Ludwig Drums is a United States

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

manufacturer, focused on

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

. The brand achieved significant popularity in the 1960s due to the endorsement of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

drummer Ringo Starr. It is a subsidiary of

Conn-Selmer Conn-Selmer, Inc. is an American manufacturer of musical instruments for concert bands, marching bands and orchestras. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments and was formed in 2003 by combining the Steinway properties, ...

. Products manufactured by Ludwig include timpani,

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

s, and drum hardware. The company also makes keyboard percussion instruments, such as

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

s, vibraphones, and

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

s, through the Ludwig-Musser brand.

History

The Ludwig Drum Company was established in 1909 by William F. & Theobald Ludwig, sons of a German immigrant to the United States. William Jr. had been a professional drummer, playing with circuses and touring vaudeville shows, along with the occasional skating-rink gig. Since this work was irregular, he and his brother, Theobald, opened a drum shop in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

; they called it Ludwig & Ludwig. The company started with a concept for the design and manufacture of a functional bass drum pedal. The company added new products to its catalog, such as

snare drums The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

and timpani, in 1916. In 1917, Ludwig signed a deal to build rope-tensioned snare drums to support

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Theobald Ludwig died in 1918, and William continued on his own. In the late 1920s, the company was sold to the

C.G. Conn C. G. Conn Ltd., sometimes called Conn Instruments or commonly just Conn, is a former American manufacturer of musical instruments incorporated in 1915. It bought the production facilities owned by Charles Gerard Conn, a major figure in earl ...

instrument company. William Ludwig stayed on to run the company for Conn (which also owned the Leedy Manufacturing Company at this time). Eventually, William Ludwig decided to leave Conn and start a new company of his own. He was unable to use the Ludwig name since that trademark now belonged to Conn who continued to market Ludwig & Ludwig drums. In 1937, William bought a factory building and started The WFL Drum Company (his initials). The company continued producing drums at a small scale for the duration of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, but William got back to the idea of making the company a large drum manufacturer after the war ended. WFL was a competitor with Ludwig and Ludwig. Conn combined their two drum brands into one in the early 1950s, forming Leedy & Ludwig, and then decided to quit the drum business altogether. In 1955, William and his son Bill Jr. were able to buy the Ludwig trademark back from Conn, and over the next few years their company and its products transitioned from the WFL brand to being called "Ludwig" again. Despite initial success, Ludwig's global breakthrough would occur February 9, 1964, when

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

made their historic American TV debut on '' The Ed Sullivan Show.''"The Beatles’ first Ed Sullivan Show" on The Beatles Bible
/ref> The Ludwig logo, displayed on the front of Ringo Starr's bass drum, could be seen by the television audience of about seventy-three million people.
/ref> As it happens, Starr chose that brand upon joining the band simply because he liked the oyster pearl black color of the drum kit he chose. The publicity resulted in Ludwig's sales doubling quickly to $13 million, which prompted production to increase to a 24/7 production as the company became the foremost drum manufacturer in North America for twenty years. Ludwig acquired the Musser Mallet Company, a manufacturer of

s and vibraphones, in 1965. Ludwig was a strong presence in the marching drum market. During the 1970s, Ludwig's "Challenger" line of snare drums offered sophisticated tuning and strong build quality. Ludwig drums were used by many leading drum and bugle corps. On 4 November 1981, William F Ludwig II sold the business to the Selmer Company (now

). Selmer closed the Damen Avenue factory in the ensuing years and moved the drum production business to Monroe, North Carolina, in 1984. In 2002, Ludwig merged with

, becoming a

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

, Inc. The Musser manufacturing facility remained in LaGrange, Illinois, until 2013, and was then moved to Elkhart, Indiana.

Notable artists

Some of the musicians that currently or previously played Ludwigs include: * Ringo Starr (

) * Richard "Pistol" Allen ( The Funk Brothers) * Jerry Allison ( Buddy Holly & The Crickets) * Carmine Appice * Mick Avory ( The Kinks) * Ginger Baker *Derek Ballard (

A Band Called O A Band Called O were a band from Jersey, Channel Islands. Originally known as The Parlour Band, playing progressive rock, they renamed to A Band Called O for two albums on CBS/Epic and later to The O Band for further albums with UA. Despite is ...

) *

Danny Barcelona Danny Barcelona (July 23, 1929 – April 1, 2007) was an American jazz drummer best known for his years with Louis Armstrong's All-Stars. He was a Filipino-American born in Waipahu, a community of Honolulu, Hawaii. He was also frequently intr ...

