[Rock747]

I recently purchased some Ludwig Add-on Toms to go with my Pearl Export kit. The kit is about 14 years old and Pearl discontinued the color several years ago. I didn't want a Frankenstein kit and could not get matching 8" and 10" toms from Pearl. So, I decided to get the Ludwigs anyway and try to match them up later.

Here's where it gets awesome.

I contacted the Pearl factory by looking them up on Google and calling until I was able to get an inside sales person that was willing to help. I told him about my interest. He actually checked with the manufacturing people and told me they had some limited surplus laminate in the color I was looking for. He gave me a factory assigned part number and a list cost but I had to go through a Pearl dealer. No Problem,

I called one of my favorite drum shops in town and showed them the email and was able to order the wrap through them.

It took a couple of weeks but I got the wrap and dissasembled all the lugs, carefully removed the original Lugwig wrap, with the help of some online resources, and now the add-on toms match my kit perfectly.

The hardest part was getting the correct double sided tape. I almost gave up on the idea until I was in a local ACE hardware store for an entirely different reason. I asked the sales guy about some good, strong double sided tape and he showed me some 1" thick Double sided carpet tape. Very sticky. It came on a 40' roll and it was only $5.00. I had previously seen Double sided tape on some drum web sites for $30.00+ for much smaller rolls.

The moral to this story is...."you can sometimes get what you want, and, if you try sometimes, you get what you need"!!!!!

The drums look great and I could not be happier.

I am now going to look at garage sales to find some old beat up drums and try to give them new life.

Drums should be punished as needed but, maintained well to be punished as they like and need to be.

Later.