I have seen alot of MIJ in my time.....never seen any with re-rings so wide/thick/tall. Likely Slingerland like those experts think (Slingers certainly not my expertise).

So I decided to cut the shell down for two main reasons. One, there was a hole in the wood, that even after patching just didn't sit right with me. Two - I noticed the center of the shell was starting to become un rounded. After I cut the shell down and removed the re-ring ( which I've been cutting into pieces to re-round the shell ) I'm gonna say this certainly is a Slingerland and not a MIJ. The build is too good, and the wood was a lot sturdier than it appeared at first glance. I'm between a few things though. Do I cut down the wrap it had, cutting the roached part off and re-use that? Or do I go with a purple sparkle lacquer? I'm going to try and find period lugs,strainer,and butt plate. Worse case I know Gibraltar is making re-pops I can get strainer wise.