AKARSH SHEKHAR
The Brilliance of the
LUDWIG
BLACK
BEAUTY
William and Theobald Ludwig established their brand by making the finest stringed and percussion instruments during the early
20th Century in America. A particularly famous concert snare called the De Luxe, was unique for its ornately hand-engraved,
beaded, black brass shell. This sensational snare was bedecked in a black gunmetal finish, crowned with gold hoops and hardware,
and exhibiting its inimitable sustain, power, and response. The De Luxe was most notably seen onstage in New York’s Aeolian Hall
in 1924 at the world premiere of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Conductor and bandleader Paul Whiteman immortalized
the words “black beauty” as he spoke of percussionist George Marsh’s perfectly present and distinctly moody black snare drum. The
legend of the Black Beauty was born on that day.
The Black Beauty was rereleased in the 1970s by Ludwig, William’s later brand, following a Ludwig-name resurgence thanks to
mainline drummers like John Bonham and Ringo Starr. The former 2-piece tack-soldered shell had been upgraded to a seamless
1-piece shell. The new version was machine drawn and spun into a cylinder from a single sheet of brass for greater resonance and
articulation. The previous De Luxe’s single-flanged hoops were also upgraded to stronger triple-flanged hoops. The classic tube lugs
were updated to Ludwig-branded Imperial lugs. Buyers at that time could also choose unadorned black shells and Supraphonic P-85
snare mechanisms. These features blasted the Black Beauty beyond the concert percussion world into the arms of rock drummers
everywhere.
Iterations during the 80s saw the Black Beauty made from bronze and other precious metals before a return to form with the original
brass shell formulation during the early 1990s.
Here are some of the features that make the Ludwig Black
Beauty great
• Artisan craftwork — The Ludwig brothers’ De Luxe set a
visual standard with its engraved shell and tube lugs. Today’s
Black Beauty continues this tradition with options for antique,
modern, and hand-hammered finishes, as well as choices for lugs
and snare mechanisms.
• Black brass shell — Brass is one of the most musical and
sensitive drum materials on earth. The later Black Beauty’s
single-ply, seamless brass shell exhibited a particularly
impressive brilliance, fullness, bloom, and articulation, not to
mention a versatile tuning range that refused to choke or bottom
out. Optional hand-hammering in later models (’90s onward)
imparted even deeper, cymbal-like levels of musical complexity.
• Iconic Name — Though “Black Beauty” may recall everything
from carriage horses to cutaway guitars, its connotation in the
drum world is unmistakable. Interestingly, Ludwig’s isn’t the
earliest or only snare to carry the Black Beauty name — rival
drum company Slingerland first coined the term in an ad for its
Artist model. Even so, when it comes to name recognition, few
snares carry the weight of Ludwig’s Black Beauty.
• Center-beaded design — According to Ludwig, the iconic center
bead found on its brass and Ludalloy aluminum shells both adds
reinforcing strength and opens up the tone of the drum. In the
case of the Black Beauty, according to Ludwig’s 1980 flyer, it
“adds to its full resonance” and concentrates the “special and
rich brass-shell sound.”
• Exclusivity — Black Beauties have often been produced in
limited numbers and serialized for identification. This makes
them not only musical masterpieces but collector’s items as well.
• Recordability — Recording engineers and live sound
professionals have long heralded the Black Beauty for its mic-
ability. This has made it a go-to option in studios across the
world.
• Artist roster — Noteworthy users of the Black Beauty today
include Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick), Chris Maas (Mumford &
Sons), Charlie Hall (The War on Drugs), and untold others —
endorsements that have gone a long way in making this snare a
must-have on many drummers’ lists.
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
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