Wisely, Slingerland made the sound king lugs to use the same mounting holes as the previous streamline lugs.The Streamline lugs were prone to cracking sometimes, so it's possilbe the lugs were replaced without holes being drilled.BTW, I have 6 lugs on ebay now...http://cgi.ebay.com/Slingerland-Radio-King-Snare-drum-lugs_W0QQitemZ140355056589QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item20add033cdAlso...it's hard to tell from the photos, but it looks like the drum has the earlier stick chopper hoops, which would be consistant with the badge...However the 3 pt is a '60s or later version...There's a lot going on...
Yes, there definitely is a lot going on, which is why my friend has had a hard time getting a positive ID.
A few of the things that are going on which aren't shown, or aren't obvious, in the photos:
I'm certain the hoops are not original. They're stick choppers, but they appear to be chrome and are close to mint. There's is no engraving of "Radio King" or anything else on the side, so I guess they're some sort of replacement stick choppers.
The shell and wrap are in great condition, no non-original holes or damage, and surprisingly heavy. The wood shell seems quite a bit thicker and heavier than say, a Ludwig Pioneer or Jazz Festival.
In my photos the badge looks kind of like it has copper or brass raised letters on a painted black background, but that's a trick of the lighting - the badge has no ink or paint on it at all, like this 1951 badge:
[IMG]http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/images/badges/slingerland/slingerland_gold_oval_large50.jpg[/IMG]
or this 1955-59 badge:
[IMG]http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/images/badges/slingerland/slingerland_brass_oval_badge_large.jpg[/IMG]
And now that I look at these two badge side by side, I'm thinking my friend's drum has the '55 - '59 style badge since it matches the raised lettering on it, versus the stamped-in lettering on the earlier badge.
Something odd about the badge, too - it doesn't have much curve to it, and seems almost flat, so it doesn't fit completely flush to the curve of the shell. And it's a little loose - you can rotate it a few degrees in either direction. I'd be tempted to say it might be a replacement, but the grommet looks normal on the back side, as far as I could tell in the not-so-good lighting where I saw the drum. Replaced badge grommets sometimes look a little funky and torn up on the back side (inside the drum, that is), but this one seemed OK.
Has anyone ever seen this 'flat badge' syndrome on a genuine Radio King?
And finally, there's the issue of the apparently replaced snare butt end I mentioned earlier. It's a perfect fit and is obviously the "right" part since it matches the design of the strainer and the mounting two holes it does have line up perfectly with the existing holes in the shell. But it can't be original to this drum, so it's got to be either a repro part of off of another drum.
I'm certainly not trying to dispute the legitimacy of my friend's drum - he knows it's not original - I'm just trying to help him find out exactly what he really has. Other than a very cool looking and awesome sounding drum, that is. :)
Thanks to all for their input.
Scott
