Buddy Rich Slingerland Drums-The Two Versions 1968 & 1976
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
- For the first time I (Ken Loomer) set up both Buddy Rich Slingerland 80N drumset versions to show case these important drums which are a big part of drum history. Buddy rejoined Slingerland drums back in January 1968 and stayed with them for a little over ten years until April of 1978. Slingerland which made these drums at the new Niles Illinois USA drum factory was the largest manufacturer of drums in the world at that time. Slingerland made two version of these drums during this ten year period. Slingerland were making great drums during this time and the sound of these drums were just incredible. The first version made in 1968 had the 3 ply shells with the solid rock maple reenforcing hoops. Also the counter hoops were made of chrome covered solid brass. This set came with the Buddy Rich 8 lug Artist model snare with the zoomatic snare strainer. I even had the 6 inch chrome cowbell that this set came with. The Buddy Rich cymbal stands with the black and golds stickers on them had the smaller base when it first came out. As you can see in the video,my drums and stands are in mint condition.This set which I bought in 1971 is the same as in the Slaingerland catalog in 1968. The 2nd version (Made from 1976 to 78) of the Buddy Rich 80N Slingerland drum set which I got in 1977 has the 5 ply maple shell. The cymbal stands now has the wider base to it with the red and silver sticker on them. The new 5 ply snare drum is now the TDR Buddy Rich model with ten lugs and the new TDR snare strainer. The hoop on this snare is the straight edge. The drum sizes for both sets in the famous Marine Pearl finish were two 16x16 inch floor toms, 9x13 inch small tom,5.5x14 inch snare drum, 14x24 inch bass drum. My 2nd version BR kit had the 14x26 inch bass drum. Hardware had two Buddy Rich cymbal stands, rocket snare stand,dynamo hi-hat stand, tempo king bass pedal,two L cymbal arms,set-o-matic tom arm,drum throne,and 6 inch chrome cowbell for the version one set. Like I said these were a big part of drum history and Slingerland drums at that time made some great drums.Very sad that these drums are no longer made and the Gibson company which still owns the rights to the Slingerland name,decided not to make any more Slingerland drums at this time. So if you ever find one of these classic Buddy Rich Slingerland drums, buy it since they will never be made again. If you want to hear these drums,go to any of my Ken Loomer Big Band video`s to see me play these classic drums. I will also be posting some new video`s of me playing on these drums up close. Some of the biggest names in drum history played Slingerland drums like Gene Krupa,Louie Bellson,Neil Peart,Buddy Rich,Jake Hanna, Danny Seraphine,Peter Erskine,Barrett Deems,Bobby Rosengarden,Butch Miles,Donnie Osborne,and the list goes on and on over the years. Every drummer should own at least one vintage classic drums made by Slingerland,Gretsch,Ludwig or Rogers. Like I said,these drums were a big part of drum history and I`m so glad I took great care of these classic drums. For my bio,go to kenloomer.com. If you have any questions about these drums, just let me know. Ken Loomer
Two rare and pristine treasures. I have always had a love for the Slingerland drum sets. They are in amazing condition. I remember when the second run came out. I salute you!
Slingerland drums were a big part of drum history. I`m so glad I took great care of these classic Slingerland drums. They are still the best sounding drums I own. The best part is that I still play them all the time with my Big Band. Never thought when I bought these drums in the 70`s I would have my own Big Band.But if you work hard enough,dreams will come true. You can check out my Big Band video`s and hear these drums in concert. Thanks so much for your comment Mike.
Hi Mike i have one of Buddys Slingerland kits which he gave to me in 1974, The rouched seat on the drum throne was very rare and he gave me that also .
I was 15 years of age , nearly 16 and he said it was my birthday present ....i have contacted the Smithsonian about them having it when i eventually pass away and they have registered an interest in it .
He also gave me 3 cymbals throught my friendship with him , and sticks he had used..... and boxes of ones he hadnt .
My time with him was so special and the pictures i have of us together are amazing .
