Hi,
I got this drum a while back from my good friend and fellow collector Stephen Traversi.
Lipskin Special Models were not catalogued so we can assume that they were made for a dealer. I am dating this at 1928-32 for a few reasons: 1. 1928 is when the Artist Models first appeared in the Slingerland catalog and this drum looks like an Artist Model. 2. The Tone Flange is what I consider the first (1928) of the 3 TF versions, the first being the solid brass model.
THE SHELL:
The WMP is in very good shape with a lot of white left and no cracks. The solid mahogany shell is also in great shape as are the maple re-rings. There are 12 brads evenly spaced on the top of the shell. I have noticed this arrangement on early models like this drum while later models have 10 flathead brass wood screws that match up with the 10 lugs. I assume that there was a badge on this drum at some point in time. I can only wonder why a previous owner would have removed the badge as this drum was as special as any other Slingerland drum of this era.
THE HARDWARE:
The Artgold hardware is in very good condition and 100% original.
TONE FLANGE TIP (HACKS):
Snare drums with Tone Flanges require a batter head that is slightly oversized. Here are a few ways to solve this problem: 1. If you can get access to a stash of 14” calf heads there is always a possibility that one of them may be oversized enough to fit onto a Tone Flange. 2. Using a modern day batter head you can use a Dremel cutting tool to cut into the aluminum ring at “noon, 6, 3 and 9”. This will open up the head enough to fit onto the TF. The drum in this article came this way and sounds great. 3. Sheet metal shops have this circular tool that will stretch the aluminum ring enough to fit onto a TF. I have also tried this with success.
Enjoy!
Mike Curotto