Hi all,
I'm wondering if anyone can describe the difference in sound characteristics between Slingerland 3ply drums vs 5ply.
I am very familiar with the '60s 3ply sound and feel, both mahogany/poplar/mahogany and maple/poplar/mahogany. But I have never played, or heard in person, a 5ply maple/poplar Slingy kit. I have an idea what the sound difference will probably be based on experience, but if anyone can shed some light i would appreciate it.
Thanks!
Not sure if the 1970s kits are 5 ply (?? I should know but I don't offhand) but I have one and absolutely love it. I have a 22/16/13 setup. Bought new batter heads for all and am in love with it. Bigger, open, warm and round. Really superb sound. Consistent, high quality, professional. Put a new Aquarian Force I batter head on the bass (only $23) and wow it's really sweet. And Slingerlands as you know are the best bargain on the vintage market. Sorry for my lack of expertise in description but .. good luck.
the 3 ply shells are a little warmer and rounder sounding, the 5 ply are louder with a little brighter sound also due to the sharper bearing edges from both the 70's era drums having them and the clear interiors.
I believe the three plies had re-rings and the five plies did not. Both were manufactured in the 70's. Vintagemore's assesment of the sound is pretty spot-on. I like my Slingerlands a lot and wish I had more time to play them.
VM2K's response is pretty accurate. I prefer the 3-ply with rings and rounded bearing edges. I purchased a BR kit around the late 70's, all with 5-ply shells. Many of the toms buzzed like crazy. I didn't know much about bearing edges back then, but I finally pinpointed the problem to uneven level of the sharp edges. Slingerland sent their West Coast rep, Phil Hulsey, to my house and he confirmed it was the bearing edges. Slingerland built me an entire new set of shells, but I had to transfer all the hardware! Funny thing, is that right after this debacle, the next catalog showed a worker using a light to check the tolerances of the edges! The bottom line is that anyone with these 5-ply shells would do well to check the level and, if needed, seek a professional to fix the edges!
Mark
VM2K's response is pretty accurate. I prefer the 3-ply with rings and rounded bearing edges. I purchased a BR kit around the late 70's, all with 5-ply shells. Many of the toms buzzed like crazy. I didn't know much about bearing edges back then, but I finally pinpointed the problem to uneven level of the sharp edges. Slingerland sent their West Coast rep, Phil Hulsey, to my house and he confirmed it was the bearing edges. Slingerland built me an entire new set of shells, but I had to transfer all the hardware! Funny thing, is that right after this debacle, the next catalog showed a worker using a light to check the tolerances of the edges! The bottom line is that anyone with these 5-ply shells would do well to check the level and, if needed, seek a professional to fix the edges!Mark
Dang it, Mark...I had the exact same experience! Even though they replaced the shells for me also I was so disappointed that this got by quality control that I sent a letter to Slingerland and got this response back from Larry Linkin, who was President of the company at the time:
I would have to add that I have got nothing but compliments on the sound of these drums, although I find that the sharp bearing edges on the 5-ply shells can make tuning a little tricky...
Dang it, Mark...I had the exact same experience! Even though they replaced the shells for me also I was so disappointed that this got by quality control that I sent a letter to Slingerland and got this response back from Larry Linkin, who was President of the company at the time:I would have to add that I have got nothing but compliments on the sound of these drums, although I find that the sharp bearing edges on the 5-ply shells can make tuning a little tricky...
Oooh, cool letter and all blacked out n' stuff. So "official" looking :)
Dang it, Mark...I had the exact same experience! Even though they replaced the shells for me also I was so disappointed that this got by quality control that I sent a letter to Slingerland and got this response back from Larry Linkin, who was President of the company at the time:I would have to add that I have got nothing but compliments on the sound of these drums, although I find that the sharp bearing edges on the 5-ply shells can make tuning a little tricky...
Hi robbie!
Very interesting! For my problem, I drew up pictures showing the bearing edge issues. Never received a letter, simply because I got the call from Phil Hulsey that he wanted to come over and check out the shells. There's a bit more to my story that I didn't include; when the shells arrived, the bass drum was not drilled properly for the BR configuration. Another shell was ordered and didn't take long to arrive. I was very excited to see that it had been drilled properly and installed all my hardware. Went to install the heads...and they wouldn't go on the shell! The shell was so out-of-round that you could barely jam the heads on! Phil Hulsey had a hard time believing this, so he sent his son to check it out. I handed him the heads and dared him to put them on the shell. He was immediately embarrassed at how out-of-round this shell was and got on the phone to Phil. Another shell arrived within a few weeks...and was perfect!!! As to all my previous shells, Slingerland never requested them back. I honestly don't recall what I ever did with all of them!
Anyway, that's my Slingerland 5-ply story! I love my 1967 and 1971 3-ply kits. Just added a matching 14x14 to my 1967. What a beautiful looking and sounding floor tom!
Mark
Thanks much everyone!
