For as nice as these drums are, I find that Guitar Center's used website has three Slingerland chrome over wood kits ranging from $499-$699. Though your kit is in arguably much better condition I doubt you could get over $1200for these. But who knows?

Texan,

It is a shame that Slingerland does not carry the value of other drums. It has been discussed here many times. That kit is a great looking specimen and there is no reason to let it go for less than it is worth to you. Nothing wrong with having two sets. You can always pull them out and play them from time to time. If you have seen any of the "drum room" photos on this site you will know what I mean.

I would suggest popping over to eBay and check the sold prices of various Slingerland kits. You might also compare that to the sold prices on Ludwig, Gretsch and Rogers. I think Slingerland struggled to stay relevant in the 70's and were often viewed as "your Father's drums" somewhat like Oldsmobile. While drummers like Phil Earheart, Nigel Olssen, and Bev Bevan used them extensively, they just didn't get the respect they deserved in the rock market. Their tom mounting hardware did not really keep pace either. Rogers was king, Ludwig was suitable when it didn't strip and everyone just threw out the Gretsch stuff. Ludwig was king of marketing and still is by their presence in video games and TV shows like Nashville. Ludwig drums flooded the educational market with Slingerland taking a distant second. My guess, though I don't recall was that Slingerland was a little cheaper in the 70's. Therefore, between cost and the educational market I would guess there were more Slingerland drums manufactured than either Gretsch or Rogers. If that was the case (though I have no proof) that would explain why resale value on Slingerlad is lower than the other three American manufacturers.

Again this is all speculation on my part but the fact remains that Slingerland doesn't carry the value. Yours is a beautiful kit. I would either post it here for a price you would feel good about or just keep them. It costs nothing to go fishing with them and, in the meantime you should pull them out every now and then to hear that 3-ply goodness!

I hope that the Slingerland brand gets stronger as collectors/players pick up on the the great sound and decent construction. Whilst chasing parts for my Slingy restoration found it pretty easy to get most parts at a reasonable price.

For a Ludwig/Rogers kit of the same vintage would have been twice as much for the parts and much harder to find the common missing bits.

I'll take my slingy's any day.

Hope you get top price!!

Creighton

Gentlemen,

I changed the batter heads to original Slingerland heads that were the resonance heads when the drum set was new. They are all pristine except for the bass drum batter head. I left the Remo Ambassador heads on the resonance sides of the toms. I still have the original batter heads as well which are the same as those on the set, but have the wear from playing them. Please forgive the quality of the photos as they were taken hurriedly. I welcome your comments and any additional opinions regarding the value of the kit. Thanks.

That's a great set you have there. If I was trying to sell them I would start high and drop the price over time as necessary. These drums should be valued higher than what some might say. I'm sure those drums sound like thunder and they're in excellent shape and even though the mounts are wrong it looks like it was done well and has stood the test of time. There's a lot of talk here about Slingerland not getting the value they deserve. This kind of talk only devalues them further which is great for buyers but is terrible for owners and sellers. Especially when someone is trying to unload a nice example. Personally I don't like reading it. So with that said, start at $1500 and work it down from there. I'm sure there's gonna be some opinions after what I said.

As for what Guitar Center has listed at $699, both sets are 4 piece w/o snare. The $499 has a snare but it looks beat to heck and has a broken BD hoop. The condition is nothing like this fine example of a 6 piece COW in large sizes with a COB TDR. The only thing that would hold this back for me is the mounts even though they do look very nice on there.

I'd say put all of the original heads back on. Don't play on those original resonators. If it were me buying them I would want anything and everything that was original, receipts, drum key old sticks ect.

That's the stuff I go crazy for.

I'm trying to time travel when I buy an old set.

Looking at it again, post it on Craigslist, and on here. It's free. 1500 to me doesn't sound so bad. You just don't see sets in this condition, even when they are one owner sets.

Hey Tex, I'm in agreement with Hemi and Clubdate. I've never seen a used Slingy COW kit in that condition. You probably realize that you're '77 kit could be the best of it's kind out there, and to you, it's worth a lot more than the prices you've seen thus far. If those beauties were mine and I was thinking about selling them, I would have two figures in mind. The initial price tag would be what the drums are worth to me (probably higher than they would sell for) and the next figure would be the absolute lowest bid I would accept. My asking price would be $2000.00 and if I couldn't get at least $1500.00, I'd keep them.

Hello All,

Thanks for the replies. I don't plan to touch the original Slingerland resonance heads with a drumstick, but simply wanted to show what the set looks like with pristine original heads. I think those heads further increase the value of the set, along with the extra set of clear Remo heads I would throw in with the set in addition to the Pearl stands and pedals.

I look forward to additional comments and assessments of the estimated value of the set before I determine whether to put it up for sale or put it back in the closet. Thanks again for the wonderful comments and dialogue regarding the set.

Hemisemisemiquaver (great name by the way) you make a very good point and certainly one I had not considered. When I first started becoming interested in vintage drums I was surprised at the perceived value of Slingerland drums. I am the kind of guy that wants to understand why things are the way they are as opposed to just accepting it and therefore have a tendency to be pretty analytical about things.

I, for one, would like to see Slingerland drums get the respect they deserve. In the meantime we can acquire some great drums at really cost-effective prices.

Texan, your kit is immaculate and probably the finest example of a COW finish I have seen. It is highly unlikely to see that finish without some scuffs, scratches and dents, especially in larger sizes. To my eye the kit looks even better and more "professional" with the Pearl hardware as the Set-O-Matic hardware just seems so pedestrian to me. If you are bent on selling it, price it high and be patient. The worst that could happen is you would have to have two really great kits. Yay!!