Hello, first post ever. Building my first drum set and i found this snare in my area for $150. Its a 50s Slingerland. I collect guitars so my figuring is that i cant really go wrong with vintage, the other side of the coin is i dont know jack about drums or what to look for. Looking for some advice asap. Thank you
Six-lug wood shell. Could be out of round, or the bearing edges could be uneven. Those old strainers will be impossible to find parts for if it needs any. I’d replace it with a Ludwig P-85 you can get for $25. Your hoops might be bent. I’d do a dismantle and make sure it’s ok. If all the metal bits work, maybe get the bearing edges re-cut by a pro - that should fix a lot of problems the shell itself may have.
Looks like it could be refinished. Slingy strainers can be hard to get parts for and have mounting hole spacing that makes them difficult to replace without drilling as Bo said. Probably a student model as Bo said. 6 vs 8 lugs. Mediocre Slingys are not very "collectable." It could be a great sounding drum. 3 ply shells with rerings can sound amazing. But if you don't know what you are looking at you are rolling the dice. I just spent a month or two regluing some water damaged Slingys. The vintage drum market is very different than the vintage guitar market. Educate yourself before you jump in too deep. I'm a guitar player not a real drummer.
You can most definitely go hideously wrong with vintage. Quality control was dubious at best and unless you know what you're after/doing or find a very clean and tidy example, you're better off getting a new beginner-intermediate kit.
don't say things like that unless specific like "stencil copycat kits from Japan" etc (in fact not even them)
otherwise doesn't apply to say WFL, Ludwig& Ludwig etc.
These 1940s USA builds- were mostly hand-made time-taken to build artisan finest materials used brass hoops everywhere, near works of art that have lasted 80 years and still going.
The funny thing about that Slingerland is if it is a 6L that strainer looks like it belongs 'elsewhere
it's an odd combo; unless it's a 5x13 Combo model or Porta-Pac whatever it was called yea I'd look in the late 50s early 60s catalogs (that strainer
don't say things like that unless specific like "stencil copycat kits from Japan" etc (in fact not even them)
otherwise doesn't apply to say WFL, Ludwig& Ludwig etc.
These 1940s USA builds- were mostly hand-made time-taken to build artisan finest materials used brass hoops everywhere, near works of art that have lasted 80 years and still going.
The funny thing about that Slingerland is if it is a 6L that strainer looks like it belongs 'elsewhere
it's an odd combo; unless it's a 5x13 Combo model or Porta-Pac whatever it was called yea I'd look in the late 50s early 60s catalogs (that strainer
You do see some very nice examples of old kits that have stood the test of time. There's a 40s WFL 26" bass drum I've half got an eye on........but the $64k question is have they been looked after. If they have they're not being sold for $150! Then there's the are they still round question.
In this case I'll stand by it, the big difference is we know what we're talking about the OP by self admission is a newbie.
Now going off kilter a bit, the 40s kits really interest me, especially the wartime ones where whacky things like wooden lugs were used.
Plan on building some drums instead of buying a complete kit. Not against a new kit but ive seen some nice 80s Japan Tamas for sale here locally for 200 and that kind of got me thinking of just building a set. I did go to the drum store and noticed the biggest sound difference in cymbals, i tried a bunch and really like the N Peart series so im thinking of going that direction with cymbals (in a perfect world). Snares, i have no clue but ive always heard Ludwig was the standard.
I'll deviate in opinion. You did alright with that snare for $150.
You got a 1955 -1958 Model Radio King, 6 lug 3 ply shell with stick saver hoops.
Somebody may have installed a WFL strainer on it, probably at the time. Not too odd a combo. I found the same on a 1959 Gene Krupa special. You can easily change to a more conventional strainer
Its possible its bearing edges are fine and no further work needed at all .
OK its not a snare for a Van Halen cover band ......but will have a wonderful warm and funky sound.
<p>This listing is for a vintage Slingerland Radio King 13x6 snare drum. In very nice shape for the age, with a clamshell strainer. I believe it could be called a radio king. Not sure if it’s a solid shell. Nice drum, and throw off works as it should. </p>
Hello, first post ever. Building my first drum set and i found this snare in my area for $150. Its a 50s Slingerland. I collect guitars so my figuring is that i cant really go wrong with vintage, the other side of the coin is i dont know jack about drums or what to look for. Looking for some advice asap. Thank you View attachment 149744
I would reiterate, educate yourself on vintage drums before diving head first. As has been mentioned, quality control was hit & miss back then. Some old drums are very crude by today's standards, and some so-called high quality American drums exhibited lapses in workmanship at certain points in time. Rogers and Gretsch drums always seemed to be well made.
$150 for that snare is more than I would pay. I think you made the right decision to pass on it. It looks to have been refinished at some point, the rims were definitely changed to Stick Savers. The butt plate looks original. There could be roundness and bearing edge issues, but you wouldn't know until the heads were removed.
Ludwig has always made excellent snare drums, even back in the 60's, when their quality dipped following the Beatles' dominance of the charts. Everybody wanted Ludwig drums. The Supraphonic 400 is a standard of the industry.
You might want to visit the vintagedrumforum to learn more about old drums. The site was a nightmare to navigate, but the admins have recently rectified all the issues, and it's a really good place to learn more about vintage drums. Lots of info there.
That snare is a student model, probably from a Stage Band kit. I have the same Slingerland Stage Band kit my parents bought me when I was 12. It came with a matching (WMP) 6-lug snare. I bay my stuff and it still looks brand new. But I’ve since added 4 other snares to my rotation and the Slingerland Stage Band snare is my least favorite. I can’t tune it tight and high enough for my liking. So it sits in a soft case on a shelf and never sees the light of day. And $150 is a bit steep for any Stage Band snare, even in excellent condition. The one in the pic looks like it’s seen better days. I wouldn’t buy it. Keep looking. You would do well to consider a Pearl Sensitone. They are workhorse snares, sound fantastic and can purchased fairly inexpensively. $100 is about where they are typically priced for used. Good luck.
If you're leaning towards a Rock kit, I'd not buy a vintage snare with 6 lugs. A regular, beefy metal snare should be all you need for now. Post some of those local kits - maybe we can find a snare, too.
Those Tamas might have deep toms (Power Toms). Some people like that sound, while others complain about the ergonomics of deeper Toms. If you're fine with that, there are some bargains to be had.
The snare in post 1 in rough shape he passed on (probably rightfully) had the Clam shell strainer and looked like 13" 6 lug like this below . Don't think (....) while in rough shape it was a low level model..
<p>This listing is for a vintage Slingerland Radio King 13x6 snare drum. In very nice shape for the age, with a clamshell strainer. I believe it could be called a radio king. Not sure if it’s a solid shell. Nice drum, and throw off works as it should. </p>
www.ebay.com
there's one ^ on ebay in nicer appearance
shown top right
1955 catalog
5 1/2 x 13
without engraved hoops
No. 150
I have a very nice 6 lug Slingerland snare. They’re okay for some things. As everyone has said there are a lot of things to be aware of when buying vintage.
For $150/$200 I’d be looking at a new/ used Ludwig Supralite. That is a solid snare for all things rock/pop.
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