That is a great story John Lewis about Buddy Rich giving you one of his Slingerland drums. Many stories of Buddy giving his drums away to special people like yourself. Wonderful you got to know Buddy and spend time with him.Like Mel Torme said."Buddy was One Of A Kind". I got to know Buddy a little myself and of course saw him 100`s of time. I did my special tribute to Buddy for his 100th birthday in this video I did to honor him ruclips.net/video/BTsnnA6nlvk/видео.html Of course my highlight would be when I got a drum lesson from Buddy and he let me play on his Slingerland drums back in 1977. That picture is in the video. I always honor Buddy by playing some of his music with my Ken Loomer Big Band.Buddy was always about the music first and that is what I learned the most from this master drummer and band leader. Slingerland made great drums in the 70`s and I`m happy I use mine all the time with my Big Band. What snare drum did Buddy give you with that Slingerland set John? As you know,he played so many snare drums during his Slingerland years.He said he loved the Slingerland Radio King snare the most and used it for the last 4 years of his amazing career.
Hi Ken , Buddy actually gave me 3 snare drums , one was the Slingerland 4 inch chrome covered wood shell snare drum .
The other was the reknowned Fibes snare drum . I also received a ride cymbal , a pair of hi-hat cymbals and an 18 inch medium thin crash which i loved . ( Buddy also gave me a Ludwig SS snare drum in 79-80 )
I had many meetings with Buddy as a teenager , when he took me through many series of drum exercises ( dont like to call them lessons ) because they were very informal and relaxed .
My time ( 18 years ) spent around God was so precious and filled with anticipation , but also filled with laughter and joy .
What annoys me so much is the people who slag Buddy off , but would never have dared say anything to his face ...unless they wanted to be drip fed for the rest of their lives .
Buddys death hit me hard , so much that i gave up being a pro drummer at 28 and joined the Police force..... i have just retired after 32 years .
I never played drums again after his death , and the kit he gave me which i had never used, apart from the Fibes snare drum .....was put in cotton wool and stored .
As i rose through the rankings i got a bigger property and the the kit was given its own special drum room , i have spoken to the Smithsonian who have voiced an interest in the kit , if and when anything happens to me ....hopefully that wont be for years ive just turned 60 and im fit and healthy .
I have many sets of sticks which he gave me dating from 1968 to just before his death in 87 , they will also be given to the Smithsonian or to deserving people .
My memories are in my head and my heart , the pictures we had together wherever i met him in the world are also nice to look back on ( lunches and coffee meetings too ) .
Gifts we exchanged were special too , and he was like a Father to me throughout my childhood / teenage years . My Mother was my rock and inspiration , but Buddy was a massive influence on me .
Sorry to bleat on Ken .
What a great story about you and Buddy Rich. So wonderful you had that kind of relationship with Buddy and I know he must of loved you as a person John. Like I said,I knew Buddy a little and he was always so kind to me and it was so great to just hang out with him. Buddy loved the young people who came to hear that amazing Big Band of his,and that is what inspired me so much to one day have my own Big Band.No one will ever play like him,but I could at least have the same love of great Big Band music like he did. Well with hard work and not letting anyone tell me having a Big Band is not possible,my dream has come true for me. I have had my Big Band for 18 years and of course honor Buddy by playing some of his great music. So wonderful so many people including me have recorded his concerts and I still get to hear him play from all of these new recordings I get. Amazing you have that Slingerland BR 4x14 chrome over wood snare that Buddy gave you. That is a great snare drum and I bought that snare back in 71 and of course have posted it on RUclips. The Fibes snare Buddy gave you is a rare snare drum. I knew Bob Grauso very well,the man who made that Fibes snare drum for Buddy. He lived in Florida and would come to my Big Band concerts. He came to my house one time and I got to play one of those Buddy Fibes snare drum. Bob Grauso gave me a rare wood version of that snare drum which he signed for me. Bob gave me a lot of pictures of him and Buddy together in Japan. Bob Grauso wrote a book"The Autobiography Of Bob Grauso and The Fibes Drum Company" which he gave me that has some great storied about him and Buddy. Buddy did give me some of his sticks which I have posted on RUclips form my stick collection video.Maybe now that you have retired from the police force,you might want to start drumming again John.You have that special room with Buddy`s Slingerland drums you can play on.I`m 64 now and have no plans to ever retire from playing in my Jazz bands. Thanks so much John for sharing your wonderful stories with the amazing Buddy Rich. Maybe one day we can talk to each other. Enjoy your retirement and have a great New Year!
