The Cadillac...…

Will always be the drums, (without regard to brand)… that are in pristine condition. That have very few finish flaws. That have not been recut or modified. The mounts are original, from the factory. The drums have a reasonable consideration to have been born together, sold together, and survived together. Tom arms and cymbal arms are included and are in +excellent condition. Chrome has little to no pitting. No rust. Never Steel Wool. Shine is original. These are A++ rated. Cadillacs. Brand not important (at this level)

That aside...

I am a Rogers guy. Always.

Rarity, condition, then brand.

Certainly can’t dispute what The Ploughman says above. However, I would add rarity to the equation. Certain wraps in mediocre condition can bring more then a common Sparkle kit or snare drum in the same size or configuration.

Been in this for years now and it seems certain brands rise and fall in value.

I will say this; Camco’s always seem to bring home the bacon. Rarity it seems because I’ve seen some in horrible condition bring stacks of cabbage!

[QUOTE=schmegeggie;441006]Rarity, condition, then brand.

Certainly can’t dispute what The Ploughman says above. However, I would add rarity to the equation. Certain wraps in mediocre condition can bring more then a common Sparkle kit or snare drum in the same size or configuration.

Been in this for years now and it seems certain brands rise and fall in value.

I will say this; Camco’s always seem to bring home the bacon. Rarity it seems because I’ve seen some in horrible condition bring stacks of cabbage![/QUOTE

Thanks so much for the reply! I appreciate the input. So what I've learned is between the 5 drum manufacturers I mentioned, they are really the same as far as "quality". According to you and Ploughman, its more the condition and sometimes rarity that would add the value. Except maybe Camco...that's cool! That kinda answers my question, as I am pondering looking at other drum sets beside Slingerland to "collect". Thanks guys!

Just ditto on above, but what one can do is try to find the kits people are passing on like the copper in a early champagne kit if preserved well it’s can be the sleeper of future winners , one day the ringo kits will be gone and hoarded , so you have to look and perceive the the future rather than the present on collecting

All good info so far.

I've found that Slingerland, for whatever reason, just doesn't bring the same dollars that Ludwig, Gretsch, Camco and Rogers do. Especially recently, the Slingerland market is very slow and a buyer's market for sure. I have a 1966 Modern Solo 2R outfit in great shape that I can't give away. I've been trying to sell it for months.

A fellow vintage drum enthusiast once put it to me like this:

"With Ludwig, you have Ringo, Joe Morello, Carl Palmer, Alex Van Halen, Carmine Appice etc.

With Gretsch you have Art Blakey, Philly Joe, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams etc.

With Slingerland you have Gene Krupa and......................."

Even though he's half kidding he's also half right.

I'm not sure that's part of the reason or not, but if you had equal kits, of the same configuration, same wrap and same condition, the Slingerland will always sell for less than the other USA made drums.

I may be subjecting myself to slings and arrows for saying this, but my personal experience has been that Slingerlands simply sound better than the others, even though I don’t believe their fit and finish is quite on par with Ludwig. Something about the shell construction that just seems to produce a better-sounding instrument. Maybe it’s the goofy rims (which I LOVE). Perhaps also I am influenced by a kid I knew in Junior High ( before they came up with the awkward “middle school”) who had a WMP Slingerland. The drums sounded great and he could really PLAY! Or perhaps I am influenced by my favorite drummer growing up - Danny Seraphine. Actually, Slingerlands are awful, crappy drums. Just ignore everything I just said. And then PM me for my address so you can ship those garbage, crappy Slingerlands directly to my door.

Josh

Interesting topic...

I suppose it comes down to the reason why people collect certain things. For me, it's about playability and sound - I currently use everything I own, so I don't really collect shelf-dwellers. My searches are usually to that end. Now, I'd certainly grab a 1920s Black Beauty or something of similar popularity if given the chance, but function usually rules my searches.

With Slingerland, they had a decent crossover roster in the 60s and 70s, so popularity was strong. Perhaps the Radio Kings simply overshadow the rest of the Slingy line in terms of usability, collectability, and mystique, therefore causing the other offerings to be less desirable. I believe all manufacturers' various lines had something to offer in terms of quality and sound.

Josh,

I am going to have to disagree with this part of your assessment. We fully agree on the sound, RB Gretsch's probably the best to me though. I think that the "Ringo" boom at Ludwig impacted their quality for years. This has been mentioned by numerous others on these forums.

Slingerland chrome was some of the best. The Sticksaver hoops were a unique design that I feel was above the standard triple flange hoop. Every one of their shells that I've owned (60's-70's) have been perfect.

I think the area where they fell behind was tom mounting & hardware.

Until the Set-O-Matic, they were still using W&A designs. Then the double Set-O-Matic had limited adjustability. The single Set-O-Matic is as good as any, as far as I'm concerned.

Personal opinion, and you know what they say!!

Steve

Steve,

My reference to fit and finish was not in relation to the shells and wraps. I have not found any issues with these at all. But on my ‘77 Classic Rock set, some of the holes were drilled by someone:

A. Who worked Friday with his eyes on the clock, or;

B. Who was about a .25 blood alcohol level, or;

C. Who was going blind but was too vain to wear glasses.

These idiosyncrasies do not affect the sound of, or my love for these drums. On my ‘66 Modern Solo set, the holes are all fine. I have never seen haphazard drilling on Ludwigs, and I have owned quite a few Ludwig sets, and a few Gretsch sets.

Also, I love the unique stick-saver rims. The lugs are fine, although Ludwig’s seem more finely crafted and smoother edged. I agree with you regarding tom mounting hardware, but since both of my Slingerland sets have the Super SOM, I am in the pink.

Josh