[COLOR="Navy"]havard:

Yes your aluminum hoops are original. And your tom lugs are aluminum also. Aluminum hoops and lugs were an option offered by Slingerland during 1955 - 1957. Your drums are circa 1957, the style of lug screws and washers being a giveaway. 1955 - 1956 saw bottle nose (Filister) lug screws with logo washers.

The non-original spur mount install was unfortunate, but such is life with drums this old. Now let's get the identity of the original factory spurs, and see if we can get you back in business. In your picture of the inside of the bass drum, measure the distance from the center of the single hole on the left to the center of the top hole on the right. How close is it to 1 3/8"?

DrCJW[/COLOR]

Hi, Dr. Thanks for your reply.

I have measured the holes center to center and as far as I can see it is more like 1 1/2".

I thought the lugs were nickel and just in need of some cleaning, but you are of course correct, they are aluminum as well. I was planning to add a floor tom to this kit but I guess it is not easy to get a hold of one with aluminum hardware. I actually bought 10 extra "nickel" lugs with the kit, and these are also made of aluminum.

Regards, Havard

[COLOR="Navy"]Well that's close. It would appear that you have a late 1957 12x20 that may have come from the factory with the new top-line shell mounts introduced at that time. These are the classic ones we see throughout Niles Slingerland from the fall of 1957 onward. An extra hole has been drilled for the non-Slingerland mount that was retrofitted, but the original pattern may still be useable. Below are pictures of the spur mount and backing plate left and right pairs that you would need. Left means drummer's left facing out to the audience.

DrCJW[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Navy"]Left side[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Navy"]DrCJW

Right side[/COLOR]

Thanks again. I'll start searching the web and see if I can get a hold of a pair of these. I would really like to get the drum as close to original as possible.

I also have a couple of other questions about this drum:

1. The drum has 2 mounting brackets on top. Are these for cymbal arms? I have not seen these on other Slingerland drums.

2. The extra aluminum lugs I bought did not come with fastening screws. Do you know the size and thread of the screws I need? Here in Norway everything is metric so I have to get a hold of these from the UK or US.

[COLOR="Navy"]havard:

Yes those are shell mounts that Slingerland used around that time, typically on their lower lines. With just a simple single hole clamping, Slingerland used them for both cymbals and bass drum spurs. It is even possible your bass drum may have used them.

The 1957 lug screw had 32 threads per inch, and usually only about 3/8" length of thread.

DrCJW[/COLOR]

Thanks for all your help. Things are slowly coming together. I have got hold of a pair of spur mounts just like the ones you described, and they fits nicely in the factory holes and almost completely covers the extra holes made. I have only one problem, the legs still does not reach down to the floor. They are about 11 inches long. Did they make these in different lengths or is the holes drilled at the wrong place at the shell?

I also have one more question regarding aluminum hardware:

I have found a matching snare with aluminum hardware on eBay. It is 13", 3ply and has a clamshell strainer. The seller calls it a Radio King snare and wants $1075 for it. Did Slingerland make Radio King snares with this configuration and 3ply shell? Also, how rare would you say this snare is? The price seems quit high to me. The drum is eBay Item number: 290120262624

Does anybody else have any thoughts on this?

[COLOR="Navy"]havard:

The location of the spurs for your model bass drum looks alright. You simply need longer spurs. Up until 1964 the spurs for this mount, and the ones contemporary to your drum, were longer at 12? inches, and thinner at 5/16 inch diameter. The later version spurs, which you have at the moment, were shorter at 11 inches and thicker at 3/8 inch, respectively. Originals of the earlier version are a little bit harder to find. But Jim Petty has what you need:

http://www.jp2creations.com/

Click on parts, bass drum spurs and scroll down to the 50's Slingerland version. You might measure to be sure of the length you need, contact Jim and check the length of what he has in stock, to be certain. But he is very helpful, just tell him what you are looking for.

The snare drum you reference is still being sold, and is a 1957 Super Gene Krupa Model #150 in 5? x13. The drum was cataloged as having a solid shell but after 1956 Slingerland made most of them with a 3-ply shell, mahogany interior. It's a relatively rare model, and all the more rare with the aluminum hardware.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Slingerland-13-Radio-King-Snare-Drum-Rare-50s-BDP_W0QQitemZ290131679382QQihZ019QQcategoryZ38095QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Now I generally make a policy of not commenting on the monetary aspects of someone's auction. My feeling is that whatever someone wants to get for their property is their business. And whatever someone is willing to pay for an item and then what that item sells for is what sets the value. Having said that it is undoubtedly obvious to most folks that this drum, a treasure, is priced to sell to a drummer who really wants it as a keeper, and not for someone thinking of turning it around and re-selling it.

Happy hunting!

DrCJW[/COLOR]

Hi Dr, thanks for your reply once again. I will contact Mr. Petty and see if he can help me out with the spurs. I am really tempted by the snare mentioned and have made contact with the seller. It turns out that the drum is missing the original snare wires. Do you know if it is possible to get hold of correct 13" replacement wires? Also, would this generally decrease a drum's collectability/value?