THe Conway Slingerlands have been Rescued

Slingerland Drums and Hardware Made in Taiwan or Product of Taiwan. Something like that on what looks like the kick box and floor tom box. High tom must have been nested in one of them. Another small box with Kg weight designations with what looks like a soft case.

So, new forum member joins and immediately starts posting about a mysterious find of a significant cache of NOS Conway Arkansas Slingerland drums that he found and will soon have for sale. Never a member before. Language a little off. Then one long-time member who lives in Arkansas starts posting, visits the still-mysterious and undisclosed location, sees the drums, and buys a kit, then another member does likewise, and all the while there are just a few pics posted (most of the same WMP drums) and no ordering information, then one of the members who ordered receives their kit and it's in boxes that indicate place of origin is Taiwan.

I dunno about all of this. I've been a skeptic since the start.

Yeah. No kidding. I’ll believe there are actual US-made drums in that warehouse when a long-time member here buys a set and confirms it. Not til then.
 
All this talk about this great secret find Conway Slingerlands rescued but then two DF members make purchases and they purchase made in Taiwan????What????

Yeah. No kidding. I’ll believe there are actual US-made drums in that warehouse when a long-time member here buys a set and confirms it. Not til then.
 

Someone please explain to me why I should pay $1000 for a "new" (sorry but it's not) Conway Slingerland snare when I can get a whole vintage Slingerland kit with a snare for less? It is not logical by any means. If I could afford that, I would just get a Guru, Orillio (sp), or some other snare of higher quality and craftsmanship.

The eBay ad states the quality is great because the workers used to make pianos. Factory workers don't care what they make as long as they get paid. Cool find, yes. Worth a grand, HELL NO.
 
Someone please explain to me why I should pay $1000 for a "new" (sorry but it's not) Conway Slingerland snare when I can get a whole vintage Slingerland kit with a snare for less? It is not logical by any means. If I could afford that, I would just get a Guru, Orillio (sp), or some other snare of higher quality and craftsmanship.

The eBay ad states the quality is great because the workers used to make pianos. Factory workers don't care what they make as long as they get paid. Cool find, yes. Worth a grand, HELL NO.

I agree it is over priced. He should have put one for sale on eBay using an auction to see what the interest level is.


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The Radio King price is a little on the steep side.

However, I will say though it's a difficult one as we don't know what the seller paid for the estate of (now 'extinct') drums in the first place.

Just trying to play devils advocate here.

Also, I think a few people in this thread need to show a little more patience for more stuff coming up for listings and stop going on about the Taiwan made kits, gdmoore28 mentioned there were "import" kits back on the very first page of this thread, before anyone even bought one. I think the communication on these kits has been pretty clear myself.

My advice, whether anyone cares for it or not, is to give the seller the benefit of the doubt - until all the information and stock are out there for sale.
 
I really hate there is negativity being spread about something so fantastic. John Sparrow has a Nashville snare enroute , Brian Butts purchased a Krupa Conway kit from me (It arrived today). Harry Cangany spoke with me in detail last tue, James Alexander (BarKays) was here yesterday evening. Gary moore Came up from Southern Arkansas (Purchased an import kit, BTW those gaskets are in my garage Gary. About the price, $999 for a steam bent 1 ply Slingerland SRK from Conway new in the original box and packaging is fair market value seems most believe. Again everyone is entitled to his or hers opinions and I respect what those opinions are. Thanks to all for their input, but mostly thanks to all that have had a hand in this epic adventure!
 
I really hate there is negativity being spread about something so fantastic. John Sparrow has a Nashville snare enroute , Brian Butts purchased a Krupa Conway kit from me (It arrived today). Harry Cangany spoke with me in detail last tue, James Alexander (BarKays) was here yesterday evening. Gary moore Came up from Southern Arkansas (Purchased an import kit, BTW those gaskets are in my garage Gary. About the price, $999 for a steam bent 1 ply Slingerland SRK from Conway new in the original box and packaging is fair market value seems most believe. Again everyone is entitled to his or hers opinions and I respect what those opinions are. Thanks to all for their input, but mostly thanks to all that have had a hand in this epic adventure!

Plus you are doing the right thing, starting at what you think is a good price. The market will then determine what the actual value is, be it higher or lower. Nothing shady there.
 
First I wish Slingerland guy luck with selling his inventory. Great find.

That said, you have failed marketing 101 miserably. You didn't post and contact info or link the e bay store, Others have done that for you.

So if some members here have reservations don't be too surprised.

I think you're legit, but the presentation was lacking,

YMMV
 
My apologizes for the marketing sir. Im so busy on the ground here hard to find enough minutes in the day! And thanks for the positive words Freddy!
 
Juniper i thank you sir!

No worries at all.

