1963 Original Ludwig Super Classic, 22,13,16,5.25×14, Ringo-Beatle Spec Snare, $39,995.00. Best Ever?

1963 Original Ludwig Super Classic, 22,13,16,5.25×14, Ringo-Beatle Spec Snare, Best Ever?

In over 40 years in the vintage drum world I’ve seen dozens of Ludwig Black Oyster “Ringo” sets. My quest to find one of these is what first got me interested in vintage drums. This 1963 Super Classic Model Black Oyster set is by far the most perfect Super Classic Black Oyster Ringo set I’ve ever encountered. The set is virtually identical to the set Ringo Starr played with the Beatles for the majority of his career with the Beatles.

The set was made in 1963. All of the drums have pre-serial number keystone badges. The 13″ and 16″ toms are both date stamped June 23, 1963. This single owner set that was purchased directly from the Ludwig factory in Chicago, barely 6 weeks after Ringo bought his first Black Oyster set and about a year before America had discovered the Beatles. The set went directly from the Ludwig factory to the buyer’s basement, where it remained for the next 56 years.

The set is in virtually perfect condition. No holes, modifications, discoloration or damage. Nothing broken or missing. The shells have been professionally buffed and polished. The badge on the snare has been buffed to shiny brass. The other badges retained their matte brass finish. There is some extremely slight snare rash on the 13″ tom. The chrome is extremely clean with only some extremely minor pitting. Original Ludwig logo heads top and bottom, all original brass hoops, red felt mufflers. Interiors of the snare and toms drums are painted white. The bass drum is unpainted on the interior as was the standard practice with Ludwig at the time. All drums have standard Ludwig overlapping finish scarf joints. The set is in nearly the same condition as it was when it left the Ludwig factory in the summer of 1963. The photos depict the condition of the set very accurately.

22×14 bass, 16×16 floor tom, 13×9 tom. The 14×5.25 matching Jazz Festival snare drum is what is now commonly referred to as the “Ringo Spec” Jazz Festival. This version is defined by the muffler, badge and throw-off being located on 3 consecutive panels with slightly deeper than normal shell (a standard Jazz Festival is 5″ deep, Ringo’s was 5.5″ deep and this drum is 5.25″ deep). This version of the Jazz Festival was made for only a very short period in 1963 when Ringo Starr now famously acquired his first Black Oyster set. By the time The Beatles exploded into worldwide popularity in 1964, Ludwig had already changed the hardware configuration and returned to a standard 5″ deep shell. When Beatlemania erupted in 1964 Ludwig sold thousands of Black Oyster sets with matching Jazz Festivals snares but none of them were in the “Ringo Spec” version. This makes the Ringo Spec Jazz Festival in Black Oyster finish one of the rarest and most coveted snares ever made with only a handful known to exist.

The set includes all of the “Ringo correct” hardware seen in the photos. Buck Rogers snare drum stand, Premier Lockfast cymbal stand and model #245 throne. Walberg and Auge bass drum anchor. Ludwig Speed King bass pedal, 1400 cymbal stand, 1363 flat base snare stand and 1123 Spurlock hi-hat stand.

See and hear this set in the video below along with 2 other near-perfect “Ringo” sets.

The cymbals in the photos are not included. The set will come with a Beatles logo head hand painted by Russ Lease. THE SIGNED LOGO HEAD IN THE PHOTO IS NOT INCLUDED AND IS NOT FOR SALE.

Consider this an opportunity to own what is likely the best Ringo-Beatle set you will ever see in your life.

Single click images to enlarge.