What's going on with Slingerland?

Lee-Bro

Lee-Bro

Senior Member
It's been a while since I've logged in and read up on stuff here. I've been out and about riding my motorcycle during my free time (mostly). 17,000 miles on it in '22.

Ride 3-11-2022.jpg

Anyway, what's going on with Slingerland? I've tried to find things online, here, elsewhere, etc. to no avail. Did COVID hitting right after DW's purchase put the brand back in mothballs? Did the Roland deal shelve any Slingerland development? Inquiring minds want to know.
 
The answer is nothing. I've discussed it with my artist relations guy at DW. They bought DW in 2018, then Covid hit and set them back. The plan was to reissue the Radio King snare first, followed by drum outfits, but it's all on hold. Now, with the Roland acquisition, Slingerland is in limbo. No news to report is not a good sign. My feeling is, Roland will want them to sell the name to someone else.

If that happens, hopefully, it'll go to someone who wants to bring the brand back properly, but the problem is, who is going to buy them? The market of older, veteran drummers is shrinking. Young people, for the most part, have no idea about Slingerland or their history.
 
BobC said:
The answer is nothing. I've discussed it with my artist relations guy at DW. They bought DW in 2018, then Covid hit and set them back. The plan was to reissue the Radio King snare first, followed by drum outfits, but it's all on hold. Now, with the Roland acquisition, Slingerland is in limbo. No news to report is not a good sign. My feeling is, Roland will want them to sell the name to someone else.

If that happens, hopefully, it'll go to someone who wants to bring the brand back properly, but the problem is, who is going to buy them? The market of older, veteran drummers is shrinking. Young people, for the most part, have no idea about Slingerland or their history.
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Damn it. 😥.
 
There's a couple of Slingerland geeks down here in Austin. I'm not one of them :)
 
Been in acceptance that nothing will happen with the brand for the foreseeable for a while now.

It’s a shame but one of those things.

At least the vintage kits won’t increase too much in price, from still slipping under the radar somewhat.

I love Slingerland but I very much compare them to Premier, in terms of how the brand has been managed (or mismanaged) over the years by various owners.
 
Chicago Drum has a curiosity with Slingerland origins. This actually sound more authentic than just owning a name when you have a builder with generations in the Slingerland itself. I have no idea what DW has in store though.
chicagodrum.com

Slingerland® Style Drums by Chicago Drum

Custom-built drums in the Slingerland® tradition with modern design updates. At Chicago Drum we produce high-quality drums that stand out.
chicagodrum.com chicagodrum.com
 
BobC said:
If that happens, hopefully, it'll go to someone who wants to bring the brand back properly, but the problem is, who is going to buy them? The market of older, veteran drummers is shrinking. Young people, for the most part, have no idea about Slingerland or their history.
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I'd say the time has already long since passed.

The prior attempt to bring Slingerland back from the dead by Gibson went nowhere fast.

And it's not like any new products with the Slingerland name would be actual Slingerland drums. They'd just be DW shells with the Slingerland name on them.
 
DrumEatDrum said:
And it's not like any new products with the Slingerland name would be actual Slingerland drums. They'd just be DW shells with the Slingerland name on them.
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I was curious to see what DW was going to do with them, but I was worried that it would be just a re-badged DW or PDP.

Even with that said, it would be cool to have a modern, well-made Slingerland snare to go with my vintage kit.
 
I tried out a new Slingerland snare back in the '90s at a music store in TX that was 14x5 and WMP with a Nashville TN badge on it.
It sounded absolutely fantastic. I couldn't aford the price tag at the time but it's sound never left my memory.
 
Jeremy Bender said:
I tried out a new Slingerland snare back in the '90s at a music store in TX that was 14x5 and WMP with a Nashville TN badge on it.
It sounded absolutely fantastic. I couldn't aford the price tag at the time but it's sound never left my memory.
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They are indeed great, I’m lucky to own a Nashville Radio King snare from that era and I can attest to its quality.

I was really looking forward to more modern RK snares but it just doesn’t look like that’ll happen anytime soon.
 
I have a great Nashville Studio King snare, finished and signed by Pat Foley. I paid $300 for it years ago, and they're now going for $700 800. It's a great sounding drum. I played it a lot before I bought it. The drum department manager, a guy I've known for decades, finally said, "Will you please just buy the drum!" I laughed and handed him a credit card.
 
adamosmianski said:
Maybe not, but old drums/brands seem to be rather hip at the moment. I'm starting to see Rogers everywhere now.
Fingers crossed!
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I do not mean to veer off the subject of this thread which is specific to Slingerland too much. As far as I can tell, with Roland acquiring DW, Gretsch, and Slingerland, the fate of both Gretsch and Slingerland are unknown at this point.

