Thanks to your help, I was able to repair my stripped Slingerland bass drum spur bracket and floor tom leg bracket. Since I’m wanting to gig with these, should I go ahead and install helicoils in all of the brackets even if they aren’t stripped (yet)?
I usually follow the adage if “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but do you think this may be an exception to the rule?
I’m for the if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That would be like getting dentures before I need them!
Yeah, I mean...IF they have survived this long intact, then I'd assume they'd be okay. Just fix them as needed, but have them on-hand when and if the time comes.
Update: I just ordered 20 helicoils and I’m going to go ahead and do the whole kit. The kit I have is no museum piece, and I bought them to play. I don’t wanna have to worry about anything ever stripping or if I’m over tightening or under tightening. It’s not gonna change the look of anything and I can use all of the original hardware and T-screws.
Good move. If I were still a working drummer, I'd do the same.
I once restored a Slingerland kit and everything was fine till I brought them down to set them up for a potential buyer and the spur bracket stripped on me.
Better safe than sorry.
Yeah good move since you're gigging with them. My default advice always goes to "keep it as original as possible" because I have a super high standard to my personal collection in that regard. These Slingerland bracket things are renowned for stripping, so they became kind of an identifying flaw. Like the plastic parts of Trixon...a terrible design idea, but also part of their historical/evolutionary infamy. It could be something to point out and talk about in that sense, but since the drums are just working tools for you then yeah, by all means treat them as such.
