Hi again,

Here’s another weird, “strange brew” Slingerland Radio King Model. I purchased this drum at The Hollywood Vintage Drum Show about 10-12 years ago when it was being held for one of the last times at the Remo Center. The seller said that the drum came from Mexico.

1942- SLINGERLAND 5 x 14 “ROOT BEER SWIRL” (UN-CATALOGUED FINISH) RADIO KING MODEL

A word about the finish:

I used the term “Root Beer Swirl” for lack of a better name. The only Slingerland finish that is remotely similar is Black Diamond Pearl (1928-1995) but aside from any possibility of a harsh fading the actual finish patterns are still vastly different. So the questions remain...an un-catalogued finish or a special order with an un-catalogued finish?

Sometimes a good sense of humor keeps things in perspective so I’ll use two quotes from my good friends Harry Cangany and John Aldridge. Harry: “Mike, you have such beautiful drums, but every now and then you show us something that is just butt ugly. That looks like some plastic just melted together and they used all of it.” John: “Mike, that drum is uglier than home-made soap.”

Dating:

The Super Strainer (Clamshell) was introduced around 1940, Beaver Tail lugs were introduced around 1940 but the 1936 Harold R. Todd muffler felt color was changed from yellow, green or red to grey felt around 1942, this drum has grey muffler felts....ergo 1942.

The SHELL:

The solid maple shell is in good shape and the interior is clean. The finish looks to have two seams. The badge grommet looks untouched and the badge is tight. I did just notice that there has been a repair/alteration at the butt plate side. There are two expertly filled holes just opposite the butt side of the Clam Shell strainer (see photos). So was a regular butt plate originally there? There are some larger indentations around the filled holes that are puzzling; were there oversize washers behind a butt plate or was something there? To me the only logical answer is that a butt plate was originally there. And to add to the mystery...there are no extra holes in the shell at the lever side of the Clam Shell strainer. The repair job was done really well as you can see how the “swirl plugs” line up nicely with the rest of the finish.

The HARDWARE:

The nickel plated hardware is all there, in decent shape but does look its age. I have never seen staggered Beaver Tail lugs on a 5 x 14 RK shell or on any RK shell for that matter. Notice how the engraved “Slingerland Radio King” on the top rim does not line up with the cloud badge due to the staggered BT lugs.

Final Thoughts:

This type of “ridden hard and put up wet” snare drum has a certain vibe to it that I find very interesting. The quirkier the better for me...and it makes for an interesting article.

Feel free to weigh-in with any comments, ideas or similar stories.

Enjoy!

Mike Curotto