensioning wheels at either end of the throwoff mechanism shortly after I acquired the drum..they are 'counter intuitive'. I try not to tension snare wires too tight as in all my snare drums I like to hear some snare sound and resonance in the drum. I've found over the years that I don't care for 'alloy shell' snare drums (aluminum, etc.). My favorites are brass or wood shell. Best snare drums in my collection are a Rogers 5 x 14" COB Dynasonic, a Ludwig 'Carl Palmer Signature' brass shell 3.7 x 14", and an old Tama brass shell 6 1/2 x 14". They just sing out when tuned properly. The really good snare drums in the Ludwig 'Supraphonic/Supersensitive' line are the brass shell versions, in my opinion. Thanks for the advice.

[@StephenTrahan-oj4ds]

I have a super sensitive ludwig snare. I bought a new spring for the model I have. According to the serial number,it is a 1976 model. The spring that I bought from sweet water seems to be too long. It is a 14 inch snare but the springs that I bought is 18 1/4 inches long. is this the right spring? Sweetwater said this is the only one that they sell.

[@brianrubin4263]

The snare blades are definitely different. I have a 60's super sensitive. My favorite snare 6 1/2 by 14

[@ryancarver]

Great video! And a great snare!

[@Slamule]

Got one in mint condition. Didn't see the protection bars on yours, they fall off because of the tiny allen key screw that comes loose. My serial # is 1715417, not sure what year! Thanks for your very detailed info.

[@timcline2799]

I have hammered shell BB p70. It’s taught me that the only thing needing to be super sensitive about drumming is my playing. Give me super tough, solid, un-finicky any day. For playing with kit it’s too wide. The total snare bed length across reso? Snare rasp is snare rasp, past a certain point. There’s either enough or not. Anything past enough just adds epicycles. If your that reaching for snare buzz, go full on concert snare with triple strainer. Or pipeband snare with snare beds top & bottom. I’m mounting plates in original holes & putting millennium strainer on mine. Stripping p70 system entirely. Hammered shell BB tone is something I now can’t do without. Unlike the p70.

[@noamdavidmusic6465]

I have historical vistalight ludwig clear drums and super sensitive with 7 numbers on serial;). There is a very interesting story about this set .

[@ThePercussionDiscussion]

I bet there is! That’s such a neat piece of history to have!

[@noamdavidmusic6465]

@@ThePercussionDiscussionI have full ludwig vistalight clear drums set I think the year 79 . I want to sell all

[@lujuanhurtado8664]

​? for you are ludwig vista- lite drums still available for possible purchase ?

[@nealsausen4651]

Another important factor when potentially buying a Ludwig super sensitive snare drum is the shell material itself some of the earlier drums were “BRASS” shells While some of the later shells (Ludwig was very inconsistent when it came to shell materials Basically they used whatever shell materials That were available for certain run) especially those built in the 70s and 80s used A STEEL Shell called “LUD-A- ALOY” Which was basically just a steel shell! With a fancy name it might’ve been a compound material maybe steel AND aluminum I don’t know but it was basically a steel shell I tend to like to try to avoid those when Considering buying one of these DRUMS ! One way you could tell if a shell is brass or steel is if a magnet will stick to the shell or not if it’s a brass shell a magnet will NOT stick to it (A magnet WILL stick to steel)! Also look inside at the Shell wall interior it should have like a brassish/reddish gold hue to it! Metal drum shells (and this includes the supra phonic models As well)! made by Ludwig in the 50s, 60s and 70s and even some of the 80s will have the capital Letter “B” Stamped into the shell just behind the tone control knob! you have to look for it it’s behind the Tone control knob if there’s a “B” stamped into the shell that’s how they designated it as a brass shell at Ludwig Always try to get one of the brass Shell models If you can find one!

[@ThePercussionDiscussion]

Thank you for sharing this information!

[@deejaaywalker2314]

Ludalloy isn't steel. The best/worst kept secret about these drums in their non-brass form is they are made with aluminum. Steel rings loud and proud, almost uncontrolled at times. Aluminum drums are less ringy, more focused and dry. It's part of the magic these drum shells are famous for along with the fact they're not a curved piece of metal that gets welded together to form a cylinder but actually constructed from a single piece of flat aluminum that's machine rolled into a drum shape. There's no imperfections of a weld to mess with the tonal qualities. It's pure musical bliss.

[@nealsausen4651]

@@deejaaywalker2314 : thanks! For the correction! Always thought it was steel. I guess that makes them pretty much that student model. You know that one with the dull aluminum finish that they always have in the catalog I forget the name of that model

[@nealsausen4651]

@@deejaaywalker2314 yes, I have several of those “ALUMINUM” Supra phonics and they all sound and feel 👍🏻

[@deejaaywalker2314]

@@nealsausen4651 The same shell on the Super-Sensitive is also on the Supraphonic AND the "student model" Acrolite. The Acrolite is blessed with crazy good sound thanks to having the same shell as its sophisticated sisters that have the chrome finish and Imperial lugs. The Supraphonic has long been credited as fueling more number one hits than any other snare drum. The Acrolite is fantastic - a budget drummer's delight. I can compare them fairly because I own all three.

[@joedyer5618]

The Snares on mine don't drop down completely resulting in some snare noise when Snares are off. Can you make a suggestion to fix this ? Some guys are saying to purchase a no collar reso head .

[@ThePercussionDiscussion]

I do not have much experience with no-collar heads, so I cannot speak to the effectiveness of that method. My best suggestion would be to completely lower both sides of the snare mechanism using the technique shown at 9:41. Hopefully, that will bring the snares out of contact with your resonant head when the snares are not engaged. You can adjust and level the snares as you see fit from that point on if that does solve the problem. If that method does not solve the problem, there may be an issue with the snare mechanism itself. In that case, it would probably be best to take the snare to a technician who can take a look at the issue and get it fixed for you. Hope this helps!

[@mikekelly9851]

I have one that I bought in 1972. Does anyone know who has a hard case for sale that will accommodate the extended strainer?

[@ThePercussionDiscussion]

As of now, I am using an SKB 3i-1717-10LT for my super-sensitive. The square shape of the case provides enough room for the strainers while keeping the shell firmly in place. Unfortunately, I have not found any less bulky case that can hold the drum and strainer system, but maybe someone else has!

[@mikezisk5009]

I own one! 77 ish?, I need new snares and heads, any suggestions?, snares more importantly, ty!

[@ThePercussionDiscussion]

Definitely! A company named Puresound builds snares for all kinds of vintage drums. I have a couple sets of their snares for the super-sensitive series and have been very happy with them. Here is a link to the listing I used: www.amazon.com/PureSound-Vintage-Ludwig-Sensitive-Strand/dp/B004DGI46Y?th=1 Just make sure you select the "1969 to present" option since you have a 77 snare! In case its not clear when you look at the models, pre-68 super-sensitive snares have an elongated "T" bracket in comparison to the much shorter bracket of the post-69 snares.

[@mikezisk5009]

@@ThePercussionDiscussion ty very much!

[@renoroger1]

You might investigate what a “snare bed” is…

[@brianrubin4263]

It's the actual dip in the shell so the snares don't hit the bearing edge.

[@davidmerlin3344]

Waste of time with no demo.

[@ThePercussionDiscussion]

@@davidmerlin3344 I appreciate the comment. This video was intended to show off the unique mechanism of the drum. A showcase of the sound seemed unnecessary at the time considering it’s fairly common shell construction.