Absolutely STUNNING and BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you for the incredible time travel.
🤘🏼❤🥁🥁❤🤘🏼
These are still the best drums I have ever owned. I use them all the time with my Big Band. Thanks Tim for your comment.
You're very welcome Ken. And thank YOU for sharing this video. I'm now subscribed to your channel, and I am enjoying all your other videos. OUTSTANDING stuff. 🤘🏼🥁
One other thing to mention. I've read from a few drum magazines that even when Buddy was under contract with other drum makers, they were still slingerland drums with the nameplate changed. He loved slingerland.
The last 5 years of his life he played Slingerland Radio King drums since he said those are the best drums he ever played. He really loved the Slingerland Radio King snare drum.
Ken you are very lucky man having two amazing kits by one of the best drum manufacturers ever!
Slingerland at one point was the largest manufacturer of drums in the world and all made in the USA. Of course today,most drums are now made in China. These Slingerland drums have that classic look that no one is making anymore. The Marine Pearl Slingerland put on these drums were the best and one of a kind.Yes you can buy Marine Pearl now,but the pattern Slingerland used was their own and I have never seen it produced again for other drum companies. Slingerland was a huge part of drum history and I`m so glad people have an interest in seeing these classic drums agin. Thanks for your comment.
these are absolutely beautiful, thank you,
These Slingerland BR drums are some of the best drum sets ever made.Plus that Marine Pearl finish is just amazing to look at. Thanks for your comment.
These are beautiful man, I envy you. I had the pleasure to sit at the actual kit buddy played. It was at the Zildjian factory in Massachusetts. greatest moment of my life.
Buddy Rich gave Armand Zildjian his Slingerland drums and that is the set at the factory.Lennie DiMuzio gave me his book,Tales from The Cymbal Bag and he some some pictures of him playing on those Slingerland drums. Glad you enjoyed this video I made. Thanks for your comment Aiden.
Version 2 seems to have a brighter finish. Beautiful presentation. Thank you ... 🎶👌
Version 2 I bought in 1977 so it`s 6 years younger than Version I which I got in 1971.So a little more fade on version I ,but still that blue tint helps so much from getting that bad yellow on the Marine Pearl . Thanks James for your comment.
I like vintage drums. Yours are fantastic! Can watch this video for hours and hours... Thank you very much!
Slingerland drums were a huge part of drum history. i`m always trying to make video`s showing some of the best drums that Slingerland made. Thanks Karlen for your comment.
Great video Ken. Great job showing all of us the difference between the drum sets. I love the history that you spoke about and I'm looking forward to seeing your videos using these drum sets. You are such an outstanding drummer and when I saw you play I immediately subscribed to your channel. I grew up playing Ludwig drums in the 60s because I thought they were good quality drums. I really do believe that maple drums sound the best. I recently purchased a snare drum by a company called trick drums through Sweetwater music. It's an all metal drum with a white Marine Pearl exterior with a double O7 throw off. If Betty was still alive he would really love this snare drum. His daughter Kathy endorses this snare drum and she signed only 50 of them and I was lucky to get number 34 I will send you a picture of it it sounds fantastic thanks for sharing your drums and knowledge Robert
Slingerland was a huge part of drum history. Just about every name drummer at one time played Slingerland drums. Lets see what DW will do with Slingerland now that they own this brand. Here is my newest video of me playing one of my Slingerland BR 80 N drum sets ruclips.net/video/Pg7xuazShCY/видео.html Wonderful you love the history of these Slingerland 80N drums. I will have to check out that Trick BR snare drum. Very interesting that a metal snare drum has a Marine Pearl cover to it. From what you are telling me it`s a excellent sounding snare drum that Cathy Rich has signed. You should post a video of you playing that rare Trick BR snare Robert. I thank you for your comment and enjoy your new snare drum Robert.
