Hi!

The Artist Snare looked like this:

3-ply Shell, 8 lugs, Zoomatic, Damper and 908 Buttplate.

After 1970 Slingerland placed the Badge two panels to the left of the Strainer, wich means straight ahead having the Strainer facing left.

Damper was put right across tha badge wich means two panels to the right of the Strainer.

The Snarebeds became different after 1968. Before they were cut like a groove 4" wide, after 1968 they were made on the sanding table and were more stretched out.

The difference in sound is huge!

The earlier Snares have a more open sound, more sensitive while the later have a tighter sound.

In 1972 Slingerland introduced the 5-ply Shells on the TDR 1000 Marching Snares. These Shells did not have reinforcement rings. 5-ply Shells gradually overtook the 3-ply and by 1976 3-ply were Special Order.

So, that means if you?re looking for an Artist from 1975-77 it?s almost certain that it?s 5-ply.

In the 70?s Slingerland made far more Brass and Metal Shelled Snares than Wood ones.

When you say that they put the Standard Buttplate on Artist Snares you must have seen a Taiwan import from the 90?s.

Theese were also Right turned on the Zoomatic while all Americans turned Left.

See ya!

Niklas

Hi, Thanks for your reply. You are correct on info that I already know of, I will have to wait for Dr. CJW's reply for more detailed, correct info on the Artist snare that I am looking for. The one I am looking for is from the Mid 70's and is not a 90's Taiwan import. The Artist I am looking for is a 3-ply Mahogany/Poplar/Maple Shell with Maple Reinforcing Rings and is not an import at all. I have never heard of the special order thing, Slingerland made 3-ply Shells with Rings and 5-ply Shells without, both were available during the same time period as far as I know. Thanks again! Phil Cormier Fitchburg, Mass 01420 USA

[COLOR="Navy"]O.K., Niklas provides some very good information, but with some points that we need to be a bit careful on.

First, the layout on the #153 Artist stayed as it was in the 1960s - tone-badge-throw in successive panels left to right - well past 1970. This layout did not change until 1975. At that point the badge was indeed moved to the second panel left of the strainer, with the tone control directly across the drum from the badge, thus putting the tone control in the second panel right of the strainer. Coinciding with this move, Slingerland changed to making the #153 with the 5-ply shell as standard. However, you could still have it made with the 3-ply shell, so post-1974 #153 examples exist with either shell. It is true however that after 1975 it is more likely to find a 5-ply Slingerland snare drum. And that applies to all wood shell Slingerland snare drums after 1975. After 1975 they are most often 5-ply. But you will still see some 3-ply with rings, until 1982. And none of this during the 1970s applies to TDR snare drums ? all TDR models had 5-ply shells, and layout of badge-tone-throw in successive panels left to right.

That?s snare drums. We have to be careful, because the story with kit toms and bass drums is different. The 3-ply shell with reinforcing rings was the standard Slingerland shell on kit toms and bass drums through 1978 into the middle of 1979. Most Slingerland drums, by far, through 1978, have 3-ply shells with reinforcing rings. 5-ply shells were an option on kit toms and bass drums from 1972 ? 1978, but 3-ply dominated ? until the middle of 1979. At that point, Slingerland switched to 5-ply as its standard shell on toms and bass drums, with 3-ply becoming an option until the middle of 1981.

Now ? all that is talking kit drums ? marching drums were a different story.

On the issue of the butt plate used with the Artist line of Slingerland snare drums, it was always the Leedy extension butt, until the 1980s. That was the catalog and factory official practice. You will find a few exceptions out there ? I am going to talk about that in an article at some point ? but mostly Leedy with the Artist Zoomatic. Concert and marching Zoomatic drums were different. And, Niles Slingerland actually did start using the plain butt with Zoomatic Artist drums in the 1980s. Thus plain butts and Zoomatics do appear before the HSS period. But that is another story, for another time, also.

Phil ? are you trying to acquire the exact model Slingerland snare drum that Neil Peart used, or do you already have one?

DrCJW[/COLOR]

Hi Dr. CJW, Happy 4th and thanks for replying back to me. I did end up finding the exact Mid 70's Slingerland 3-ply #153 Artist model snare that Neil did use for most of his career with Rush. I found it on E-bay in 2004 from someone who owned a recording studio in New York City. My Artist is a 5.5x14 3-Ply Mahogany/Poplar/Maple Shell with Maple Reinforcing Rings with 8 Sound King Lugs, Zoomatic Strainer,Tone Control and has the Black and Silver Niles, Ill USA football shaped Badge. The serial number on this Badge is 144779 and the finish is the Chrome plated Steel Wrap over Wood-AKA-COW-Chrome over Wood. The only difference is Neil's 3-ply Artist was the Copper Cladding finish-Copper plated Steel Wrap over Wood-AKA-Copper over Wood and a previous owner had filed deeper snare beds on the bottom bearing edge of the shell for a more sensitive crisper snare response. The one I am also looking for is the one he used on the back satellite Simmons electronic set-up which was a 5x14 8 Lug with a Zoomatic Strainer which was also the same 3-ply Shell with Reinforcing Rings. Maybe the one I am searching for is from the late 70's-very early 80's. Maybe the photo of the Artist snare with the Red Aztec Wrap finish is the one I have been looking for? Not so sure just yet. I will have to keep looking. Any additional info would be great. Thanks again so much! Phil Cormier Fitchburg, Mass 01420