My
 Jazz Combo

I had always wanted a Ludwig Jazz Combo. (The Jazz Combo was known as the Bebop until about 1958.) It was on my Snares To Get list. Here's how I wrote about it then:

"A Ludwig piccolo snare--this is a must. They came in a bunch of different sizes. The one I really want is the Jazz Combo, weighing in at 3" by 13". I would consider the very rare Las Vegas model at 4" X 13", or the relatively common Down Beat at 4" X 14". Also cool would be the Porto-Pak, a student model 5" X 13".

One day, whilst on eBay, I was looking for parts for my 1958 WFL. There I found a link for a "WFL Snare." That's all it said. The description read:

"Nice 14 inch WFL (Ludwig) snare. 6 lugs. one tear in the bottom head. The hoop has a few holes. VERY VINTAGE If you have any questions please email me ....check out my other auctions ALSO if you are looking for any drum parts Rogers,ludwig,gretch Let me know I just bought the contents of a old shop."

There is no mention of Jazz Combo or Downbeat. If the seller had used either of these terms, the price would have gone a lot higher. Also, if he had mentioned "Ludwig" in the title, more people would have seen it. Anyway, the number of people who saw the auction was low. I bought the snare for $214.50.

In doing some research on the drum, I noticed an inaccuracy in the listing. The seller says it's a six lug, 14" drum. Well, the Downbeat was the 14" shallow shell snare Ludwig made, and it had 8 lugs. The Jazz Combo's and the Las Vegas's were the 13" drums, and they had 6 lugs. In looking at the pictures, I was hoping it would be a 13", as that's what I really wanted. When it arrived, it was a 3"X13"--an honest to goodness Jazz Combo.
The P-8O Ludwig "Pioneer" Piccolo strainer.
A WFL butt plate. Not unusual in the transition years. (This snare is dated 1959 inside.) Also, see the holes drilled in the top hoop? Why? No idea--but there were three of them.
A leftover piece of masking tape (?) and a Ludwig Transition badge.
I also took some pictures of the shell, sans hardware. Here, you can really see the finish in bad shape. Since the color isn't particularly collectable, nor was it in decent shape, I had no qualms about recovering it.
And so I did. I checked my 1959 catalog to see what colors were available. (Pink Pearl was available that year--one of only two years it was offered, I think.) Anyway, I chose silver sparkle. It has a timeless quality about it, and will look good with just about any set. I think it came out very well.

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