According to Dr. CJ Wenk there was no "root beer" finish/wrap.

It is actually faded Sparkling Black Pearl which was available from '69-'82.

Here is the link: http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/drcjw/article_4_finishes15.htm

Slingerland is owned by Gibson Guitar company. I don't think they are still making drums on any large scale basis. They probably do something every so often to keep the trademark in force but beyond that the brand seems to be dead.

When Slingerland went under the brand was bought by Fred Gretsch. He did a few things with it but eventually sold the brand to Gibson. Gibson started out well with the brand, building perhaps the most well made drums ever to carry the brand in Nashville for a few years in the mid 1990s. Unfortunately they were also extremely expensive and not distributed all that well. Eventually they moved production to Conway, Arkansas and those drums were a bit less well made (although still very nice) yet still very expensive. They also sold a line of imported Slingerlands through a website called Music-Yo. These were cheap stencil type drums, although they did make some neat snare drums that were pretty cool (copper shelled Music-Yo Slingerlands seem to have a following today).

Not 100% sure on the Tre' Cool sets but I think he was using imported Music-Yo made "Slingerlands" that he would light on fire at the end of every show. I believe that was what the Spitfire kits were.

The posting issue has finally been fixed!!

+1 with the info posted by K.O. The "Tre' Cool" kit was from the cheap Spitfire line, made in Taiwan. They were inexpensive drums, which is why Tre had no issues with setting them on fire!

As to the Root Beer Sparkle vs Black Sparkle controversy, I've heard compelling evidence that "Root Beer" did exist, even though Slingerland expert Dr. CJ Wenk insists it is faded Black Sparkle. Here's a nice video from Steve Maxwell for the sale of a Slingerland kit in factory "Root Beer" sparkle. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxAvS1gaEnw"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxAvS1gaEnw[/ame] However, Steve is mistaken about his comment on Black Sparkle. Slingerland did offer a Sparkling Black Pearl wrap that used crushed glass. Also, if you do an internet search for Slingerland Root Beer sparkle, you'll find more articles showing this finish. I'm really on the fence about Root Beer sparkle being a faded Black sparkle!

-Mark

If you spill bleach on black clothes you get a redish brown spot, so it`s possible that black will fade to a rootbeer color.

It shouldn't be too difficult to prove the existence of "root beer sparkle". Removing some lugs should expose the original non faded wrap. Maxwell could have done it and really shed some light on this topic. In addition to his mistaken comment about Black Sparkle his comment that the kit is "early" 70's and all original is incorrect. If the kit is "early" 70's it is not all original (mid 70's and up for chrome inlay BD hoops).

slingerfan! You're right on all counts! Yes, I also questioned about that kit being an early 70's, which it is not! I had a 1975 BR 80N kit, in original red sparkle, that came with chrome inlay strips. I did change them to matching red sparkle. So, we can guestimate that around 1975 is when the chrome strips were used.

As to the Root Beer controversy, yes, removing a lug would certainly have been the way to prove this. Still, that kit just looks too evenly shaded on all drums to be faded black sparkle.

Here's a link to a set from Reverb. Based on the aluminum Setomatic mounts and muffler knobs, this kit is probably a 1968. Again, the finish just doesn't look like it faded from black sparkle... https://reverb.com/item/2639422-slingerland-black-root-beer-sparkle-drum-kit-early-1970s-22-13-16

We sometimes take the position that anything that Dr. CJ says must be true. Still, there is evidence that root beer was uncatalogued. Also, let's not forget how many shades of blue sparkle there are! Made it really difficult to add more drums later on, due to color variances!

Still, I'd love to find one of these drums and remove some lugs!

-Mark

We're on the same page Mark. Mid year '74 and up for the chrome BD inlays per Dr. Wenk.

There is definitely compelling evidence for the existence of a root beer sparkle. I have even entertained a notion that perhaps some black sparkle wrap faded/changed coloring before it was even installed.

As to the Reverb set, the floor tom is definitely early 70 as it has the silver/black transition badge. The aluminum set-o-matic was used into early 70 so '68, '69 or early '70 for the rest of the kit. The coloring is very uniform, even the underside of the BD! It is interesting that in the title and at the bottom of the listing under "model" the seller states 'Black "Root Beer" Sparkle Drum Kit'.

You are correct, I tend to put a high level of trust in Dr CJ's work because it stands up to scrutiny. I have yet to uncover any major errors in his statements. By his own admission he is not infallible, perhaps the root beer sparkle will prove to be an error on his part. That would leave him at 99% correct.

Here's my version of "Root Beer" Pearl...this is a very strange 1930s-40s Slingerland RK.

Mike Curotto

Beautifully strange. 30's like wrap and 40's hardware.