Thank god hardware has come a long way since the late 60's and 70's
A lot of the drum companies are now going back to these type of lighter and smaller hardward. These Slingerland cymbal stands will fold down to only 20 inches high. The reason for this was drummers back in the 60`s use to have one trap case and all of the hardware would fit into one small trapcase. No way you could do this with the massive hardware they have now. Now I like these lighter single brace hardware better now. Never had any problems with these stands for 40 years now. Plus I like the look of these stands also.
+KenLoomer Yeah, funny enough I've seen a lot of the old stuff making a comeback, the flat bases etc. I do like the simplistic look of the old type of hardware. Doesn't come across as very durable to me, although it must be. They seem very delicate. I'm not heavy handed or anything like that, always take good care of my hardware, just get the impression you would have to be extra careful with the old stuff.
As you know Sean, drummers today have their choice of any type of hardware they want to use. Back in 1968,these Slingerland hardware was very heavy duty compared to what the other drum companies wre making at that time. Like I said,I have been using these stands for over 40 years and they still hold up.You must take care of them also.As you can see,my drums and stands still look new. They can last if you take care of them. I have a lot of the new heavy hardware on my Pearl Master drums and Gretsch sets, but I still like these simple stands Slingerland made for these BR model drumsets. They have a great look to them.
You were fortunate to be able to buy both as new. And you took such great care of them. Amazing. My drum teacher taught on a Slingerland set (late 60s), and this was a wonderful return. I drooled over Mr. Cajka's (R.I.P.)set, especially the set-o-matic mount. Best look I've had in the last 45+ years. Thanks! - Jeff
Glad to have drummers like yourself who enjoy looking at these Slingerland drums which were a big part of drum history. Most important to me is that I use these drums all the time with my Big Band. It has the right sound and tone that I`m looking for in a set of drums. Thanks for your comment Jeff.
And you use them to good effect! BOOM! Always wondered why two 16x16 floors and not a 16x16 & 16x18 or 14x14. Well, except to hold Buddy's towel... Are the bearing edges rounded over like the Ludwigs from the same era? Happened to be the brand I started with. That set-o-matic I thought was the best - stronger than Rogers, get away from ratchet fittings. Any issues with their reliability? And the stick-saver hoops...
Gene Krupa was the first to use two floor toms back in the early 30`s. Back then the only size floor tom was the 16x16, so he just tuned them to the sound he wanted on each floor tom. Later Gene would use a huge 18x20 floor tom in the 50`s for his 2nd floor tom. Yes the first Slingerland BR set version had the round bearing edges with the three ply shell. I never had any problems with the single set-o-matic tom holder. Once set,it stayed in place all the time. Of course Slingerland was the only drum company to design their hoops in their own way back in 1955. The stick saver hoops were made of chrome covered brass and they were great for rim shots.
That finish is amazing.
I agree with you John that the Marine Pearl finish that Slingerland made for these drums were great. Back in 1968 Slingerland put in a slight blue tint for their Marine Pearl so it would not yellow like the old White Marine Pearl Slingerland had. As you can see,my Marine Pearl still looks new. Wish someone would make this same style of Marine Pearl like Slingerland did,since I thought it was the best Marine Pearl ever made.If anyone knows if this style of Marine Pearl is being made today,let me know.
