Yes, to all of them. They were not considered the best in any one area. Back then they did not have different levels of drums like many manufacturers have today.

That is not to say they did not have seconds or drums that just were not up to certain level of quality.

Ply seperation, rienforcement ring seperation, drill splinters, badges in the wrong spot, butt ends or strainers not straight, the list goes on.

I usually allow for a certain level of "Factory Imperfections" on vintage Slingerlands.

There are Slingerlands that do not have any of the above issues and I have always collected Slingerland, but 60's Slingerlands will not (unless a rare finish or endorser history etc..) bring as much money as Rogers, Gretsch and Camco of the same era etc...

When are we going to get a picture of that set??

David

[COLOR=navy]As a side note, many of the above issues in regards to seperation and or inner ply problems were probably not how they left the factory, but issues with age and how the drums were stored in regards to temperature. Plus the wood and its properties and characteristics over time.[/COLOR]

Thank you David for the reply. Very valuable info. Before unpacking the shells I previously thought the set was made in 1955 but the dates inside the shells show 1963. One date was in June and the other date was in March I believe. The pictures of "after" will be forthcoming but I have not started on the restore yet. I have a long, long, long way to go.

During the heyday of the 60's I think some of the drum companies were pushing so many drums out the door that quality control issues were overlooked to some extent. It seems to me that of the major US makers Slingerland may have been a little more prone to letting something go than some of the other manufacturers. In fairness though I would have to say that the white painted interiors of Ludwigs or grey speckled Rogers may have covered up some of the imperfections on the insides of shells. I don't think very many of these issues really caused much of a problem with the performance of an instrument but some cosmetics do seem to come up on those 60's drums.