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.
1945-1946 SLINGERLAND 4 x 14 8 LUG WMP RADIO KING MODEL
Rare 4 x 14 Slingerland *Tone Flange* Artist Models
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.
Read moreSlingerland Radio King kit in Yellow Marble Lacquer
The kit is in marble lacquer which is a hand painted finish resulting in no two drums ever looking exactly alike. The front bass drum head is beautifully hand painted and features actual sequins appliquéd on the female dancer’s dress.
Read moreIn Search Of (not with Leonard Nimoy) Vintage Drum Parts
My cousin, Dean Stewart who lives in Alabama, is a drummer and vintage drum collector (yes, the disease runs in the family). He’s looking for a number of parts.
Read moreMy Wood Snare Drum Collection, Part II
1956 5.5x14, White Marine Pearl Classic Porto-Pak Snare Drum I recently purchased this drum from Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault in Seattle, Washington. Donn gave me a really good deal in exchange for some inside stories about a band called Moxy that I played with in the 70s. Donn was a big fan of that band, so when I mentioned I played with them we immediately hit it off!
Read more1969-1970 Slingerland Green Glass Glitter Duet Set
Like so many collectors, I regularly look through DrumSellers, Reverb, Ebay, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for vintage drums and cymbals. Early last summer, I came across a 1969-70 Slingerland Duet set in Green Sparkle (actually glass glitter), offered by someone who lived out near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Read moreOdd Slingerland: Need Help Identifying
George,
New to me, parallel action strainer with rollers on this drum? Have you ever seen one before?
Ludwig/Slingerland/Leedy orphan set - rare sparkling pearls
Like many of you, I've come upon a good number of orphan drums through the years of collecting, buying and playing. This kit consists of orphan drums that were either included with kits purchased or just purchased to add on. But some with the hopes to piece an entire kit together (which is still possible!). But what is special about these drums is that they are all very rare and hard to find sparkling pearl wraps in pristine condition by the Great American Drum Companies of yesteryear.
Read moreFrom editor George Lawrence
Drum Shows: The Music City Drum Show is coming up next weekend. July 9 in Nashville TN. The St. Louis Drum Show has moved into a much nicer venue In conjunction with the UMSL Music Dept. This year will be at the beautiful Touhill theater. The date is October 8. AND.. There is quite a drum show going on lately at DrumSellers.com. Check out all the latest gear for sale that has been consigned to us by collectors.
Read moreMy Canister Thrones (including one of Buddy Rich's)
These are a few of my canister thrones. I have had most of them for many years. I have always used them on every set I own - they all match the finish of a set. All drums and snares match making very complete vintage drum sets.
Read moreSlingerland WWII Bomber orphans kit restoration
These drums are without a doubt the cleanest most reliable "Players grade" Bomber set of unborn together drums out there. Every screw nut bolt and bits as well as interior moisturized and protected shells has been addressed. All of the drums will have medium modern batter heads and thinner reso heads that are a combination of Aquarian vintage and remo ambassadors.. The BD has an Aquarian SKIII batter head and the Fiberskyn Reso head. The snare has been modified for maximum performance with in its original design. Calfskin could be an option for a reflected price and of course results are not guaranteed. (SOLD)
Read more1928 Slingerland “Speed Sticks” Counter Top Drumstick Display.
You don’t find “Speed Sticks” advertised in Slingerland catalogs after the early 1930s.
I believe that this is one of two still in existence today, and also one of the very first if not the first dealer display items ever made by the Slingerland company.
1970s Slingerland Rock Outfit 50N
The kit I am featuring is a 1970s Slingerland Rock Outfit 50 N with Maple outer ply. The kit is outstanding with a 22X14 bass drum, 12X8 , 13X9, and 16X16 toms. They are just perfect for most playing situations. I love the Set-O-Matic tom mount and all the mounting hardware.