If you see Rogers drums, are you seeing the used models or the new models? I do not know how any company these days can attract a large following in a new generation of drummers who can not spend much without having an "economy class" drum set. It looks to me that the new Rogers drums is not playing in that segment of the market and they are going for the "mid range" and "high end".
https://rogersdrumsusa.com/
 
BobC said:
I have a great Nashville Studio King snare, finished and signed by Pat Foley. I paid $300 for it years ago, and they're now going for $700 800. It's a great sounding drum. I played it a lot before I bought it. The drum department manager, a guy I've known for decades, finally said, "Will you please just buy the drum!" I laughed and handed him a credit card.
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My old drum teacher has a 14x5 one of those. They're really rare in the UK. His is the only one I've ever seen.

It's an amazing drum, really dry and articulate. He has a Radioking snare & kit but in his own words they're a bit overrated because modern drums are built way better.

I've often wondered how Radioking snares would compete with Craviotto if ever re-released.
 
mikyok said:
My old drum teacher has a 14x5 one of those. They're really rare in the UK. His is the only one I've ever seen.

It's an amazing drum, really dry and articulate. He has a Radioking snare & kit but in his own words they're a bit overrated because modern drums are built way better.

I've often wondered how Radioking snares would compete with Craviotto if ever re-released.
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If Johnny Craviotto had released a Radio King, it would have splendid; it would have outclassed the old RK's by a mile. The Nashville Studio King snare I have is miles better than any Radio King I have owned.

I've owned a few old Radio King snares, and compared to modern drums, they look like some high school freshman's wood shop project. The level of craftsmanship today is so much higher than it was in the 1930's-40's. Old Radio Kings have a mystique that drew me in, but personally, I wasn't blown away by any I owned, in fact, the third one was awful; just very boxy-sounding and dry. I know other drummers claim to own incredible Radio Kings, and maybe that's true, but as much as I like their looks, their old school vibe, and find myself admiring them when they come up for sale, the ones I have owned simply were not worth the money

Of course, there are always delusional characters who think just because the snare says "Radio King," that they re worth a small fortune. They usually find out fast when nobody wants them at that price. Some sellers do, and some don't, and those who don't, often see their drums languishing for sale for months or longer. Right now, anything Slingerland, unless it's a vintage set in a rare wrap or configuration, is a slow moving item. Slingerland drums simply aren't in great demand right now. Like anything in the drum world, that could change, or things could cycle around as they always do, and Slingerland gear will increase in value. Steve Maxwell recently mentioned this to me in an email, so don't take it from me; take it it from a leading vintage drum dealer.
 
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BobC said:
Steve Maxwell recently mentioned this to me in an email, so don't take it from me, take it it from a leading vintage drum dealer.
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I watch a lot of his youtube vids and it's mostly Ludwig, Rogers and Gretsch. Not to mention some of the Craviotto stuff he has in which is just amazing!
 
mikyok said:
I watch a lot of his youtube vids and it's mostly Ludwig, Rogers and Gretsch. Not to mention some of the Craviotto stuff he has in which is just amazing!
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That's right. Steve specializes in Gretsch, Rogers and Ludwig. Gretsch has made special finishes for him, like Mardi Gras Pearl, which is strange, because Gretsch never offered that finish years ago. Steve sells vintage Slingerland drums, but prefers the other brands. He's a nice guy and and an honest dealer. Very good reputation.
 
striker said:
Rogers drums is not playing in that segment of the market and they are going for the "mid range" and "high end".
https://rogersdrumsusa.com/
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I just looked at their distribution/sell page, and man they aren't cheap! While their new drums look great, I think I'd rather buy an actual vintage kit in great shape for half the price (but that's just me). They also sell Slug Percussion merch that I don't think I've seen since the 1990s.
 
PorkPieGuy said:
I just looked at their distribution/sell page, and man they aren't cheap! While their new drums look great, I think I'd rather buy an actual vintage kit in great shape for half the price (but that's just me). They also sell Slug Percussion merch that I don't think I've seen since the 1990s.
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The new Rogers drums are frightfully expensive, so yes, you would get a better deal on a vintage Rogers set. Not to say the new Rodgers aren't good; I'm sure they are. Bill Detamore at Pork Pie is building them.
 
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