@@KenLoomer I think DW makes something similar but I'm not really sure. Those drums look insane. Soo jealous hahaha have fun
@@maziu27 As you might know,DW bought the Slingerland Drum Company from Gibson back in November and might be making this same BR Slingerland drum set again.Of course DW can make the same size drums today,but not the same lugs or the same Marine Pearl like in this video you see. I look forward to what DW will be doing with the new Slingerland Drum Company that they bought. Thanks for your comment.
@@KenLoomer www.thomann.de/intl/dw_finish_ply_white_marine_mm.htm?i11l=en_GB%3AES.GBP%3AEUR&o=6&ref=search_rslt_Buddy%20rich_334100_0_6_844eb438-ad10-402f-8d95-70a4ffc0089a&search=1594850041&smr=b440d90e-1bc4-45d0-bc7f-8ac3600709e6_7 this is the kit I meant. I knew that dw bought slingerland, hope they start making drums again
@@maziu27 Like I said,DW can make the same sizes as the Slingerland BR kit,but the link you showed me is not even close to what Slingerland made. As you should know,the shell in the DW kit is just is not the same as the Slingerland. That is a huge part of the Slingerland sound is the shell.i`m sure the new Slingerland drums DW will make will have the Slingerland shell design.Plus the Marine Pearl on the DW set is not close at all to the Slingerland version.The DW set has a 16x18 floor tom which the Slingerland BR kit never had.The Slingerland set I have in the video is the real deal and they sound amazing.You can check this video of my Big Band to hear one of these Slingerland BR drums in performance ruclips.net/video/kMAybt8yjL0/видео.html Like I always say,these drums are meant to be played and not just to look at them in a drum collection.
I just picked up a mint chrome over wood Slingerland kit 3 ply shells. 12,13,14,16, 20. They sound great and have a great fun vintage vibe to them. Will keep them for as long as I can still play.
That is a great find, getting those chrome over wood Slingerland drums. I know you will enjoy playing them. Slingerland drums is a big part of drum history. Thanks for your comment.
@@KenLoomer Update: I just bought another minty Slingerland kit. Could not pass up a minty vintage kit 24,13,14,18! Big boy sizes! Cheers Ken.(From another Ken here.)
I would have liked to hear the difference between those two snares.
I have posted those video`s Nelson. Here I`m playing the Slingerland Artist 68 BR snare drum ruclips.net/video/bxzEX8Hfi3g/видео.html This video I`m playing on the 76 Slingerland TDR Buddy Rich model snare ruclips.net/video/6cJeL0DXLs4/видео.html Both of these Slingerland snare drum produce a very clear open tone that is very crisp and projects very well.
This is so amazing!! Thank you for sharing👍👍
I love the history behind some of these great drum companies of the past like Slingerland. They made excellent drums and I enjoy sharing my knowledge on these BR Slingerland drums.Thanks for your comment Gary.
KenLoomer I love your videos Ken. Thanks so much for sharing, best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪
WOW. Those are some sweet kits.
I`m so glad I took great care of those Slingerland BR drum sets. Never did I know that one day I would have my own Big Band and play those Slingerland drums at my concerts. You can check this new video of my Big Band using my BR Slingerland drums ruclips.net/video/bdh1P-6LqMc/видео.html I have these drums not to look at them but play them at my concerts. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Very nice!! Thanks for making this vid!
Great to have drummers like yourself who want to learn about the history of these classic Slingerland drums. Thanks Benjamin for your comment.
FANTASTIC Ken!!! Thank you!
I noticed in the catalog you showed the kit in 1976 was $950.00. That's around $4000.00 today in 2017.
Yeah, the USD is worth shit these days.
I absolutely think there is something very special and magical about the sound of these slingerland drums, and they are set apart from all the others. I have corresponded with you before about a solid shell artist model snare that I have, mine is unusual in that it doesn't have the zoomatic strainer but has a 967 three point strainer!! ( without bridges) and has 10 lugs . When I was just a kid I came across that catalogue you show, ( about 35 years ago) but a mere 2 years ago I actually acquired this beautifull snare drum, and also an equally beautifull 40s Krupa model radio king, the sound is just to die for, and I really love the history of these drums. God bless and may you long keep playing this wonderfull big band music Ken.
