The Drum Vault

Ludwig Super Classic

White Marine Pearl · ca. 1965 · 13/16/22

The Beginning

This is the drum where it really all began.

When I was sixteen I played a lot with my band The Ties. I had just been given an endorsement by Spaun Drum Company and was not specifically looking for a vintage Ludwig at all. Until I came across an ad. There were no photos and I knew almost nothing about the kit. Still, it felt right straight away, and I asked my father if we could simply drive up there.

We ended up at an older man in Friesland who used to play in jazz orchestras. The drum kit was just standing in his living room, and when I saw the bass drum I had to laugh. On the resonant head was a huge drawing of Animal, the drummer from The Muppets.

That felt almost too much of a coincidence to be true, because at the time I always played with an Animal plush toy hanging from my cymbal stand during gigs. As if that drum had been waiting for me all along.

Since then this has been by far the kit I have played the most hours on. Rehearsals, gigs, studio recordings — this kit has seen it all. It shaped me as a drummer, and every time I sit down behind it, it feels familiar again.

I do not think this is the most special or valuable drum in The Drum Vault. But to me it is, without a doubt, the most important one.

Ludwig Super Classic

Black Oyster Pearl · 1960s · 13/16/22

I have been a Beatles fan for as long as I can remember. An original Black Oyster Pearl Ludwig had therefore been on my wish list for years.

I finally ordered this kit exactly one month before the corona pandemic began. It was by far the biggest investment I had ever made in a drum kit, and honestly, I lost quite a bit of sleep over it during the first lockdown. The kit was delivered in the second week of the lockdown, at a moment when nobody knew what the coming months would look like.

Still, I am very glad I made that choice back then. In hindsight this kit has become a beautiful reminder that difficult times pass too. Maybe that is why this Ludwig means more to me than just a Beatles drum kit.

I still have to smile about the fact that, of all things, a Black Oyster reminds me that even when life looks dark, beautiful things can grow out of it again.

Ludwig Super Classic

White Marine Pearl · 1960s · 12/16/20

After playing almost everything on my 22 inch Ludwig for years, I found myself playing lighter music more and more often. I noticed I was looking for a slightly more compact bass drum. Not because the 22 inch had stopped working for me, but because a 20 inch has a character all of its own.

In 2024 this White Marine Pearl came my way, and it felt like a beautiful addition to the first Ludwig. Not a replacement — really a second voice within the same family.

I use this kit a lot when I am after a smaller, more open sound. Especially in the studio or with singer-songwriter music, it does exactly what I hoped for when I bought it.

George Way Walnut

Walnut · Cordia · 20/12/13/14/16

Inspired by Craft

After playing my Dunnett Monopoly snare for years, the wish grew to one day own a complete drum kit built by Ronn Dunnett. Not because it was exclusive, but because I deeply admired the way he builds instruments.

Around that time I also listened a lot to Carter McLean, who often played George Way. The combination of his playing and Ronn Dunnett's craftsmanship made a big impression on me. I knew fairly quickly that one day I wanted a kit like that.

With George Way, though, things work a little differently than with most brands. There is no huge catalogue to endlessly choose from. Kits are built in small series and you essentially buy what becomes available at that moment. I knew I wanted a walnut kit, and in the end I waited until exactly such a kit became available in the Netherlands.

The kit started as a 20", 12" and 14" configuration. Later I added a 13" and a 16" tom, so I can use different setups depending on the music. Sometimes I play just 20", 13" and 16", sometimes 20", 12" and 14", and sometimes the whole kit comes along.

To me, this kit shows that modern craftsmanship can have just as much character as vintage drums.

Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch

Phantasm Oyster · 20/12/14

The Next Chapter

For years I played Ludwig and George Way. Those are instruments I still love deeply. Yet I also wanted a modern kit that could be used every single day for lessons, recordings and demonstrations.

When Tama approached me for an endorsement, it felt like a special moment. Not only because I had admired their instruments for years, but also because it meant a new chapter for the drum school.

This Starclassic in Phantasm Oyster became the first Tama kit of my endorsement, and by now it is probably the kit most students come into contact with most often. It shows how far modern drum manufacturing has come: reliable, versatile and musical.