Hi,
The latest to enter the collection came from my good friend and fellow collector Mark Cooper [email]coopersvintagedrums@verizon.net[/email]
*1937-39 SLINGERLAND 8 x 14 BLACK DIAMOND PEARL BERNIE MATTISON RADIO KING MODEL
*The Bernie Mattison Radio King Model was first introduced in 1936 and had the tapped (no insert) lugs. I’ve dated the drum in this article at 1937-39 because the
lugs have inserts. The 1937-39 Slingerland catalogs list this drum as the Band Model Radio King.
THE SHELL:
The wrap is a unique version of BDP (in some areas) that covers the 8 x 14 shell nicely. The interior is very clean. The BDP is in excellent condition and only needed a very light cleaning.
THE HARDWARE:
All of the hardware is in great shape with no rust or pitting but we do have a case here of the “carpet not matching the drapes”. By this I mean that everything is chrome plated except the 8 nickel plated Streamlined lugs. I know that this is fairly common with the Slingerland Broadcaster and Radio King models. I have seen this a number of times and personally I think it’s crap that Slingerland did this. What’s so hard about matching the damn parts? To this day it still bugs me but in the interest of vintage accuracy and authenticity I just cleaned and polished everything and moved on with the program. The snare gates on the bottom hoop are the early versions that were attached to the hoop with machine bolts. I always find it interesting that the early snare gates have stamped numbers or stamped letters called “manufacturers’ cartouches”; one side has a single stamped number or letter on the hoop and gate and the other side has two stamped numbers or letters on the hoop and gate. All the numbers or letters always match. The hoop and gates on this drum are a little different as they have both a stamped number AND a stamped letter...8V and 8V-8V. I’ve never seen this before, on all of my other snare drums it was one or the other.
Of-the-era calf heads top and bottom finished off this cleaning.
I have included a photo of my other Bernie Mattison Radio King Model in Abalone Pearl, this one is from 1936 (tapped lugs).
Enjoy!
Mike Curotto