Read more40s-50s Slingerland 4x13 BeBop RKs
Two more blasts from the past that I never did articles on. The 4 x 13 Sparkling Gold RK “Be Bop” model was one of my earliest purchases (1995) from Ned Ingberman, The Vintage Drum Center and the WMP 4 x 13 RK Bop model was purchased from a fellow musician in SF about 20 years ago. A special thanks goes to my good friend and fellow collector Mark Cooper for helping me to date these two drums.
Read more1940s Slingerland Gene Krupa Deluxe Radio King Ensemble 1-N
This set I'm featuring this month is the 1940s Slingerland Radio King set I bought from Brian Scoggins. It has a lovely white marine pearl finish. I think marine pearl looks so good on these vintage drum sets. Even if the finish "yellows" I still love the way it looks. To me, these drums are yellowed to perfection. One must consider these drums are over 70 years old. The Beavertail lugs, and all the hardware is nickel plated. The badges are beautiful brass clouds. The drum sizes are 24X14 bass drum, 16X16, and 13X9 toms, and a matching 14X5 snare. There are two cymbal mounts on the bass drum shell. The high tom mounts on the bass drum hoop with a clip-on holder. The bass drum spurs fit into a mount on the bass drum shell. The shells are 3 ply mahogany poplar mahogany with large maple re-rings. I opened the 13 tom to peek inside. The smell inside was just heavenly. The workmanship is second to none.
Read moreClown Vomit/Frog-in-a Blender finishes, past and present
I saw this one at a NAMM Show in the late 1990s, maybe early 2000s. At that time Leedy was trying for some type of comeback. I got the drum from Sam Bacco who at the time was associated with Leedy. He told me that he located one long-lost piece of this material from Slingerland and there was enough material left over to make a Leedy Broadway Standard snare drum. Sam told me that the finish was made with melted guitar picks (you can see some un-melted guitar picks in the finish).
Read moreThe One I Thought Got Away! 1950 Radio King
The story of the snare was vague, but from the extended family members of the original owner from whom I purchased it, it goes something like this; he bought it and never played it for whatever reason, and the later generations always respected the drum and never touched it. Not a lot of details but a very graceful unembellished straight-to-the-point explanation. They didn’t mince words or get into an epic narrative.
I am so grateful that it was left unscathed.
So now, here, is my unplayed, unused, 100% original MINT 1950 Slingerland Krupa Model Radio King No. 143 WMP 5.5” x 14” Solid One Piece Shell “Radio King” Engraved Nickel over Brass Rim 3-Point Strainer Tin Straps Snare Drum in it’s original Canvas Bag.
Vintage Duco Family
One would think that the less expensive drums would have the DuCo finishes but these four snares are perfect examples of higher end (and somewhat rare) drums whose owners chose the less expensive shell finish option. In my opinion this is like putting Sears tires on a Ferrari…but I still will not pass up a rare snare drum with an inexpensive finish.
Read moreTHE RARE SLINGERLAND BROADCASTER TRI-COLOR SNARE DRUM
Unfortunately, Gretsch had a drum model with a similar name. Their Broadcaster was spelled with a K instead of a C. When Gretsch realized the similarities, they felt it was an infringement on their own drum products and rights. A lawsuit ensued and the court ruled in favor of Gretsch, so Slingerland had to drop the Broadcaster name, so it was only produced from 1934 to 1935.
Read moreDon Mcaulay sells items from Gene Krupa's drum collection.
“Hey George. Hope you and yours are doing well. I was prepared to approach drum magazines and other publications about this historic discovery that I found for my boss, Charlie Watts in which he gave me a portion of the items as my commission. I have decided to sell some of these pieces. But the same week I finished the website the entire world went straight into lockdown.. So I’ve been waiting until the time seems right, which seems like a month from now? Would you like to show this story on NSMD? Ideally I want to present this in all the appropriate magazines at the same time so the word gets out all at once and every collector has the opportunity to purchase. check it out!”
Read more