vintage drum inquiry

[sean b. tinio]

whats up drumbros,

who uses Slingerland drums these days?

do they have any endorsers?

thanks!!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 26, 2003 02:29 AM: Message edited by: paraddidlefreak ]</font>

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 26, 2003 02:31 AM: Message edited by: paraddidlefreak ]</font>

[BennyAndTheSkins]

I know Tre Cool (Green Day) used them for a while, as did Bissonette, before they had financial troubles. Now, they're only distributed through MusicYo.com. I'd love to see someone buy them, re-vamp their manufacturing process to be modern, in line with Pearl, et al, and bring them back to making good stuff.

I have a mid 70's vintage Slingerland set, sort of a sentimental family heirloom, as it was bought by my dad for my brother, but the drums spoke a little louder to me than they did to him, so I ended up with them, so they're the kit I came up on. I stripped the hardware, put RIMS on them, and they sound pretty good.

It would be cool to see Slingerland return to greatness, like Gretsch, Ludwing....

[ladanny]

I use an old Slingerland snare that I TOTALLY love. It's from the mid 60's and is 8x15. Yes, 15" snare. I replaced the bottom snares with 42 strand and it's incredible. I also replaced both top and bottom rims with 2.3mm thick Ludwig rims and the tone is crazy. The shell is one ply mahogany and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Danny

[sean b. tinio]

thanks for the info... i thought they are still one of the top drum makers (and the best sounding too) in the US.

i know there had been a thread on the best sounding drums , i just want to know if camco, slingerland and gretsch still have that recognition as such...

and is Premier an American Brand?

[Geoff_G]

i am with you ladanny -- the first kit i bought (with my own money !!! gasp) was a late 70s slingerland, i am guessing '77...silver sparkle, ah. i still have the 12-lug SS snare -- super sensative, a nice "wood-ish" pop & a GREAT rimshot. looking at die-cast rims for it now.

i kept the thing freakin' immaculate and sold it to a drumset collector thru the bald dood at resurrection drums in miami. if i ever get down there again, i need to look the guys up, maybe it is still around. the only down-side was the sizes: 13", 14", 16". at the time, i was really into be-bop & i was about to buy a premier kit with a 20" kick.

[Randy walker]

Older Radio King snare drums are the bomb in terms of sound and crack, although a few years ago when Gibson owned Slingerland and Pat Foley was in charge of production, they were making some really nice snares in both the old Radio King solis shell and in the Studio King which was a ply drum. Check Ebay.

Gretsch are very much in demand for the older type, up to around mid to late 80's Gretsch.
Camco are great drums too, hard to find. The precurser to DW which bought the Camco lug design.
Premier drums are made in England, once owned by Yamaha. In the new MD, there is an article about Premier.