Since I do own some of the modern sets like the Pearl Master drums and the Gretsch Renown Maple kit,these Slingerlands still have the best sound and tone for me. Just the way they were built made them a classic. As you know Sean from the Slingerland drums you have, it`s the sound that counts and they always project so well also. Since I use these drums all the time with my Big Band, they are being played and I just love the sound of these drums.Plus they have that classic look which so many people have notice when I bring these drums out for my concerts. Thanks Sean for you comment.
I saw Buddy in 76 when I was 12 years old. It was the first time I had seen or knew of Slingerland. I was far enough away that I thought it said Swingland. I could see him from his right about 2/3rds the way back in a 2300 seat arena. I was disappointed that he NEVER used the 2nd floor tom, but kept a towel on it all night. It was an amazing experience for a 12 year old. I went up to the stage after the show to get a closer look. Ah, Slingerland, Hmm, I thought. All I knew was Ludwig.
All these years later, a brass instrument repair customer of mine, Tom Baker, played trumpet with him in 1976 and again on 78. Funny.
Excellent story about the first time you saw Buddy Rich playing his Slingerland drums.I did see Buddy a few times play that 2nd floor tom when he had no towel on it. I first saw Buddy in 1969 and I would never have thought that one day I would have my own Ken Loomer Big Band playing some of his great music today. Of course I use the Slingerland drums you see in this video with my Big Band.Drums are meant to be played on and I love playing these Slingerland drums.Thanks so much for your comment.
Awesome. Thanks for this Ken!
Glad to have people like yourself who enjoying the history of some of these classic Slingerland drumsets. Of course these drums were made in the USA, and have stood the test of time.Hard to belive I have been playing on these drums now for over 40 years now.
Beautiful drums in excellent condition! I had a set built in 1970 which I bought used in 1973 at 13 years old. At the time, boy....did I love that kit. Many years later gave it to my nephew who still has it. Today when thinking about it, identical floor toms was crazy. One would have thought Buddy would have used a 14 - 16 or a 16 - 18. On another note, hardware has certainly evolved for the better since then.
Glad to hear from another drummer who had this 80N Buddy Rich Slingerland drumset. One of the most famous drumsets of all time. Of course Buddy mainly used the 2nd floor tom to hold his towel or other things. But it is very easy to change the pitch of the 2nd floor tom. A few rare times I have seen Buddy play on that 2nd floor tom. The thinking of the hardware Slingerland made was of course to have it be small enough to fit into one trap case. Buddy only had one trapcase and all the hardware would fit into it. The BR cymbal stands would fold down to only 20 inches high. Today the stands are so big and heavy,no way you could do this. I see a lot of the big drum companies today are making the flush base stands like Slingerland made in the 60`s. Light ,but still strong. I always liked the look of these Slingerland stands,plus they did the job and were light to carry.Thanks for your comment Steve.
New drum hardware sucks
Ken, awesome collection. I am also a big Buddy Rich fan. I absolutely LOVED this video - super beautiful classic Slingerland drum kits.
As you know,Slingerland drums were a big part of drum history. At one time Slingerland was the largest manufacturer of drums in the world. The drums they made in the 60`s and 70`s were some of the best ever made. Of course Buddy Rich was the biggest name in drums along with Gene Krupa who used Slingerland drums.These Slingerland drums in my video are over 40 years old and they still look new and sound amazing.I use them all the time with my Ken Loomer Big band. Thanks so much for your comment.
KenLoomer Ken, I always look forward to your videos. You do a great job paying tribute to the great Buddy Rich.
Absolutely gorgeous!!!
During this time period,Slingerland made some of the best drums in history. The Slingerland Buddy Rich model had the best looking Marine Pearl finish ever and of course sounded great.Thanks for your comment Mike.
Most beautiful drums sir!
