Dean!Allow me to respond as I have a 1st production model of this drum.. ( earlier than this one, and EXACTLY as BR played his ) .. as the black/gold badge will attest. Mine dates to LATE 1969, which is when Buddy was playing BOTH models, although he preferred the COW over the WMP as it is a bit brighter in sound. I have both drums in my BR snare drum collection and can state that Buddy was correct! Anyway, regarding the Choppers vs. the later Savers:There really is no "advantage" to the StickChoppers other than that they have a different "feel" to them, and THAT is what is so neat about them! The StickChopper came out of the original "straight edge" hoops/clips era, and Slingerland continued to offer them by request. Buddy preferred the StickChoppers, thus this particular model snare drum being THE Buddy Rich, was originally cataloged/offered with StickChoppers, as was the later BR/TDR. A lot of guys that bought the drum back in the day opted for the StickSavers though! I also have to say I like the "feel" of the StickChoppers, and their name is real accurate. Play these hoops for a bit and you will have a wood chip/sawdust pile under your snare drum! They DO chew up sticks!, but that's just part of the experience. Here's a couple pics of my early production model of the same drum, as well as the WMP model, BOTH with Choppers!Tommyp
Hey Tommyp, thanks for the low-down. Great description. Pics are super, too. When I get to my next vintage drum show, I'll look for some choppers and maybe give them a try...as you mention and as you shared before, my BR TDR has savers on them, but the chopper option is all news to me...But now I know thanks to you. D.
