ludwigvondrumcrazy
Senior Member
Since the Acrolite generates respect among those who have played them I thought I would give an overview of its “career” for those who may not be familiar with the venerable 404 (5 x 14) which is still readily available.
I won’t clutter up this thread with all of the descriptions throughout the years since they pretty much remained the same, but will show a number of images of the Snare so you can get a better feel for how they should look from the different eras. The Acrolite used the same Shell material, and was built using the same process & equipment as the Supra Phonic 400 with the only difference between the two being that the 400 was drilled for ten Lugs and was chrome plated with the 404 getting eight Lugs and having an Anodized finish.
I will also be adding some information “along the way” based on things I learned while reconditioning both Acrolites & Supra-Phonics. This information will only pertain to Drums I worked on that I knew to be original since things have a tendency to get swapped out over the years, especially Strainers, which can generate some confusion so please keep this in mind if looking at an eBay listing, or even a Ludwig Catalog, that doesn’t jibe with “the facts.” Ludwig had a tendency to reuse images for their Catalogs even though things had changed and overlap, in their process, the introduction of newer style parts with the older style, as opposed to having a clean “breakpoint.” Because of this please don’t think what I add is “carved in stone,” it’s just what I have come across on the “originals” that I have worked on and I’m learning something new all the time…............
The 404 entered Ludwig’s stable of Snares in 1963 and is shown below in the first Catalog it appeared in, the "New for '63" supplement to Catalog No.62. This first production version is commonly reffered to as a "protoype" but considering it was a Student Snare and offered in a Snare Kit the possibility exists that there are quite a few of these 404's with the "orange peel" anodized finish still kicking around.
Note: Rims also made from the same material as the Shell (aluminum.)
EDIT NOTE: The New for '63 supplement info. added 04/03/2008
Below is how it appeared in Catalog No.64 (released late 63.) Note smoother finish and the fact that they dropped the aluminum Rims, which didn't hold up well to the tension a Snare's Rims are subjected to.
For the first six years, 1963–1969 the Acrolite sported the Keystone Badge & P-83 Strainer…………………
As shown below in Catalog No’67 (released in late ’66)
This image is mis-leading since it's transposed, so it shows a mirror image with everything "backwards."
The Throw-off Arm, Badge & Baseball Bat Tone Control Lever are actually positioned the same as shown in the previous image.
Throughout the 1960’s & into the mid-70’s the Rims on both the Acrolite & Supra Phonic were much thinner than they are today and in my opinion give the Drums from that era a more open, or resonant, quality. I know a fellow who worked at Ludwig throughout the 60’s and he told me that they were 1.6 mm, which seems about right.
The 404 as shown in the No’71 Catalog (released in late ’70) the year after receiving the Blue & Olive Badge & “Black Face” P-85 Strainer.
It was around this time that the “Baseball Bat” Tone Control was changed to the Round Knob…………….
Below is the Acrolite in the 1974-75 Catalog.
