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Database of Articles 11/13 to current

1928- SLINGERLAND TONE FLANGE 5x14 WMP LIPSKIN SPECIAL MODEL

May 30, 2025 Mike Curotto
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Lipskin Special Models were not catalogued so we can assume that they were made for a dealer.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Slingerland Tags Mike Curotto, slingerland Lipskin
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1933-34 Slingerland NOB Radio Model DuAlls

May 1, 2025 Mike Curotto
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Slingerland purchased the patent from C. G. Conn in 1933. Ludwig & Ludwig sued Slingerland for patent infringement and Slingerland was forced to cease and desist any further manufacturing of the DuAll model along with having to pay for any DuAll models that were previously sold.

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In Vintage Drums, Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums Tags slingerland NOB Radio Duall
1 Comment

1938-40- SLINGERLAND 5x14 SEA GREEN  PEARL RADIO KING MODEL

March 31, 2025 Mike Curotto
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I got this *Clamshell Sea Green Pearl Radio King a few Chicago Shows ago from my good friend and fellow collector Joe Luoma.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Slingerland Tags Slingerland Sea Green Pearl
1 Comment

Slingerland NOB Broadcaster and NOB Radio King

February 27, 2025 Mike Curotto
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These two drums came from my good friend and fellow collector Mark Cooper. Mark passed away last year and I miss his friendship, sense of humor and the great drum deals that we did over the last 15+ years. I was able to get some great snare drums from Mark. Rest in peace my friend.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Slingerland Tags Slingerland Broadcaster, slingerland Radio King
2 Comments

1928- Slingerland Rainbow Sprinkles Tone Flange Artist model snare

January 31, 2025 Mike Curotto
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The most interesting part of this drum is the uncatalogued finish that I call “Rainbow Sprinkles”. It looks like a “coral” enamel base with multi-colored specks on top. I have never seen or heard of another Slingerland drum with this finish.

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In Mark Markowitz, Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Slingerland Tags Slingerland Tone Flange, Slingerland Artist Model Snare
Comment

1926-27 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 5 x 15 STIPELGOLD SUPER-LUDWIG MODEL

December 29, 2024 Mike Curotto
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I got this drum a while back. The drum came to me is this condition so no cleaning/restoration was necessary. I don’t see as many 15” Stipelgold snares vs 14” Stipelgold snares. I wonder if this is true with other collectors.

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In Ludwig, Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums Tags Ludwig & Ludwig, Ludwig Stipelgold
1 Comment

1921-22 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 4 x 14 6 LUG SCROLL PATTERN DeLUXE MODEL

November 30, 2024 Mike Curotto
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I call it a “Monday Morning at the Office” drum because the scroll pattern is in every panel but there is no “Ludwig Chicago” engraving that would normally be just left of the strainer.

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In Ludwig, Vintage Drums, Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums Tags L&L deluxe
1 Comment

1929 L&L Rose Standard Sensitive

October 28, 2024 Mike Curotto
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I got this rare drum from Bill Wanser of Olympic Drums & Percussion. Bill also pointed out a Ludwig Drummer magazine article that places Rose Pearl at 1929, this aligns perfectly as the Standard-Sensitive model was first seen in 1929. Bill agrees that this was an uncatalogued finish, L & L obviously had the material but it was never seen in a catalog, only in a Ludwig Drummer Magazine article.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Leedy, Ludwig Tags Leedy & Ludwig, L&L Standard Sensitive
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1934-35 SLINGERLAND 6.5 x 14 ABALONE PEARL BROADCASTER MODEL

September 29, 2024 Mike Curotto
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"The Broadcaster was evidently a forerunner of the Radio King, the strainer is a very early Radio King style strainer and the lugs do not have inserts. (The tension rods thread directly into the lugs.) The muffler was the single-pad style Harold R. Dodd muffler."

