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Slingerland Radio King 1938 15x8 - Video + Never seen one before?

15 inch radio king slingerland
Posts: 3 Threads: 1

Hey everyone.

I wanted to share with you a snare i've just come into ownership of.

Of course I've heard of the Radio King before, and i've been searching the internet to get more info on what I have.

There's a year inside the drum - 1938 - and from what i've found a lot of the hardware seems to fit that era, including the cloud badge, the older style snare strainer, and possibly even the style of the lugs.

However, it's a 15 inch snare that's 8 deep, and none of the catalogs I've found say anything about a snare that large - it's rare enough to find a 15 anywhere! It's like an absolute cannon, and as you can hear in the video i've posted, when it's tuned really low it sounds like a real monster.

If anyone's got anything they can shed light on here, it would be most appreciated. Enjoy the video!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AjvExZ8SOQ"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AjvExZ8SOQ[/ame]

Posted on 6 years ago
#1
Posts: 677 Threads: 47

I haven't listened to all your video yet but I will be doing so. Just saying that I'm a very keen radio king snare drum enthusiast, and I adore my 2, - a very special sound indeed. Your drum is awesome and most importantly sounds awesome, and wow I love the large size. Thanks for the post. Sean.

I love the jazz era
Posted on 6 years ago
#2
Posts: 92 Threads: 5

Looks like a Concert King, which is in the 1950 catalog. Nice drum. Those "Super Lugs" were introduced in 1940 on the Super Radio King snare, and by 1950 Slingerland was no longer using the cloud badge, so it's definitely intriguing. The Concert King was not in the 1936-41 catalogs, so maybe it was a special order then, or maybe it was formally introduced sometime between 1941 and 1950. Do you have any close-ups of it?

Posted on 6 years ago
#3
Posts: 3 Threads: 1

I'll have to get it out in the studio on friday, but for now here's what I have.

http://hoppolestudio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-05-08-21.07.11.jpg

http://hoppolestudio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-05-08-21.06.51.jpg

http://hoppolestudio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-05-03-20.57.45.jpg

http://hoppolestudio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-05-03-20.56.29.jpg

http://hoppolestudio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-05-03-20.56.06.jpg

http://hoppolestudio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018-05-08-21.06.40.jpg

Posted on 6 years ago
#4
Posts: 1077 Threads: 3

ATeam is on it, later 40's Concert King. Check out this old thread with posts by Dr CJ Wenk for all the details.

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=3948&highlight=concert+kings

Posted on 6 years ago
#5
Posts: 8 Threads: 2

Those lugs, the original of which were introduced in 1940, are the later reinforced version that came on line in 1948. Is the drum solid maple or multi-ply? The strainer tension knob is later than 1938, maybe post WWII. There's a whole lot of information available on the internet these days (and for a decade or two now). It's fun to do the research!

Posted on 6 years ago
#6
Posts: 3 Threads: 1

Sounds like we have a winner! Like I say, i'm due to be in the presence of this monster tomorrow, so i'll take the heads off it and have a look inside. The guy I bought it from said it was dated 1938, but I suspect it may be difficult handwriting that actually says "1948" at this point, as that would line up with everything else I've found out about it. I'll let you know about that though.

Cheers all!

Posted on 6 years ago
#7
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