The Ludwig Acrolite

Love Craigslist, and was on my way home from work... A whopping $30... LoL!

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$30 for that condition? What a steal, congrats! You will love it.
 
They are great snare drums...

Wish I would of only paid $30 for this one... Paid $100 which was still good for the vintage...

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All those look great! Nice score BGH!!

30 bucks on that 70's too, oh yeah!!
Turbo- that same shell Acro was $225 (at least) at every booth that had them in May at the Chicago Show. $100 is still a steal!
 
My new main snare.


Yes I am a Yamaha man, but this.. this is awesome sounding...

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60's model. Paid 250,- € (+/- 338$) for the snare, a case and s&h. Quite a lot (even though this earlier model is harder to find in Europe) but still worth every Euro.

I'm now searching for the rare 60's 14x6,5 model too!
 
My new main snare.


Yes I am a Yamaha man, but this.. this is awesome sounding...

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60's model. Paid 250,- € (+/- 338$) for the snare, a case and s&h. Quite a lot (even though this earlier model is harder to find in Europe) but still worth every Euro.

I'm now searching for the rare 60's 14x6,5 model too!

That is a classy new addition to your drum family. When you find something that rare and nice, you have to jump on it. Congrats on the new snare!
 
Great drum! The Acrolite is still the best value, cost per sound quality ,ever made. They just sound good, depending on how you set it up.
 
Alright, so I'm on the hunt for a snare to go with my newly purchased PDP M5 shell pack (got it for $200 I might add). I originally was trying to get the matching Maple M5 snare so if I ever sell this kit I have a complete package. Then I read some reviews on the M5 snare which weren't that good so I thought maybe I should just "upgrade" now to something else.

I've been searching craigslist and used stuff at GC and Sam Ash and my price requirements and desire to have something "versatile" keep bringing me back to the Acrolite. I get the feeling a lot of people are selling them on CL for WAY lower than they are worth because GC doesn't seem to have any for less than 150$, some as high as $300. Where as I've seen some acros on CL for like $50.

So my question is: are there any Acros that are not good? Too old? Cheap Knockoffs that I should watch out for? Or are all authentic Acrolites created equal?

For some background I don't gig, tour or record. I'm a drummer getting back into this as a hobby after about 15 years away. All signs keep pointing me back to the acrolite... will it fit my needs?
 
The condition is always an issue with any drum, but other than that, I can't think of any Acrolites that are inferior to others.
 
This drum is on sale on CL near me. Owner doesn't know much about it. Is this an acrolite? The lugs make me think so but its missing the ridge running around the shell.
It came with a rolling case so I'm wondering if its one of those student snares. He's asking $75

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I don't think there have been any 'knock off' drums since the 1960's Japanese stencil kits. No one would go to the trouble of making a knock off Acro. You can find them cheap because tons of parents bought these for their kids when they were learning to play, they don't play anymore and dad is selling the drum.

If you are a hobbiest, any Acro will do. Yes, the prices are all over the map. If you can find one cheap on CL, its probably as I mentioned a parent selling a no longer used drum that might be in primo shape. They often include a case, a rubber practice pad and a stand, although the stand is usually concert (standing) height, as it wasn't sold as a 'drum kit snare.'

The best way to educate yourself is to just keep looking at them. There is no rush to buy-there are always tons of them for sale. You need to determine what the most important factors are in deciding which one to buy. Do you want the cheapest one? Do you want one ready to play as is? Do you want one that you can add heads and snares of your choice (ie not the most expensive one)? Can you swap out the strainer if its needed? Does the color matter? The most frequent versions you're going to see are the plain aluminum shell and the black galaxy. There is also the gray coated model the the early 'orange peel' model.

If you see one on CL that says 'bought this for my son who only played it one year,' that is probably one to jump on and you can usually get them cheap. Other than that, think of the factors I mentioned and keep looking til you find the one that seems right for you. Good luck with it and have fun looking!
 
This drum is on sale on CL near me. Owner doesn't know much about it. Is this an acrolite? The lugs make me think so but its missing the ridge running around the shell.
It came with a rolling case so I'm wondering if its one of those student snares. He's asking $75

If you are asking this question, then you really have no idea what you are looking at. Go onto eBay. Do a search on 'Ludwig Acrolite.' Look at all of the pictures. Look for the common features that have been stated. Almost none of them will be chrome. So if its chrome, 99.99% its not an Acro. The Acro always has the center bead. It has 8 bowtie lugs in almost every case. It will have a Keystone badge or Blue and olive badge. The black galaxy has the black and white badge.

Edit: the 5x14 will have 8 lugs in almost every case. The 6.5x14 will have 10 lugs.
 
I've been searching craigslist and used stuff at GC and Sam Ash and my price requirements and desire to have something "versatile" keep bringing me back to the Acrolite. I get the feeling a lot of people are selling them on CL for WAY lower than they are worth because GC doesn't seem to have any for less than 150$, some as high as $300. Where as I've seen some acros on CL for like $50.

So my question is: are there any Acros that are not good? Too old? Cheap Knockoffs that I should watch out for? Or are all authentic Acrolites created equal?

For some background I don't gig, tour or record. I'm a drummer getting back into this as a hobby after about 15 years away. All signs keep pointing me back to the acrolite... will it fit my needs?

Well, just to open up your horizon's a bit (hopefully not too big a derail...), you can also look for a Ludwig Standard Aluminum snare. Why do I bring it up? Same shell as the Supra and the Acro, except WITHOUT the center bead. They sound virtually the same, 8 lugs, and that silver pain that later Acros have. I'm only bringing it up since a)it is a close kissing sibling of the Acro and b)you might be able to score one on the cheap if the person doesn't know what they have..... Here is a thread talking about this drum: http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105304

As for Acros.... Check this one out. Probably a good one to jump on given the price: http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Used-USED-LUDWIG-ACRYLITE-14X5XSNAR-DRUM-MISSING-BADGE-108665985-i2973613.gc
 
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