Note that the P-85 had twelve holes for the Snare Cord, which it did from 1969 until right around 1978 when it went to two holes……………
The next image is from 1978 and matches, to a T, the Acrolite I am currently working on, still Anodized, with the “new” two hole P-85 and “Pointed Corners” Blue & Olive Badge. Ludwig rounded the corners on the Blue & Olive Badge on all their Drums the following year, 1979. It was right around the time that Ludwig went to the “two hole” P-85 that the Rims got a little heavier, how heavy is a good question. They aren’t as heavy as they are today, which are probably a 2.3 mm., but seem heavier than a 1.9 mm. I have a 1975-76 Supra-Phonic 402 and just finished up a “twelve hole” 400 last week that has the thinner Rims, which is what I base my opinion on for the switch to the heavier Rims……………………
The next shot is from 1984 and shows it with its “new” Powder Coating, which Ludwig switched to that same year. In my opinion the Powder Coating “chokes” off the sound of the Acrolite when compared to the Anodized Shelled 404. When you factor in the heavier Rims, which also choked it off some, you can see how the Acrolites of today differ from those dating from the 1960’s & into the mid-1970’s with the “older” style having a more open, resonant sound, as well as a broader tuning range. As mentioned, the above opinions are my own and are based on using a Remo Coated Ambassador Batter Head on both the Anondized & Powder Coated 404’s……………………
The next image is from 1988 and shows how the shade of the Powder Coating can differ some, which is also true of the Anodized Shells, some could be lighter than others. If trying to determine the age of an Acrolite, or Supra Phonic, by its P-85, Ludwig did add a small rubber Grommet to the threaded part of the Tension Knob in the very early 80’s and switched to the “Chrome Face” P-85 around 1984. With that said I have seen “Black Face” P-85’s threaded for Plastic Straps on known original Drums that date after 1984 so this could be a case of Ludwig using both types, Chrome & Black Face, during the same time frame……...........
In 1993 Ludwig switched over to the “Black Galaxy” Powder Coating which they still use today. In 1994 they also started offering a 6.5 x 14, the 405, as shown in that year’s Catalog (1994) below. There have been reports of a 6.5 x 14 Acrolite being made during the 1960’s or 1970’s but those, if this is true, would be few & far between………………
1994 Description below: Note 6.5 x 14 (405) has Ten Lugs
One thing that has been constant with the Acrolite over the years is that even when Ludwig dropped the Tone Controls from the Supra Phonic, as well as their other Snares, around 1998, which are making a come back, they always kept them on the Acrolites………………….
One thing I won’t try to pin down and that is when Ludwig switched to the Black & White Badge on the Acrolites. I have read that this happened in 1984 but can’t confirm this since I haven’t worked on enough Drums from that time frame. With that said, the 1988 Catalog image still showed the Blue & Olive with 1994 the first time that the Black & White Badge shows up in their Catalogs……………
I hope this information sheds a little light on a Snare that a large number of Drummers started out on and many still hold in high esteem……………
LVDC
I won’t clutter up this thread with all of the descriptions throughout the years since they pretty much remained the same, but will show a number of images of the Snare so you can get a better feel for how they should look from the different eras. The Acrolite used the same Shell material, and was built using the same process & equipment as the Supra Phonic 400 with the only difference between the two being that the 400 was drilled for ten Lugs and was chrome plated with the 404 getting eight Lugs and having an Anodized finish.
I will also be adding some information “along the way” based on things I learned while reconditioning both Acrolites & Supra-Phonics. This information will only pertain to Drums I worked on that I knew to be original since things have a tendency to get swapped out over the years, especially Strainers, which can generate some confusion so please keep this in mind if looking at an eBay listing, or even a Ludwig Catalog, that doesn’t jibe with “the facts.” Ludwig had a tendency to reuse images for their Catalogs even though things had changed and overlap, in their process, the introduction of newer style parts with the older style, as opposed to having a clean “breakpoint.” Because of this please don’t think what I add is “carved in stone,” it’s just what I have come across on the “originals” that I have worked on and I’m learning something new all the time…............
The 404 entered Ludwig’s stable of Snares in 1963 and is shown below in the first Catalog it appeared in, the "New for '63" supplement to Catalog No.62. This first production version is commonly reffered to as a "protoype" but considering it was a Student Snare and offered in a Snare Kit the possibility exists that there are quite a few of these 404's with the "orange peel" anodized finish still kicking around.
Note: Rims also made from the same material as the Shell (aluminum.)
EDIT NOTE: The New for '63 supplement info. added 04/03/2008
Below is how it appeared in Catalog No.64 (released late 63.) Note smoother finish and the fact that they dropped the aluminum Rims, which didn't hold up well to the tension a Snare's Rims are subjected to.
