Slingerland

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Drummerguy161

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Hi, a friend has inherited her fathers drums. Shes looking to sell but no idea of their worth. They are a Fivepiece Slingerland (possibly a ”Modern Solo” kit) owned since new in the mid sixties. Very good condition. Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 

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I'm assuming the bass drum spurs aren't original, and Slingerland didn't debut the tom mount until the 1970s. Collector's are kinda picky. I'd say put it on eBay and see what it fetches in bids, that's the only way to know. I see vintage Slingerland kits, depending on condition, ranging from $495 to as high as $2500 (of course, condition and whether or not it's all original, or in great shape, that kind of thing).
 
Bo Eder said:
I'm assuming the bass drum spurs aren't original, and Slingerland didn't debut the tom mount until the 1970s. Collector's are kinda picky. I'd say put it on eBay and see what it fetches in bids, that's the only way to know. I see vintage Slingerland kits, depending on condition, ranging from $495 to as high as $2500 (of course, condition and whether or not it's all original, or in great shape, that kind of thing).
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Thanks for the input Bo, much appreciated. I did wonder about the Tom holders as I saw a YouTube video which detailed Slingerland hardware.
 
if you're on Facebook you could try joining a Slingerland specific group. I'm sure you could find some knowledgeable people willing to help out.
 
Often Slingerland put inked date stamps on the inside of the shells. Also, you can check the small oval badges and search the serial numbers online to find the dates associated with those badges. The tom mount is called a Super Set-O-Matic holder that Bo correctly dated from the 70's. I wouldn't just throw it out there until you have a good sense of what you're selling.
 
MntnMan62 said:
Often Slingerland put inked date stamps on the inside of the shells. Also, you can check the small oval badges and search the serial numbers online to find the dates associated with those badges. The tom mount is called a Super Set-O-Matic holder that Bo correctly dated from the 70's. I wouldn't just throw it out there until you have a good sense of what you're selling.
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Thanks MntnMan62, I have a serial number, havnt found a site to check it on yet. I’m dating the drums at mid sixties as my friend was born in 68 and her mum says the drums were bought a few years previous to that. I did find a thing on YouTube which referenced the Tom mount so I had suspected either her mums memory not quite accurate or possibly the mount was a replacement.
 
Drummerguy161 said:
It’s my friend who inherited it.
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If you can view the drums (or maybe your friend can look or take more pictures) ..... the tom mount and spurs and floor tom leg mounts all might have extra holes under them (if they didn't bolt into the originals). Pretty easy to spot, from the interior of the drum. If the hole pattern's are the same (kinda doubt that), at least these "could be" returned to original. But extra holes are extra holes. And that's gonna hurt asking price.

Slingerland kits already come in last place (price wise) in the vintage American drum market. But they are gaining popularity ..... simply because they are more affordable than Gretsch, Rogers, and Ludwig kits.
 
Drummerguy161 said:
Thanks MntnMan62, I have a serial number, havnt found a site to check it on yet. I’m dating the drums at mid sixties as my friend was born in 68 and her mum says the drums were bought a few years previous to that. I did find a thing on YouTube which referenced the Tom mount so I had suspected either her mums memory not quite accurate or possibly the mount was a replacement.
Click to expand...

You want to go to vintagedrumguide.com. They show the history of the serial numbers used by Slingerland. Hopefully they will allow the link I provided to the page that discusses these old Slingerland serial numbers. They explain that the usage of the badges with serial numbers was very random in that the badges sat in a drum and when one was needed they would simply grab one. So, the badges were not put on the drums in sequential order. Even so, the range of numbers provides some clues as to when the drums were made.

The History of Slingerland Drums

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www.vintagedrumguide.com
 
harryconway said:
If you can view the drums (or maybe your friend can look or take more pictures) ..... the tom mount and spurs and floor tom leg mounts all might have extra holes under them (if they didn't bolt into the originals). Pretty easy to spot, from the interior of the drum. If the hole pattern's are the same (kinda doubt that), at least these "could be" returned to original. But extra holes are extra holes. And that's gonna hurt asking price.

Slingerland kits already come in last place (price wise) in the vintage American drum market. But they are gaining popularity ..... simply because they are more affordable than Gretsch, Rogers, and Ludwig kits.
Click to expand...
Thanks Harry
 
MntnMan62 said:
You want to go to vintagedrumguide.com. They show the history of the serial numbers used by Slingerland. Hopefully they will allow the link I provided to the page that discusses these old Slingerland serial numbers. They explain that the usage of the badges with serial numbers was very random in that the badges sat in a drum and when one was needed they would simply grab one. So, the badges were not put on the drums in sequential order. Even so, the range of numbers provides some clues as to when the drums were made.

The History of Slingerland Drums

slingerland,slingerland drums,slingerland drum set,slingerland badges,slingerland history,vintage drums,vintage slingerland,slingerland snare drums,vintage drumset,vintage slingerland drum set,dating slingerland drums
www.vintagedrumguide.com
Click to expand...
Thanks again MntnMan62, the serial no is 16 996 with the reddish kinda badge so I’m thinking early sixties
 
Drummerguy161 said:
Thanks again MntnMan62, the serial no is 16 996 with the reddish kinda badge so I’m thinking early sixties
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I'm guessing your are missing a number/digit in there?
 
Ah. Ok. Yeah, you're probably right. Early sixties.

Edit: Did a little more looking at the history of the tom mount and the Set-O-Matic mount was not introduced until 1968. And Super Set-O-Matic that your friend has a little bit later. So, It's possible that the tom mounts were added later on to an older kit. One clue would be if there are extra holes on the bass drum off to the left of center where an older tom mount would typically have gone. I'm not seeing any from the pictures. It is possible it was re-wrapped. But my gut says no. Not sure why. He needs to check the inside for a date stamp. Also, another way to try and date the drums is by looking for a wooden ring installed near and as part of the rim of the drum on the inside. These were seen on drums of particular vintages, although I'm not sure what dates. And as someone said, looking inside the drum will also identify holes that were covered over if it was re-wrapped. Lots of little things to consider to try and properly determine the vintage. Once vintage is determined, then you can better determine value. But if lots of modernization of the kit was done and it is no longer truly original, that would probably detract from its value for real Slingerland collectors.
 
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