Well that is good to hear. Thanks again everybody for the help. Without being too much of a pain, do you think it's worth it for me to personally email/message this King of Slingerland?

I sent him and email already about the topic. Carl is pretty busy at the moment and will eventually get to this post.

David

Can anybody at least explain why there would be a seam (shown in first photo in thread) if its an original lacquer finish? An original paint job would not have a seam, correct? It would just be solid shell-> veneer -> paint or solid shell-> paint, right? Unless Slingerland put on a wrap and then black lacquer over the wrap, I dont understand how it could be original. Thanks again for any help in advance.

Have you pulled any hardware off of the shell yet?

That would help.

In my original post I pointed out the bearing edge around that seam.

It looks sanded at the top and bottom. It looks like if you tighten the head it will hit the part of the seam sticking up.

So that really looks strange to me.

Pull both hoops off, take a photo of the seam and at the bearing edge. Pull a few lugs and see if the paint is exactly the same.

David

As I mentioned earlier, the black drum I saw (the duall) had a similar seam...in fact it was slightly lifting. Couldn't tell the material, and I examined it for a while, but it seemed like a plastic or lacquered veneer.

I took a few additional photos but my camera isnt great so most of the edges are blurry. I will post them because you CAN tell from the photo that if they are not original, they were done very well. If it is a wrap, it doesnt have an edge and was probably sanded. It is a very straight line around both top and bottom rims. A better job than any factory 60's Ludwigs I have owned, which is basically all Ive bought since Ive started playing.

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2762909312_2328e9685d.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

David- thank you for the diagram, haha! Im noticing now though, that the photo you used as an example of where it may be sanded may not be as accurate as it looks off camera. There is obvious wear where the lacquer has worn off and marks where the bottom of the heads would sit on the paint but there arent any obvious signs of definite sanding. Now that I think about it, the lines where the heads sit look a bit like the ones on a radio king bass drum I once owned, where the original calfskin heads seemed almost like they were lightly glued, or had stuck to the shell and made a mark.

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2762915484_943de4e49b.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/2762905506_8c1eb295f7.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/2762057867_e131514efd.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2762055997_649cd56f49.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

I know this may sound like a bunch of rambling but Im doing my best to explain what I see. Thank you again for the help.

Also Rich K, what you are describing sounds very similar to mine. It has a seam but also has a very plastic-y lacquer type of finish. Gathering from all posts, I would be inclined to believe that the finish was original if not for what may look like over spray marks in the shell by the internal screws/bolts for the butt plate (shown in last photo). If Slingerland's lacquer finishes were done over an existing wrap with a seam much like a typical drum wrap, I feel pretty good about this.

Update: I took off three consecutive lugs and it appears as though the holes have a mix of natural wood, white (?) and green-ish (?) colors. Perhaps the white is a primer? The green..... a reaction from the metal? Even more photos, not many of them super clear but hey, why not?

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2763815385_40012a8e01.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3245/2763813147_e849c33ea2.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2764651124_7240c6f147.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/2763799571_251f13fd79.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2763795233_f955d190d4.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/2763792667_a1d15ae834.jpg?v=0[/IMG]

Here's the black drum I checked out and mentioned in this thread...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180276721444&ih=008&category=38095&ssPageName=FavMerch_SO:SI:IT

Wow, thanks so much. That looks VERY similar, only slightly more "checked" like an older paint would look. Perhaps the wrap on mine would look the same if it had sat in the same attic? Judging by the shape of the hardware on my drum, it was probably stored very well for it's 75 years so maybe that is why the finish looks "newer" and is not as convincing as that drum, which is obviously aged.

Wow, the duall is expensive.