Drum dating / Ludwig
Ludwig drum dating
Enter the serial or date code from your Ludwig drum and we read it against Ludwig’s own scheme to tell you the year it was built.
4 serial formatsLinked to Ludwig’s own lookup
Can't read a digit? Type ? in its place. Looked-up serials are kept, never tied to you. How it works
Your answer appears here
Type the serial or code from the instrument. We read it as you type.
Example Ludwig serials and how they read
Made-up serials in each of Ludwig’s formats, read by the dater above.
| Serial | Reads as | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 312345 | 1966 | Keystone badge serial (1963-1969) |
| 1234567 | 1973–1976 | Blue-and-Olive badge serial (1973-1979) |
| 881234 | 1971 | Blue-and-Olive badge serial (1969-1972) |
| 961234 | 1973–1976 | Blue-and-Olive badge serial (1973-1976) |
How Ludwig drums date
- Blue-and-Olive badge serial (1973-1979)
- Blue-and-Olive badge serial (1973-1976)
- Blue-and-Olive badge serial (1969-1972)
- Keystone badge serial (1963-1969)
More on Ludwig drum serials
Where to find the code
On the badge on the shell. Many wood shells from about 1958 to 1972 also carry an interior date stamp (MONTH DAY YEAR) that gives the exact date.
When the serial has no date
Where the serial cannot give a year, a potentiometer or other part with an EIA date code can help; the pot and speaker code reader decodes it. This is one of the drums the drum dater covers.