I guess there is some hip cachet to this old junk. Just as with old Danelectro and Harmony guitars, or even worse, the old Tesico Del Reys. Anyone who played this stuff in the '60s remembers things endlessly slipping (we used to use two sticks to clamp against the wing nuts and crank for all they were worth) and dead sound. We would have died for a real Ludwig, Gretsch, Slingerland or Rodgers kit. If you use pinstripes or otherwise damped heads and close mic them, it doesn't really matter I guess. Knock yourself out. But don't bother with the rail consolette, just put the tom on a snare stand or put modern mounts on it.
DO NOT DRILL IT.
Use the tom on a snare stand yes, but dont go putting holes in it,. in a few years the value of an un altered set will retain it's value.. here a story to the wise.
I was 19 and some one broke into our home studio and stole everything as well as my drum set ( a premier ringo star set)
Not having any money I found a cheap set in the local free ads. Borrowed 50 pounds from my dad and bought the kit.
It looked bad, having been used to test car colors in the garage of the former owner.So we stripped it down to the bare veneer, put new stain on and replaced the suspect hardware with new pearl fittings.
Months later I was able to earn enough to buy new cymbals so off I whent to John Scheera's drum store in london.
I don't know why but I took the snare with me to show them.
John flipped out as he looked at what I now know to be Radio King snare.
"wheres the rest?" he asked & I proudly replied at home with new hardware ... he almost burst into tears..
And you all know why? I had drilled a complete Radio KIng Slingerland set thereby reducing the value to almost nothing.
I still have it, all the pearl hardware is off, i use the tom on a snare stand.
It sounds great but I can't gig with it.. or won't
It was the start of a passion for Slingerland.
I now own:
2 x jazz kits with 20" kicks in champagne sparkle and luminous green
1 x rock kit 22" in pearl white
1 x rock kit 22" in silver sparkle
1 x monster kit with a 24"
12 snare drums
Am i Mad?
My wife thinks so!
Simon