One of the great things about having an interest in vintage drums, whether as a collector or as a player, is that the learning process never seems to end.
The other day I happened to run across a Slingerland kit that consisted of single-headed toms, what I believed to be a rather unique-sized (14x16) floor tom and what I was certain were mismatched bass drum hoops -- one being made of metal and the other being made of wood.
How wrong I was!DOH
After a little research via Rob Cook's fine publication "The Slingerland Book", I discovered that this kit was actually a Slingerland POP OUTFIT 58N, offered between the years of 1968-1977. It consisted of a 14x20 bass drum, 8x12 & 9x13 single-headed toms, a 14x16 single-headed floor tom and a 5x14 snare drum. The bass drum was actually factory-issued with a wooden hoop on the batter side and a metal hoop on the opposite side. Talk about "bizarre!"Mind Blowi
The bass drum was described as being "finished on the inside with rippled chrome vinyl." In all honesty, I can't even get a good visual of that one. I would have taken a closer look if I had known this when I ran across the kit.
After this "old dog" learned these "new tricks" I started to wonder how many of these 58N kits are still out there in their original configuration. This is actually the first one I've ever seen and, as I stated above, I simply thought it was a piece-mealed, mismatched set of drums. Have any of you run across this particular kit through the years?
I realize that kits with the so-called "concert" toms aren't very popular and certainly aren't as valuable as double-headed drums but in this particular case wouldn't the kit be valued more if kept in its "as is" state due to the originality factor? Would it make any sense to even consider installing hardware on the bottom sides of the toms?
Just a few things I'm hoping to get some feedback on.
As usual, thanks for your time!