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Slingerland Tags Slingerland Broadcaster Abalone Pearl
3 Comments

1921-22 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 4 x 14 6 LUG SCROLL PATTERN DeLUXE MODEL

August 30, 2024 Mike Curotto
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I call it a “Monday Morning at the Office” drum because the scroll pattern is in every panel but there is no “Ludwig Chicago” engraving that would normally be just left of the strainer.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Ludwig Tags Ludwig & Ludwig
Comment

1928- SLINGERLAND 5x14 WALNUT TONE FLANGE FANCHER ARTIST MODEL

July 29, 2024 Mike Curotto
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Most of these drums have 10 brass wood screws or 10 brass brads on the top bearing edge that are in line with the tube lugs and are there to allow the brass ring of the Tone Flange to seat. This drum is a tad different, there are12 brass brads that do not line up with the lugs (see photo). I also noticed a difference in the internal attachment hardware. On Slingerland snares of this era there is usually a washer, a lock washer and a screw. This drum has a larger washer, smaller washer, lock washer and a screw for the lugs, 3 point strainer and butt plate.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Slingerland, Vintage Drums Tags Mike Curotto, Slingerland Fancher, slingerland tone flange
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1995 SLINGERLAND 6.5 x 12 BRASS/ENGRAVED #1 of 5

June 25, 2024 Mike Curotto
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The engraving pattern is based on the engraving pattern that was used on the 1928 Slingerland Gold Plated Artist Models

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Slingerland Tags slingerland, slingerland engraved brass 6.5 x 12
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1937 (3703) LEEDY 6.5 x 14 FULL DRESS *ORIENTAL PEARL BROADWAY DUAL MODEL

May 30, 2024 Mike Curotto
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*Collectors of the same 1930s era Ludwigs and Slingerlands know this finish as Abalone Pearl but Leedy chose to call their finish Oriental Pearl.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Leedy Tags Leedy Broadway Dual, Mike Curotto
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Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums Placeholder

February 29, 2024 Mike Curotto

Placeholder for Mike’s 2/29/24 article

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums
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Gene Krupa Drum used w Benny Goodman

January 30, 2024 Mike Curotto
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Photo Jan 02 2024, 10 57 58 AM (1).jpg Photo Jan 02 2024, 10 59 24 AM (2).jpg Photo Jan 02 2024, 10 58 51 AM (2).jpg Photo Jan 02 2024, 10 59 03 AM (3).jpg Photo Jan 02 2024, 11 00 51 AM (1).jpg Photo Jan 02 2024, 11 04 08 AM.jpg

It is a ‘One Of-A Kind’ treasure in that it is the first (right side) mounted tom Gene used with the Benny Goodman Trio/Quartet in the 1936 period.

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In Vintage Drums, Slingerland, Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums Tags Slingerland, Gene Krupa
3 Comments

1945-1946 SLINGERLAND 4 x 14 8 LUG WMP RADIO KING MODEL

December 26, 2023 Mike Curotto
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I got this drum from my good friend and fellow collector/drum historian
Harry Cangany. Harry was thinning out his collection and we struck a deal.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Slingerland Tags slingerland, radio king
Comment

2005 Craviotto Abalone

October 30, 2023 Mike Curotto
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For a brief period of time Craviotto Drums partnered with C & C drums to offer a short run of snare drums and drum sets in various shades of real abalone shell material that was applied to the solid maple Craviotto shells.

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In Custom Drums, Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums Tags Johnny Craviotto, Craviotto Drum Company, C & C Drums
1 Comment

Rare 4 x 14 Slingerland *Tone Flange* Artist Models

September 27, 2023 Mike Curotto
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I haven’t been able to find any new/old snares lately so here’s some cool and rare 4 x 14 Slingerland *Tone Flange* Artist Models from my collection. In my 28 years of collecting I have only seen three of these 4 x 14 Artist Tone Flange models. Common logic has to be that there are more of these out there so feel free to send me photos/stories of your 4 x 14 TFs.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Slingerland Tags slingerland tone flange artist model, Mike Curotto
1 Comment

1938 LEEDY 6.5 x 14 GOLD SPARKLE BROADWAY PARALLEL SNARE DRUM

August 31, 2023 Mike Curotto
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There were a few gremlins that the previous owner neglected to tell Mark about. The worst was that the two strainer thumb wheels were forced on, cross-threaded and frozen in place.  This is when you need a good machinist or friend. In this case my good friend Al Schneider (the original Drum Doctor est. 1963) came to the rescue.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Vintage Drums, Leedy Tags Leedy Drums, Leedy Broadway parallel
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1920s Leedy Elites Family Portrait

July 31, 2023 Mike Curotto
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Certain shell depths are more rare than others. The 5 x 14 is the most common size. It is a toss-up between the 4 x 14 and 6 x 14 as to the 2nd most rare of the Elite sizes, but the rarest of all is the 7 x 14 Elite.

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In Mike Curotto's Medium Rare Drums, Leedy Tags Leedy Black Elite, Mike Curotto
1 Comment
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