I don't know if Slingerlands are on the bottom of the heap. I've personally always held them with very high regard. And can't say that I've really seen anyone on this forum put them down. Fantastic sounding drums, some of my personal favorites. As far as mainstream, sadly they aren't as recognized as Ludwig. But a lot of that is due to marketing and promotion. Everyone knew the Beatles, everyone knew Ringo, in turn, everyone knew Ludwig. And by the end of the 70's Slingerland was all but done. So I don't necessarily think they get viewed as the bottom, they just aren't as well known as Ludwig.

That makes a lot of sense but there built so well and some of the wraps are awesome !!!

I'm not sure that Slingerland is necessarily at the "bottom" of the heap but they do tend to go for less than their contemporary Gretsch, Ludwig, and Rogers mass produced competition. In the case of Gretsch and Ludwig I think it has to do with the fact that those brands are still around and being advertised which keeps the brand awareness alive. Folks who get a new set of Ludwigs or Gretsch might be inspired to seek out a vintage set of the same. Rogers has held on to its mystique as the Cadillac of vintage drums. They probably were the best built of the majors and certainly had the most innovative hardware. Whether that reputation can continue to survive as time passes is hard to say but so far they remain sought after drums. Slingerland made very good drums that were arguably as good as any of the other American make's products but the brand name has been dead for around 30 years (discounting the drums made under that name by Gretsch and Gibson, some of which may have been among some of the best drums ever made but both of which suffered from very limited distribution) and younger drummers just aren't familiar with them which lessens the demand which lowers the price. Leedy would be another name that was once proudly worn by some of the best drums being made at that time but not to many remember it now.

On the plus side this means there are bargains to be had on world class professional grade vintage drums. That is if you don't mind the occasional young punk asking "Slingerland? What the heck are those?"

See, I've always thought of slingerland as the real Archetypal in vintage drums, gene Krupa, buddy rich and many others were all on. Amazing jazz drums, the tone is just something very special. In actuality Im not sure if they were the very first but to me they are the original and the best.It Was just really about ringo Starr going with Ludwig and the influence that gave. Maybe it's that slingerland catalogue I got after seeing a drum clinic when I was a kid! After getting to know more about vintage drums and being on the forum Iam actually quite surprised that they seem to be a bit under appreciated.

I love Slingerland drums and I've owned a few over the years as well as Ludwig Grestch and Rogers. But, I've had issues with each of these companies except Rogers. Wrap separation, wing nuts stripping, especially on the Slingerland legs and less than perfect bearing edges. I believe Ludwig is just more well known, drummers have a soft spot for Grestch and Rogers were just plain the best built and sounding drums.

Shhhh... the less we mention them the less their price will rise!

Yes and after that when we've all got ours we can try to influence people by saying how good they are and then sell them for a big profit ExcitedMind Blowi

I'm actually thinking on selling my clubdate obp with pioneer and keeping this kit , the wrap is very nice ,as I just bought the mid 60's artist snare that's matches this is drfinately one of the nicer wmp wraps outthere I don't think it sounds better than my Hollywood but it sounds very nice I mean maple is maple all lugs are similar and rerings ard the same ....

Even though I was always more of a Ludwig guy as a kid I was always impressed with Slingerland. Around these parts (140 miles west of Chicago) those were the only two brands you tended to see in the stores (occasionally a Rogers, never really saw much Gretsch) and it was generally a choice between the two Chicago "giants" if you wanted Pro quality drums. To me it seemed that Ludwig was the choice of Rock drummers and Slingerland was for the jazz oriented guys and I think that perception was fairly widespread. Of course there were rock guys who used Slingerland and jazz guys who used Ludwig but I'm just talking about the general perception.

The drums themselves were pretty close in quality. Actually I'd give the edge there to Slingerland with nicer looking chrome but it's apparent that the two crosstown rivals kept close tabs on each other and maintained very similar product lines. Their 3 ply shells were similar (both were predominately made of poplar) as was their construction.

Current value all boils down to supply and demand. There are quite a few Slingerland sets still out there but unfamiliarity with the brand by younger players decreases the demand and therefore lowers the prices. Great if you're buying, not so much if you're selling.

If you decide to sell your OBP Ludwig drums you might want to separate the Pioneer snare as that can be an $800-1000 drum by itself (the poor man's Ringo snare).