It was quite clearly mentioned that the Concert King kits were imported kits way back on Page 1 so I'm not quite sure why there's so much negative dialog on these drums/what's detailed on their boxes!.

Time for the thread to get back on track maybe.
 
Because the only kits anyone ordered and then put pics of on a thread titled "The Conway Slingerlands have been Rescued" were made in Taiwan, and only kits for sale on eBay were the made in Taiwan kits. Up until today - where were the Conway kits and snares?

Back on track would indeed be selling, promoting, and then discussing Conway-made Slingerlands.

That said - back on track discussing Conway drums - I think all of the Conway shells were Keller shells. That may have also been true when they were made (or should I say finished) in Nashville, the difference being the highly-regarded Nashville products were finished by two master craftsmen that were not part of the Conway production. So at best we'd have Keller-shell drums finished in Conway Arkansas and marketed as something special based on the Slingerland name. That would be a back-on-topic discussion now that we see some Conway Slingerlands are now showing up for sale. Discussion about who made the shells? How were they finished? How do they compare to similar products now in 2018?

I see a WMP Radio King snare he's selling on eBay now for $999, and a black Super Radio King snare for $1,499.

Back on track would be discussing the quality/value/price of those snares. My opinion: a cool find of NOS Keller-shell drums that were finished 13 or so years ago (yawn). The market will decide the value. I mean, it's not like a find of NOS Niles or even Nashville Slingerland, right?

No worries at all.

It was quite clearly mentioned that the Concert King kits were imported kits way back on Page 1 so I'm not quite sure why there's so much negative dialog on these drums/what's detailed on their boxes!.

Time for the thread to get back on track maybe.
 
I don't post on here a lot, but when I do, I try to make it helpful, positive, and upbeat. Sometimes I post things just for fun to share something I'm proud of with my fellow drummers because my wife just doesn't care LOL. I guess I don't understand the negativity on this thread so maybe I can shed some light on my dealings with John. John posted on DFO about his find and I messaged him and ask that he call me as soon as possible. He called me almost instantly. He was genuinely excited to talk about his love for the Slingerland brand and told me all about the purchase of the warehouse and the contents. I told him Slingerland was my first drum set and that I had really been looking recently to buy, but was only interested in something with a 24" or 26" bass drum and that I was specifically interested in a Krupa kit because I had drooled over them when they were released but just couldn't spend the money at the time. He laughed and said there were two in the warehouse he had purchased. One he was keeping for himself, and another that he might sell. Only one had the optional 18" floor tom which I told him was a must for me. I asked him what it would take to buy it and held my breath. He came back with what I considered a very reasonable price and I told him I'd need to do some research on the kit, make a few calls, and get back to him in a couple days before I could decide. By the end of our conversation I felt like I had made a new drummer buddy and I think he did too. His last words were, "Hey, I haven't even gone through all this stuff and I'm not exactly ready to sell it yet. Take your time, the Krupa kit is yours until you tell me you don't want it." Over the next week I made several calls to some good friends that I knew could give me info on these drums. One being Harry Cangany who I've known and bought drums from since I was a teenager. Harry's a great wealth of knowledge and a dear friend. Harry was excited, told me all about the Krupa kit, and told me to buy it if I could. He also called and talked to John and is planning to write a story for Modern Drummer. I talked to John throughout the week and he always answered any question I had and sent pics of anything I asked about almost immediately. About a week later I called him and told him I'd take the kit and would PayPal him the next day. He sent me pics of the kit all wrapped up on a pallet about an hour later even though he hadn't received payment yet. The shipment went out last Friday and I received it today. It's in my vehicle in the boxes and I can't wait to get out of work so I can go home and unbox it. So.....I guess the short version of this long winded post is, yes there are Conway Slingerlands for sale. I know this because I now own a NOS, never opened, in the original boxes, with optional 18" floor and optional hardware pack, Gene Krupa signature set of Conway Slingerland drums and I purchased them from John. I hope this clears up any confusion and eases anyone's mind that is on the fence. If you want to talk to a cool guy that's a pleasure to deal with, give John a call. I'm glad I did. Also, in response to Rattlin' Bones. When I was doing my research on the Conway Slingerlands, I found there were complaints of quality control, lifting wrap, and more because of the two master craftsmen not being involved anymore. One of my reasons for contacting Harry Cangany was because I knew he was a Slingerland dealer right up to the end and he would give me the straight scoop on all of this and more. He assured me that was mostly internet lore, and that the only problem he ever had on the Conway kits was lifting wrap on the White Marine Pearl. His personal Conway kit was in the "Buddy" configuration and he special ordered it in Silver Sparkle for that very reason. He said it was a beautifully made drum set and that it sounded incredible. He recently sold off some of his personal collection and Steve Maxwell purchased that kit from him. Steve sold it the same day Harry dropped it off to him.
 
