The Slingerland Drum Company reaped over forty years of success and historical record sales with their legendary Radio King drum line. However, from 1963 to 1978 the Radio King name was all but forgotten and phased out to make way for Slingerland’s modern drum lines. With the exception of Slingerland’s Artist Model snare drum, there was no other snare made with a 1-ply, steam-bent, solid maple shell. As time progressed, 3-ply and 5-ply maple wood shells would be the factory standard and popular choice to construct Slingerland snare drums and drum sets.
In 1978-79 Slingerland put together a new campaign to reissue the Radio King model. This time, the new Radio King was made exclusively as a limited edition snare drum model. Also, there was a run of only one hundred built. Slingerland once again used their main ingredients to capture this iconic drum’s great tonality. Slingerland’s shell steam bending machine was put back in to service. They built this snare drum using their traditional 1-ply, solid maple shell, with solid maple reinforcing hoops. This model could be ordered with your choice of a 5.5”x14”or 6.5”x14” Shell design. Also, a wide variety of finishes were offered.
Here is a fine example of a “Limited Edition,” Radio King, early number 002 that was ordered with a lovely vintage Black Diamond Pearl finish.
Here are the details and Specifications:
Shell Design:
The construction of this 5.5”x14” shell is a one ply, steam-bent maple wood with solid maple reinforcing rings. This solid shell is made very well with wonderful craftsmanship. The solid maple re-rings keep the drum true and “in round”. Interestingly, this shell was constructed slightly different than the previous Radio King model shells. The bearing edges are fairly sharp, very straight and precise. The shell construction and reinforcement rings are very similar to a late 50s, early 60s Radio King snare design.
Lugs:
Slingerland incorporatee eight Radio King sound king lugs which were first introduced in 1955. They are triple chrome plated. The lugs were constructed of a very strong metal alloy that holds up to high tensioning and responds for easy tuning. Sixteen tension rods are equipped and are similar to Slingerland 60s design.
Hoops:
The hoops/rims are a similar design to the older Radio King Stick Eaters.
These double flanged hoops are constructed of chrome over steel. The original design was nickel and or chrome over brass. This design was made specifically for the reissue Radio King. Slingerland equipped Stick Savers on all other snare drums.
They are very rigid and strong and produce sensitive snare articulation and response. These rims are ideal for producing rim shots as well.
The bottom hoop design has a beautifully crafted one piece snare gate to accommodate the extended snare wires. This design is a carryover from previous 50’s Radio King snares.
Throw-off/strainer:
The 3-point throw off design was used for this Radio King strainer system. This was the most popular choice and one of the most efficient Radio King strainers. This cataloged Strainer is #967 in Slingerland ‘s part index. This is close to the first generation 3 point strainers, but the extension arm is permanent. The old 3 -point models had a collapsible extension lever. This arm was attached by a knurled knob nut to allow for a drummer to adjust or break down the collapsible throw handle.
Extension Bridges:
The butt side has the pinch bar to receive the snare strap. The throw side is exactly the same design minus the pinch bar. These extension bridges are attached with two screws per side. The old versions were attached with six screws per side.
All hardware was triple chrome plated to obtain a beautiful mirror finish.
Snare wires:
Slingerland installed their Radio King 16” extended snares with twenty strand wires. This design was a carry over from the 1940s through the early 1960s. These particular wires are a major reason in contributing that unique Radio King sound. This set up allowed for great sensitivity and stick articulation at any volume.
The Slingerland 1979 reissue limited edition “Radio King” brought back one of drum history’s most iconic snare drums. ONne hundred were produced. These drums are extremely rare and difficult to findFor most Slingerland drum collectors, this elusive Radio King remains to be on top of their most wanted list.