Last Updated on May 17, 2021 by Danny
Ludwig is a name that resonates throughout the drumming world. While they are best known for their premium drums, which are used by the top drummers worldwide, they also make pretty good junior drum sets. The Ludwig Jr drum set (Ludwig LJR106) is Ludwig’s offering for any young drummer.
Unlike most junior drum kits, the Ludwig junior drum set comes with all the necessary components a drum set needs. The drums also sound pretty good and are built to last for a long time. Read further on to know if this kit is the one you need to buy.
Who should not buy the Ludwig jr drum set
The Ludwig jr drum set features a smaller bass drum, shorter snare stand, and a lower drum stool when compared to an adult-sized drum kit. The Ludwig Jr is primarily limited to children who aren’t taller than five feet tall due to these components’ size.
If you purchase Ludwig junior drum set for someone taller than five feet, they will sit much higher than the drums and find it uncomfortable to reach them.
Thus, if you have a taller than five feet child, you should get them an adult sized beginner drum set. This kit will also not be suitable for kids who are shorter than three feet tall, as they will not be able to play the bass drum comfortably.
What will you get in the box?
The Ludwig jr drum set comes in a 3ft wide and 3 ft long box that weighs around 50 pounds or about 22 kilograms. The box does have a photo of the drum kit printed on its side, so you might want to cover it if you intend to gift it.
You will get a snare, a bass drum, three toms, and a ride/crash cymbal with a hi-hat. The great thing about this Ludwig jr drum set is that it comes with all the hardware that your child would need to start playing.
It even comes with a pair of drumsticks and a pedal for the bass drum. If you feel like you might get a defective product, you don’t need to worry as the kit comes with a one year warranty that protects you from manufacturing defects.
Things to look for in a junior drum set
Sound, setup, durability, and color are the most important factors that you should look for while buying a junior drum set. While the color might seem trivial, it is important that the drum set should look appealing to the young drummers.
Make sure you ask what color your kid wants before purchasing any drum set. The Ludwig jr drum set is available in wine red, black, and blue colors. If your child doesn’t like these colors, you could check out the Mendini junior drum kit as it offers many more color choices.
Sound Performance
Children who are just starting to learn to drum do not care about how good the kit sounds; they want to make some noise. However, you probably don’t want to get a wrong sounding kit as your child might lose interest in the drums after some time if they feel bad.
Ludwig jr drum set is not the best sounding drum in the market, but it has a decent sound for a junior kit. Moreover, with proper tuning, the Ludwig junior can sound pretty good. While tuning might seem complicated, it can be learned pretty soon and will give you a far better sounding drum at no extra cost.
However, the cymbals that come with this drum kit are quite wrong. While they sound a little better than the cymbals included with other junior kits, they still don’t sound nice. The only saving grace for the cymbals is that young drummers do not care about having a nice sounding cymbal. So your child should be able to use this kit for a long time without complaint about them.
Hardware
Yes, the Ludwig junior’s hardware is made of aluminum and should last you long. The Ludwig Junior delivers probably one of the best quality hardware found in a junior kit. The drum seat and snare stand are especially much sturdier than other junior drum sets and will not collapse even when your child plays hard.
Easy setup for your child to eventually switch to a standard kit
Having the right setup is very important in a junior kit as your child will eventually switch to a standard adult drum kit, and you will want the transition to be smooth. If your child plays on a junior drum kit with a different setup compared to a standard adult drum set, they will pick up wrong motions that become intuitive for them.
Thus, they will find playing on a standard kit difficult as they will have to forget their earlier motions and have to relearn them from scratch.
This is where the Ludwig junior drum set truly shines; it is set up exactly like an adult drum set. In most junior drum sets, the cymbal is mounted in the center of the setup rather than on the right, which is where it must be.
The Ludwig junior’s cymbal, however, is appropriately positioned to the right of the drummer. Thus when your child does upgrade to an adult drum kit, they will be able to carry their motions without an issue.
Assembly instructions for Ludwig jr drum set
The Ludwig junior drum set does come with 26 parts in total. Many people said that the instructions included with the kit are not that good. However, this does not mean it is going to be hard to assemble. Once you see someone assembling the kit, it’ll be quite easy to do it yourself and not take you more than an hour.
You can check online videos on Youtube or read official ludwig guide to learn how to assemble a Ludwig junior drum set. The kit is around 4 feet wide and three feet long once fully assembled.
Ludwig jr drum set review – My Verdict
The Ludwig Jr drum set is a great first drum set for any kid. The drums are quite similar to other junior drum sets and need proper tuning to sound good. The cymbals are also a little better than other junior kits.
The great thing about this Ludwig junior drum set is that it has good quality hardware and a setup that will allow your kid to learn the correct motions.
The only drawback of the kit is that it is a bit more expensive than other junior drum kits like Gammon or Mendini. See if you can get an excellent used Ludwig Jr drum set or check out if any sales are going on. Otherwise, you are better off with cheaper junior drum sets.