The Jazz Festival is one of the most sought-after vintage American snare drums. With Ludwig's legendary 3-ply mahogany/poplar shell (switching to maple/poplar in late '68), eight bowtie lugs, P-83 strainer, and the iconic keystone badge, the "Jazz Fest" epitomizes the classic '60s snare sound and aesthetic. Thanks to Ringo Starr and his rare 1963 5.5" Jazz Fest in Oyster Black Pearl, certain variants of this drum fetch thousands of dollars while most remain easily attainable for the working drummer or casual collector.

Originally introduced as the WFL "Swingster Dance" model in 1953, the drum was later renamed after popular big band drummer Barrett Deems. Both of these versions featured a slightly deeper 5.5" shell. By the late 1950s, the drum was again renamed the Jazz Festival, this time under the Ludwig banner and now sporting the classic "transition" badge. In 1960, though the officially catalogued depth was changed to 5", leftover inventory of 5.5" deep shells was slowly used up over the next couple years, resulting in anomalies such as the aforementioned drum heard on countless Beatles hits.