Henry Hannon Slingerland started out in 1923 making and selling guitars, ukuleles, and banjos. He followed up with drums about three years. As an up and coming company, Slingerland lent a sympathetic ear to rising star Gene Krupa's requests for a revolutionary drum kit. The mid 30 kit would have tune able heads on the bottom as well as the batter head of each torn. This signal led the end of the vaudeville kit with console, Chinese toms, and effects, and led directly to the modern four or five piece kit. Krupa's star rocketed from his first appearance with the Benny Goodman orchestra. The band became the major live attraction right across the USA, and Krupa's tom tom assaults on Goodman's 1937 recording of Sing, Sing, Sing led to the drum solo becoming an expected highlight of swing era concerts. Krupa's celebrity rubbed off on many other big band drummers, making household names of Radio King endorsers Buddy Rich, Maurice Purtill, Ray McKinleyand Sid Catlett Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman. Slingerland persisted with single ply Radio King snare drums long after other companies had all moved to multiple ply shells.

Throughout the 70, Slingerland made excellent drums with quality maple shells 3 ply with reinforcing hoops 5 ply without. The Zoomatic snare strainer was an improvement on earlier models, as was the SetOMatic torn holder that could rotate through 180 degrees, thereby adapting to left handed or right handed set ups. There were also concert torn kits and Cut away toms derived from Slingerland's marching band division. Then there was the Spitfire snare drum with 12 double ended lugs, and the Two To One with 12 lugs on top and six below. Both were available with wood or chrome over brass shells, and with combination gut and wire snares. Finally, there were the Artist maple shell and Student aluminium shell snare drums. All this made for an admirable range of choices. As the 80 progressed, Slingerland, like the other American companies, dropped further out of the scene. The company was bought by Gretsch, who presumably had enough problems with its own product. Certainly Gretsch did little for Slingerland. In Britain, where Slingerland had been quite a familiar sight in the 70, the name more or less disappeared.

In 1994, Slingerland was taken over by the Gibson company in Nashville the guitar people, who gave top drum customizer Pat Foley the job of bringing the marque back up to scratch. Foley's drums maintained Slingerland's classic look with familiar lugs and cloud badges in bronze. The top line Studio Kings embodied the Gretsch principles of thin shells without reinforcing hoops, as well as having deep profile heavy zinc die cast rims. The first Gibson Slingerlands had Gretsch rims, but then Slingerland had its own molds made up and shipped out to Taiwan for manufacture. Foley said at the time that there were too many problems with health restrictions, pollution issues, and so on, to manufacture the drums in the USA The maple shells are sourced from Keller 6 ply up to 16 inch diameter and then 8 ply from 18 inch up. Foley claimed that because of the extra thinness, Keller use a special layup, for which Gibson pay a premium. Snares are 10 ply. The sound is also affected by the True Timbre hand finished bearing edges that nod slightly in the direction of the legendary Slingerland Radio Kings by having slightly less sharp bearing edges than those of most modem drums. Gregg Bissonette soon appeared with a beautifully customized Slingerland Studio King kit in Green Maple Frost finish, while Taylor Hawkins, then with Alanis Morrisette, had a red glitter set. Today, Gibson continues to market Slingerland Studio King and Tour Series, including a Gene Krupa set, and even single ply steam bent Radio King snares. Rock legend Carmine Appice heads up a small list of endorsers.


BY Alex Movila who recommends Remo Drum Pads for Slingerland Drums.