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Drumming News
In a newsletter update written by Olivia Ludwig, Edited by William F Ludwig III, Suggestions by Maggie Ludwig, they offer us a look back in their history.
It’s this year we will celebrate 10 years since Mr. William F. Ludwig III set his sights on the nuts and bolts of drums again. There’s something you should know about Ludwigs, and that’s that they just can’t stay away from engineering for very long. B 3 started spending time with his father and grandfather in the drum factory at just 10 years old. Before that, his dad went to work for his dad’s drum company. After B 3 and his father were urged to sell their company, Ludwig Drums, in 1981, it seemed like his front-row seat of drum manufacturing might be over. B 3 went on to open a live music bar, worked other positions in different office jobs, raised two daughters, and life went on. Never a day went by when he didn’t remember his fond times in the factory. At the age of 59, he found himself moving from the city with his two girls to a quiet suburb. In his mind, he was starting fresh and finding a stable job. But in his heart grew a fiery yearning to be back in the drum business. After the move from the city to the suburbs, his passion made itself clear once more. Unpacking bland cardboard boxes, he dusted off a small picture frame from the pile of his collections. It was a picture of his grandfather, grinning, with a prideful gleam in his eyes. In his hand, a drum, the staple of their usual workday. He turned the frame over to the smooth paper back. In dimmed writing he read, “ Senior starting over” and after checking the date on the photo Bill determined Senior started over with WFL Drum Co at or around age 59. ‘The same age as me’ he thought. Then he knew, Senior was giving him a little nudge on the back, on his way to what he’s always been meant to do. Making drums. The WFL III drums were born.
So starting by himself, by hand, he wanted to start with a workhorse snare drum, only in black, or white. He approached his friend and fellow drum maker Mike Dorfman of Trick Drums, who said SURE Bill I’ll make your snare shell and even laser cut the III through the shell as the vent hole! I said let’s use the Trick throw as well!! The 1909 snare was born. As if Mike hadn’t helped enough, he let me use a table in his shop to assemble! So, I would take the girls to school, haul ass up to Trick, build snares, back for school pick up, and home to try to sell some snares. No matter the confines, his art shone through in the quality of the snares, and people kept finding him to get theirs. With the guidance and support of an investor located in Kansas, who was also a drummer, WFL III drums was able to reach new heights in the drum business. After he moved on in 2021, B 3 found another investor who now endorses WFL III drums in his platinum-selling band GUN. Paul now continues to support us, and the sky’s the limit! Here
we are 10 years later. A beautiful factory in Kansas City, with hardworking quality minded employees. It’s not easy, any business owner would know, but it’s clearly what B 3’s made to do.
