After the Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, Ludwig's production triples in an instant. Everyone wants Ringo’s drum kit.
In the early months of 1963, looking to replace Ringo's old Premier drum kit with a more aesthetically appealing one, the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein went to Drum City in London. The owner, Ivor Arbiter, had recently acquired exclusive rights to import Ludwig drums from the USA but was struggling to sell them due to their high price. In the store, Ringo fell in love with the new Black Oyster Pearl finish, and when he discovered it was a Ludwig color, he immediately said, «Deal!». However, before finalizing the deal, Epstein remarked «Wait, it says Ludwig on the drumhead. The band's name is not Ludwig; it's the Beatles!». So, Arbiter, being a good businessman, didn't want to lose the deal and wanted to promote the brand. He grabbed a piece of paper and sketched the bass drum with both the “Beatles” and “Ludwig” logos. He even came up with the famous elongated “T” in the Beatles logo and had a designer complete it, all for just £5. On May 12, 1963, Ringo finally received his first Ludwig kit, and the rest is history.
The one in our photo is a Ludwig Fab 4 Classic Maple Vintage Black Oyster Pearl. You can also spot a 1963 Ludwig Club Date White Marine Pearl kit in the Get Back, Help!, We Can Work It Out, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something, Rain, Dear Prudence videos, as well as the more recent Now and Then.