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Because the only kits anyone ordered and then put pics of on a thread titled "The Conway Slingerlands have been Rescued" were made in Taiwan, and only kits for sale on eBay were the made in Taiwan kits. Up until today - where were the Conway kits and snares?

Back on track would indeed be selling, promoting, and then discussing Conway-made Slingerlands.

First of all, I'll ignore the tone of your post.

I will say it's been quite clear that things would be made available at stages. Again you mention the imported Taiwan kits being for sale first. Why?

It was clear more of the items would be up for sale eventually and more news to follow when time allows, not when you personally demand it.

That said - back on track discussing Conway drums - I think all of the Conway shells were Keller shells. That may have also been true when they were made (or should I say finished) in Nashville, the difference being the highly-regarded Nashville products were finished by two master craftsmen that were not part of the Conway production. So at best we'd have Keller-shell drums finished in Conway Arkansas and marketed as something special based on the Slingerland name. That would be a back-on-topic discussion now that we see some Conway Slingerlands are now showing up for sale. Discussion about who made the shells? How were they finished? How do they compare to similar products now in 2018?

Not sure that's up to a private seller to explain, he's not an employee of Slingerland, nor I'm sure a Nigerian scammer as you compaired him to back at the start of the thread. Either you see the value in what he has for sale or you don't, it's that simple.

The Conway history is available for anyone inclined to do their research.

Adding negative post after negative post when more information has been promised to all just makes you look bad, not to mention everyone who has dealt with the seller (not to mention has parted with money) has been positive about their experience but here you are again....

You seem to have one hell of a chip on your shoulder to be honest.
 
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Thank you brianb for your post. Yes, John (The Slingerland Guy) is a really nice person!
You are so lucky to have purchased that Gene Krupa Kit. On second thought, no, you were not "lucky". You put in the time and research to make it happen.

Hey I'd just like to point out that the two Conway snare drums that are currently for sale on eBay now say "Make Offer".


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No chip...just find it a bit awkward that the first item for sale and first unboxing was a Made in Taiwan kit in a thread titled The Conway Slingerlands have been Rescued.

We're back on topic discussing Conway Slingerlands now that we see some actual Conway Slingerlands on eBay for sale as of today.





First of all, I'll ignore the tone of your post.

I will say it's been quite clear that things would be made available at stages. Again you mention the imported Taiwan kits being for sale first. Why?

It was clear more of the items would be up for sale eventually and more news to follow when time allows, not when you personally demand it.



Not sure that's up to a private seller to explain, he's not an employee of Slingerland, nor I'm sure a Nigerian scammer as you compaired him to back at the start of the thread. Either you see the value in what he has for sale or you don't, it's that simple.

The Conway history is available for anyone inclined to do their research.

Adding negative post after negative post when more information has been promised to all just makes you look bad, not to mention everyone who has dealt with the seller (not to mention has parted with money) has been positive about their experience but here you are again....

You seem to have one hell of a chip on your shoulder to be honest.
 
I finally got my drums home and unboxed. Everything is in excellent condition, all the pieces and parts are there, and the chrome is flawless. It was pretty cool to open up a brand new 15+ year old kit. The only minor flaw is a little casting bur inside of one of the floor tom leg mounts that won’t let the leg go in. I’ll address it tomorrow night as it’s been a long day. Nothing I can’t fix in a few minutes. I’ve been tying to post pics for those of you interested but I cannot get them to load from my phone. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but for me these are pretty special drums. No they aren’t from Chicago, Niles, or Nashville and you know what, I don’t care. They’re pretty darn cool to me. I wanted one of these Krupa kits when they came out but my wife and I were just starting a family and I couldn’t afford them at the time. I feel very fortunate to own them now and can’t wait to play the heck out of them. For what it’s worth, I can’t seem to understand why someone would comment on a thread just to rain on someone else’s parade. It makes no sense to me. If you aren’t interested in this era of Slingerland drums, I get it and that’s cool. I don’t really care about Mapex or Dixon but I don’t join threads just to bash them. Heck, they make great drums that other people really like. Then to question someone’s character and when you find out your comments were unwarranted, basically say “oh well, I was wrong but they suck anyway so who cares”. Not cool. I’d expect that kind of stuff on a guitar player or lead singer forum. This very thread is the reason I don’t post much. I felt obligated this time because I wanted interested parties to know John was not some internet scammer who was scheming with a couple other forum members.
 
No chip...just find it a bit awkward that the first item for sale and first unboxing was a Made in Taiwan kit in a thread titled The Conway Slingerlands have been Rescued.

We're back on topic discussing Conway Slingerlands now that we see some actual Conway Slingerlands on eBay for sale as of today.

absolutely nothing wrong with a spam-fomercial beatdown when one is certainly needed

great observation, and appreciated by some of us
 
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