* Barrett Deems ( Louis Armstrong) *

Barriemore Barlow Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow (born 10 September 1949, Birmingham) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and percussionist for the rock band Jethro Tull, from May 1971 to June 1980. Christened Barrie, 'Barriemore' was an affectation ...

( Jethro Tull) *

Carlton Barrett Carlton "Carly" Barrett (17 December 1950 – 17 April 1987) was a Jamaican musician best known for being the long-time drummer for Bob Marley & The Wailers. Recognized for his innovative style, which featured a highly syncopated, broken tripl ...

(

Bob Marley & The Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Rober ...

) * Frank Beard ( ZZ Top) * Fred Below * Benny Benjamin ( Funk Brothers) * Hal Blaine * Jason Bonham * John Bonham (

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

) *

Cindy Blackman Cindy Blackman Santana (born November 18, 1959), sometimes known as Cindy Blackman, is an American jazz and rock drummer. Blackman has recorded several jazz albums as a bandleader and has performed with Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Simmons, Ron Carter ...

( Lenny Kravitz) * Don Brewer ( Grand Funk Railroad) * Bill Bruford (

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talent ...

, King Crimson,

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

Earthworks Earthworks may refer to: Construction *Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour *Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil *Earthworks (military), mi ...

) * Tony Buck * Clive Bunker ( Jethro Tull) *

Clive Burr Clive Ronald Burr (8 March 1957 – 13 March 2013) was an English drummer. He was a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982. Career Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979. Auditioning and joining ...

(

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harr ...

) * Larry Bunker * Joe Butler (

Lovin' Spoonful Loving may refer to: * Love, a range of human emotions * Loving (surname) * '' Loving v. Virginia'', a 1967 landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case Film and television * ''Loving'' (1970 film), an American film * ''Loving'' ...

) * Jim Capaldi (

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

) *

Eric Carr Paul Charles Caravello (July 12, 1950 – November 24, 1991), better known professionally as Eric Carr, was an American musician who was the drummer for the rock band Kiss from 1980 to 1991. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after ...

(

KISS A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

) * Nameless Ghoul (

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...

) * Luis Cardenas (

Renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *''Command ...

) * Bun E. Carlos (

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen a ...

) * Patrick Carney ( The Black Keys) * Karen Carpenter * Vinnie Colaiuta *

John Cowsill John Cowsill (born March 2, 1956) is an American musician, best known for his work as a singer and drummer with his siblings' band The Cowsills. He has been a drummer and vocalist for The Beach Boys touring band, which featured original Beach Boy ...

(

Cowsills The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island, six siblings noted for performing professionally and singing harmonies at an early age, later with their mother. The band was formed in early 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and ...

, Beach Boys) * Mark Craney ( Jethro Tull) *

Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Ca ...

(

) * Dino Danelli (

Young Rascals Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American r ...

) * Mila De La Garza (

The Linda Lindas The Linda Lindas is a rock band from Los Angeles. The all-girl group comprises Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, and sisters Lucia and Mila de la Garza. History In January 2018, Eloise Wong's father Martin Wong was contacted by an acquaintance, askin ...

) * John Densmore ( The Doors) *Michael Derosier (

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...

) *

Bobby Elliott Robert Hartley Elliott (born 8 December 1941) is an English rock drummer, best known for playing with The Hollies. He has been described as "one of the very finest drummers in all of pop/rock". Early life Elliott discovered jazz music when he w ...

( The Hollies) *

Gregg Errico Greg Errico (born September 1, 1948) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the drummer for the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly and the Family Stone. Background Errico was born and grew up in San Franc ...

( Sly & The Family Stone) * Mick Fleetwood ( Fleetwood Mac) * James Gadson * Will Goode ( Wilderness) *Alan Gratzer ( REO Speedwagon) *Charlie Hall ( The War on Drugs) * Roy Haynes * Don Henley ( The Eagles) * Rob Hirst ( Midnight Oil) * Barry Jenkins (musician) ( The Animals) * Jimmy Johnson, Jr. ( Duke Ellington Orchestra) * Papa Jo Jones * Kenney Jones ( Small Faces / Faces) * Uriel Jones ( The Funk Brothers) * Brian Keenan ( Chambers Brothers) * Joey Kramer ( Aerosmith) * Bill Kreutzmann ( Grateful Dead) *

Eric Kretz Eric Kretz (born June 7, 1966) is an American musician and producer, best known as the drummer for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots. He is of German descent. He has also played for Talk Show and Spiralarms. Kretz, who was born in San Jose, Cal ...

