I don't think that's a 3 ply shell, I think it's a 1 ply steam bent Maple. Slingy didn't replace the Mahogany 3 ply with Maple until '63 (I think) & that is not a 3 ply Mahogany shell. Given that it's a 13" and everything looks correct and it's WMP, even at the BIN price, I would look hard at it & ask for more pics...especially of the bearing edge. Depending on where the overlap is on the glue joints between the shell & re-rings, it may just appear to be a 3 ply. If it's solid this might be a very good buy. 13" RK's just don't pop up that often!

Now for the bad part, this has definitely been re-worked which makes it suspect...that doesn't mean it's a fake, it just means that someone has cracked her & done a little work. If it is a 3 ply shell, IMO it's a fake...the badge on this drum was used from '56-'59 (I pretty sure) so that makes it a miss-match for the Maple/Poplar/Maple 3 ply shell from around '63. It's also a little strange that it's 6 lug...could be a special order...but it looks like a Super Gene Krupa Radio King - 6 lug - solid Maple shell.

OK, that's my 2 cents.

Dan

I've got the same exact drum, with the older "dogtag" badge. Mine is 3 ply, as are most of the 13" SDs, from what I understand.

Well, the '55 & '59 Catalog pages from VDG list the 13" along with the 14" as a solid shell, BUT, that doesn't mean it was correct. Manufacturers would much rather just explain to customers that the catalog had a misprint than to reprint the catalogs, and (as you can see from the catalogs) picked up the same pages over & over until they eliminated or completely changed a product.

I do know that the scarf joint on a couple of those bearing edge pics look to be a solid shell. Ply shells have joints/seams at various locations around the circumference of the shell, a solid shell has an elongated scarf joint/seam. The shell in these pics looks to have an elongated scarf joint. Either way, if Rocketman's got one that looks just like this one, it's well worth watching!...13" Krupa Supers don't come along very often.

So is it a Maple/Poplar/Maple shell? I thought these didn't come along until the '60's. The interior on this shell does not look like Mahogany.

BTW-thanks for the info!

Dan

If it were a solid shell (and it's not) Laundry09 would not have it priced at the bargain basement price of $424.99.

He has the drum in his hands and states it is 3-ply....

You can see the segmented appearance of the middle poplar ply in the first interior shot.

I've seen some very light colored mahogany interiors.... I have a RK floor tom that is Very blonde in color.

Kev

Whether one ply or three, it's a pretty thing. if I didn't already have more RKs than I need, I'd be tempted.

Ron