Beautiful drum you have there.I really like the TDR.I have one on my Spitfire lacquered brass,and it still works great.

Steve B

Steve - Yes! The TDR is awesome, really nice design and easy to use. Less adjustment than the other throws that stretch the wires and ease them onto the bottom head, but still doesn't just jam the wires into it.

Bharrington!...

So!... you finally found what you have been seeking, yes?! YES! That said:

The BR/TDR... interestingly, the design that got Buddy to STOP playing the Fibes SFT 690/COF that was really steaming Don Osborn Sr! Don Osborn Sr. asked Buddy WHY he insisted on playing the Fibes SFT in plain sight while being PAID to endorse Slingerland... and Buddy's response: Build me a drum that sounds/plays like this one and I'll play it. Typical Buddy! Slingerland's response: The Buddy Rich TDR... and it worked!... for a while. Buddy seemed to like it!... but shortly thereafter the Fibes SFT 690/COF was back behind the Slingerland's. Wasn't too long after THAT that Buddy and Slingerland parted ways... and he returned to... Ludwig ... but I digress.

NICE DRUM Billy! I have a real early model in my BR snare drum collection. It's a 1974. NO tone control... StickChoppers... exactly as Buddy played it. Interestingly the WMP is also slightly "different" in pattern/color... and it has aged beautifully. It is indeed a beautiful playing/sounding drum, and not all of them are. Slingerland had major trouble getting the TDR throw/butt perfectly parallel with the shell on a bunch of these. You can always tell one of THOSE though... they buzz incessantly! ENJOY!... it's a beauty. I'll attach a pic of mine.

Tommyp

My cob Spitfire is my favorite drum. Now I want one of these........

A great looking drum! Tommyp... always love your extra info on everything "Buddy"!!!

My first TDR was back in 1979, which was a COB 12-lug Spitfire. Those 2 extra lugs were a nightmare for me! If I knew then what I know now about tuning, I might still own that drum! LoLoLoLo

I have been fortunate enough to have two other TDR's pass through my drumming experiences; a COB and 5-ply maple versions. Both wonderful snare drums!

Thanks for the comments guys. It is really a great drum. As we all know, Tommy is the Buddy expert so I knew it was only a matter of time (seconds) before he gave us the full scoop.

The WMP is a little different no doubt - I don't have a 70's catalogue handy so I can't say whether there were actually two WMPs offered at the same time or they simply changed every few years. Slingerland certainly did change WMPs throughout the decades, not just the color/hue of the pearl but the style of the pearl as well. The WMP on my late 30's Radio King 28" is nothing like my set of mid-60's Soundkings. The RK has more of a blue tint in the WMP with larger diamond "chunks" and longer lines throughout the wrap, while the 60's WMP is much more white (leaning towards the yellow-side, certainly not as much blue if any to start) with a slightly smaller and hazier pattern. I remember talking to Jack Lawton about how much Oyster Black Pearl has changed over the years and because no single batch is identical, I imagine it was the same with the WMP. The first time I saw one of Buddy's actual kits at Steve Maxwell's in Chicago, I noticed the WMP had a slight blue tint to the WMP and was in love with the finish ever since. I really love the stuff Slingerland put out in the late 60's - mid 70's. True works of art.

Bharrington!...

... oh, I'm not so sure 'bout "seconds"... but as the mod on this board I do try and check in MANY TIMES within a day, so I think I just happened to catch your post right after you put it up! Also...

The EARLY 60's Slingerland WMP through say the early 70's, seems to NOT have had that "blue tint". I only say this because I actually saw Buddy's Slingerland's up close and personal many times between the years of 1973 and 1978, and the WMP was NOT blue at all... it was much more "white" in tint. This is also borne out as ALL my Slingerland BR model snare drums are in the "white" tint, not the blue. There are three of them. That said though, I also know that Slingerland DID have a "bluish" tint to their WMP at times as well. During the period I saw Buddy's drums though, and the three that I have from 1968 to 1974, are indeed white, hence the look of the WMP on my '74 BR/TDR as well as the 1968 BR Artist and the 1970 4X14 BR in WMP. Regarding your BR/TDR:

I suspect that your drum is at least a 1976 based on the tone control knob and the StickSavers. The serial off the badge could dial us in a little closer though. What's the serial number Billy?

Tommyp

Tommy - Thanks! Very interesting.

The serial number on the drum is 195564, nothing inside except for the usual "P" stamp.

Does anyone know when Slingerland switched from 3ply w/ rerings to 5ply no rerings?

I think '76 is a good guess, though I was thinking it has to be at the start of '76 or something, because the rest of the drums in the set are 3ply, with this TDR drum being a 5ply. Exactly the same finish, same thin shell sealer on the inside with close serials - the set including the snare drum came with their factory heads too, so I would believe that it came together as a set from the factory. I've heard of Slingerland using their remaining 3ply shells in their 5ply sets, but I have no true confirmation on that.

Billy!...

I think you will find this most interesting! Ready?...

Slingerland used 3 ply w/rings shells RIGHT THROUGH till 1978. This was their main shell and remained in place up until 1978!... excepting the TDR snare drum which was their first 5 ply no rings offering, but only on the TDR snare drums starting in 1972. The 5 ply no rings shell was also offered as an option in place of the standard 3 ply w/rings on bass drums/toms starting in 1972, but it appears there were very few takers. The 5 ply no rings shell became STANDARD in 1979. Sooo...

All that said: Your #80N Buddy Rich w/3ply bass and toms plus the 5 ply BR/TDR is absolutely CORRECT in that configuration. As to the year: With your snare drum serial number being #195564, it does indeed place your set at mid to late 1976! Well, give or take a little as Slingerland was notorius for having "serial number issues" ... but this is as accurate as we can get. To answer your "when did Slingerland switch from 3 ply w/rings to 5 ply no rings" question: The switchover occured in 1979. Buddy was of course gone by then having left Slingerland in late 1976. Interestingly, the 3 ply w/rings was discontinued COMPLETELY in June of 1981. Fascinating stuff! Should help date your set though, as well as just being incredibly interesting! BTW:

The serial number on my BR/TDR is #112887... very early for this model. One of the first actually... approx. 1974.

Tommyp