( Stone Temple Pilots) * Gary Lewis ( ...and the Playboys) *

Stan Levey Adolph Stanley Levey known professionally as Stan Levey (April 5, 1926 – April 19, 2005) was an American jazz drummer. He was known for working with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the early development of bebop during the 1940s, and in ...

* Nick Mason ( Pink Floyd) *

Nicko McBrain Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain (born 5 June 1952) is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden since 1982. Having played in small pub bands since 1966 from the age of 14, McBrain paid his bills after grad ...

(

) * Jim McCarty ( Yardbirds) * Rob Minnig (

The Ocean Blue The Ocean Blue is an American indie pop band formed in Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1986. Its original members included David Schelzel on lead vocals/guitar, Steve Lau on keyboards/saxophone, Bobby Mittan on bass guitar and Rob Minnig on drums and v ...

) * Mitch Mitchell ( The Jimi Hendrix Experience) *

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...

(

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

) * Art Cruz ( Lamb of God) *

Fabrizio Moretti Fabrizio Moretti (born June 2, 1980) is a Brazilian-American musician and visual artist best known as the drummer for American rock band The Strokes, with whom he has released six studio albums since 2001. A collaborative artist, he has been ...

( The Strokes) * Steve Negus ( Saga) * Jerry Nolan ( New York Dolls) * Ian Paice ( Deep Purple) * Carl Palmer * Kevin Parker ( Tame Impala) * Melvin Parker ( James Brown) * Neil Peart ( Rush) *Roger Pope ( Elton John, Hall and Oates) * Cozy Powell ( Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow) * Questlove ( The Roots) * Marky Ramone ( Ramones) * Buddy Rich * Max Roach * Ed Shaughnessy * Jerry Shirley ( Humble Pie) *Mike "Smitty" Smith ( Paul Revere & The Raiders) * John "Jabo" Starks ( James Brown) *

Eric Slick Eric Slick (born May 15, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter and drummer. He is the drummer of Dr. Dog, performing on their albums '' Shame, Shame'' (2010), '' Be The Void'' (2012), '' B-Room'' (2013), '' The Psychedelic Swamp'' (2016) '' Ab ...

(

Dr. Dog Dr. Dog is an American rock band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its lineup consists of Toby Leaman (bass guitar), Scott McMicken (lead guitar), Frank McElroy (rhythm guitar), Zach Miller (keyboard), Eric Slick ( drums), and ...

) * Clyde Stubblefield ( James Brown) * Roger Taylor (

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

) * Ed Thigpen * Mick Tucker ( Sweet) * Ron Tutt * Alex Van Halen (

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

) * Bill Ward (

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

) * Charlie Watts ( Rolling Stones) * Sandy West ( The Runaways) * Max Weinberg (

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

) * Alan White (

, Plastic Ono Band) * Andy White * Woody Woodmansey ( The Spiders from Mars) * Meg White ( The White Stripes) * Tré Cool ( Green Day)

Gallery

File:1918 Ludwig drum sets.jpg, 1918 Ludwig drum set. File:Beatles Ludwig drumset, Vox Super Beatle amplifier, Museum of Making Music.jpg, Ludwig drum set, in Black Oyster Pearl, used by Ringo Starr with

. File:Ludwig transparent Drum-kit @ FUZZ Guitar Show 2009.jpg, Ludwig Vistalite drum set. File:Ludwig Amber Vistalite.jpg, Ludwig Vistalite drum set in Amber. File:Luis Cardenas Ludwig Drums.jpg, 114 piece Guinness Book of World Records Ludwig drum set used by Luis Cardenas with

. File:Ludwig Green Sparkle.jpg, Five-piece Ludwig drum set, in Green Sparkle, as used by John Bonham of

. File:Van_halen_drum.jpg, Ludwig drum set used by Alex Van Halen. File:Vibes joelocke koeln2007.jpg, Musser vibraphone Ludwig Professional timpani 01.jpg, Ludwig timpani

References

External links

*
NAMM Oral History Interview with William F Ludwig II
July 9, 2002
NAMM Oral History Interview with William F. Ludwig III
January 16, 2009 {{Percussion instruments brands Percussion instrument manufacturing companies Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in North Carolina American companies established in 1909 Manufacturing companies established in 1909 The Beatles' musical instruments