The company was formed in 1909 as "Ludwig & Ludwig" by brothers William F. and Theo Ludwig. The brothers' first product was a bass drum pedal capable of playing faster beats than was typical of products of the time. It was produced in a rented barn on the south side of Chicago. The Ludwig brothers next developed a hydraulic action timpani and in 1916 invented a spring mechanism—the basis for the current Balanced Action Pedal Timpani. Production then expanded into other types of drums and banjo-type instruments, especially brass snare drums and wooden drums. During the 1925-1930 period, Ludwig made two models of ukulele-banjo, each being prized by players of the instrument (Ludwig is known by collectors as being one of the three best historical makers of ukulele-banjos (the others being Gibson, and Jack Abbot)). During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the company was forced to merge with the C.G. Conn Company. William F. Ludwig, who disliked his lack of involvement with the design and manufacture of the instruments after the merger, left the company in 1936. He opened his own company, the W.F.L. Drum Company, in 1937.The first product of W.F.L. was the Speed King pedal, a product still manufactured by Ludwig to this date. In 1955, the Ludwig division was purchased back from Conn and renamed the Ludwig Drum Company. In 1966, Ludwig purchased the Musser Marimba Company, which produced mallet percussion, including vibes, marimbas, bells, chimes and xylophones. In 1973, William F. Ludwig, Sr. died, to be succeeded by his son William F. Ludwig Bradfield, Jr. Ludwig Industries was acquired by the Selmer Company in 1981. Today, Ludwig drums and timpani are manufactured in Monroe, North Carolina, with timpani and mallet instruments produced in LaGrange Park, Illinois. Certain lines of Ludwig Drums, marketed as the Accent, Accent CS, Accent CS Custom, and Accent CS Custom Elite Series, are manufactured for Ludwig in Asia and imported into the North American market.

This set contains 2 pages of drawings as shown in the photos above. The snare drum strainer & toning pin hooks. Prints are 8.5" by 11.0" (21.6 by 27.9 cm) in size and are ready to frame for display. Please note that resoloution of these pictures has been optimized for fast picture loading here on Shopify. The actual files are as sharp as the original document permits. This is an excellent quality reproduction of the original drawings in high resolution taken directly from the US Patent Office archives. This reproduction was digitally restored and in some cases altered to remove defects or unwanted artifacts present in the original patent document. The artwork is printed in black and white on premium acid free, lignin-free archival 24lb/90g/m 8 1/2" by 11" Magna Carta parchment paper for that historical look and is ready to frame. This replicates the authentic and original feel of the patent document. Please note that the images shown are displayed on a white background for clarity instead of the natural color of the parchment paper. These patents make great conversational pieces and look fabulous framed in lobbies or waiting rooms as decorative wall art. Other great uses for these patents are: game rooms, dorm rooms, restaurants, bars, or cottages. They also make great gifts for those people who are difficult to buy for. Most people have an interest or hobby that can relate to a specific patent. Check out our other patent drawings in our Shopify Store.