For the first six years, 1963–1969 the Acrolite sported the Keystone Badge & P-83 Strainer…………………
As shown below in Catalog No’67 (released in late ’66)
This image is mis-leading since it's transposed, so it shows a mirror image with everything "backwards."
The Throw-off Arm, Badge & Baseball Bat Tone Control Lever are actually positioned the same as shown in the previous image.
Throughout the 1960’s & into the mid-70’s the Rims on both the Acrolite & Supra Phonic were much thinner than they are today and in my opinion give the Drums from that era a more open, or resonant, quality. I know a fellow who worked at Ludwig throughout the 60’s and he told me that they were 1.6 mm, which seems about right.
The 404 as shown in the No’71 Catalog (released in late ’70) the year after receiving the Blue & Olive Badge & “Black Face” P-85 Strainer.
It was around this time that the “Baseball Bat” Tone Control was changed to the Round Knob…………….
Below is the Acrolite in the 1974-75 Catalog.
Note that the P-85 had twelve holes for the Snare Cord, which it did from 1969 until right around 1978 when it went to two holes……………
The next image is from 1978 and matches, to a T, the Acrolite I am currently working on, still Anodized, with the “new” two hole P-85 and “Pointed Corners” Blue & Olive Badge. Ludwig rounded the corners on the Blue & Olive Badge on all their Drums the following year, 1979. It was right around the time that Ludwig went to the “two hole” P-85 that the Rims got a little heavier, how heavy is a good question. They aren’t as heavy as they are today, which are probably a 2.3 mm., but seem heavier than a 1.9 mm. I have a 1975-76 Supra-Phonic 402 and just finished up a “twelve hole” 400 last week that has the thinner Rims, which is what I base my opinion on for the switch to the heavier Rims……………………
The next shot is from 1984 and shows it with its “new” Powder Coating, which Ludwig switched to that same year. In my opinion the Powder Coating “chokes” off the sound of the Acrolite when compared to the Anodized Shelled 404. When you factor in the heavier Rims, which also choked it off some, you can see how the Acrolites of today differ from those dating from the 1960’s & into the mid-1970’s with the “older” style having a more open, resonant sound, as well as a broader tuning range. As mentioned, the above opinions are my own and are based on using a Remo Coated Ambassador Batter Head on both the Anondized & Powder Coated 404’s……………………
The next image is from 1988 and shows how the shade of the Powder Coating can differ some, which is also true of the Anodized Shells, some could be lighter than others. If trying to determine the age of an Acrolite, or Supra Phonic, by its P-85, Ludwig did add a small rubber Grommet to the threaded part of the Tension Knob in the very early 80’s and switched to the “Chrome Face” P-85 around 1984. With that said I have seen “Black Face” P-85’s threaded for Plastic Straps on known original Drums that date after 1984 so this could be a case of Ludwig using both types, Chrome & Black Face, during the same time frame……...........
In 1993 Ludwig switched over to the “Black Galaxy” Powder Coating which they still use today. In 1994 they also started offering a 6.5 x 14, the 405, as shown in that year’s Catalog (1994) below. There have been reports of a 6.5 x 14 Acrolite being made during the 1960’s or 1970’s but those, if this is true, would be few & far between………………
1994 Description below: Note 6.5 x 14 (405) has Ten Lugs
One thing that has been constant with the Acrolite over the years is that even when Ludwig dropped the Tone Controls from the Supra Phonic, as well as their other Snares, around 1998, which are making a come back, they always kept them on the Acrolites………………….
One thing I won’t try to pin down and that is when Ludwig switched to the Black & White Badge on the Acrolites. I have read that this happened in 1984 but can’t confirm this since I haven’t worked on enough Drums from that time frame. With that said, the 1988 Catalog image still showed the Blue & Olive with 1994 the first time that the Black & White Badge shows up in their Catalogs……………
I hope this information sheds a little light on a Snare that a large number of Drummers started out on and many still hold in high esteem……………
LVDC
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