These Slingerland drums were a part of drum history and I`m very happy to share them with drummers like yourself. It`s getting harder to find complete drumsets like this still in mint concdition. But the good part is I still use these drums with my Big Band and they sound great. Thanks for your comment.
Wow! That white marine pearl is still white! Like it's has never seen the sunlight. Well done!
What Slingerland did starting in 1968 is to put a blue tint in the Marine Pearl.if you look at any Slingerland catalog after 68,the name is never White Marine Pearl,but only Marine Pearl. The blue tint really helped not make the Marine Pearl turn yellow.
Thanx Ken...very informative
So glad to have people like yourself who are interested in the history of Slingerland, a great drum company from the past that made these amazing Buddy Rich drumsets. As you know,these drums haven`t been made in over 35 years,so they are getting rare now. Thanks for your comment.
3-ply shells with COB rims made those drums sing! I see the Slingerland bass pedals, however Buddy played Rogers BD Pedal well into the 70's. The TDR Strainer also was an attempt by Slingerland to stretch the wires across the entire head, ala Fibes Strainer & wires. These were fabulous drums and although I never owned Slingerland, I still hope that one day I will be able to get hold of a vintage kit.
Slingerland in the mid 60`s to 70`s made some of the best drums of all time. The shells they made with the 3 ply maple,poplar,maple with the solid maple re-enforcing rings gave the drums a big open warm sound that projected so well. Buddy Rich from 1960 to the end of his career in 1987 always played the Rogers Swiv-O Matic bass drum pedal. I did see Buddy one time in 1970 play a Slingerland Tempo King pedal, but the Rogers was his favorite bass pedal. I have a Rogers Swiv-O-Matic pedal,but I like the Slingerland Tempo King better for me. Every drummer should have one classic vintage drum set and Slingerland sets are still being sold on e-bay all the time. I`m sure Lou you will find that vintage set one day!
Sweet kits!!! 😎
Best part about having these Slingerland drum sets is I get to use them with my Ken Loomer Big Band all the time.here is a video you can check out ruclips.net/video/kMAybt8yjL0/видео.html Thanks for your comment.
Interesting how the moved the splash mount back on the bass drum in 76. I have a 3 ply 80N kit but the splash mount is same as your 76.
2 Questions: 1a) How do you compare the difference in playing a 26" bass drum vs the 24" bass drum? 1b) Sound difference? 2) How did you tune the second (rear) 16" floor tom to make it sound deeper than the other & first explain how you tuned the first one? Thanks a lot. You are so incredibly lucky (& smart) to own such great drum sets. It was smart of you to get them & keep them in such good shape. I would to get back the drums I owned in the 1970's & 80's and they were not as special as the drum sets you own.
Since I like to tune both the 26 inch bass drum and 24 inch bass drum wide open,the 26 inch has a more booming sound to it. The bounce off the head with the beater on the 26 inch is not as easy as on the 24 inch. So I would say a little more work using the 26 inch when doing a lot of double stroke beats on it. I have video`s of me playing both of these drum sets so you can hear the sound of each bass drum. As far as the tuning of the first 16x16 inch floor tom,I use Remo ambassador smooth white heads for the top and bottom. I tension both heads,the top and bottom the same medium pitch. The second 16x16 floor tom I tension the top head at a medium pitch,then tune the bottom head as low as I can without it being flappy.That way I get a big wide open low tone to this drum. These Slingerland Buddy Rich model drums were very well made and as you can see,have lasted a long time and they still look great.I use both of these drumsets all the time with my Big Band and they have the perfect sound for the music I play.
Always nice to learn about drum history. I have yet to play a Slingerland, they probably made a handful for the Show band era as we call it here in Ireland. I have played a Beatles Ludwig kit in The Cavern Club Liverpool ,that was fun! My fave kit so far to play is an ex Charlie Watts Gretsch 1971 kit, for rock it was great. Of the modern kits I rate the sonor phonic, probably hard to get Stateside.
I`m with you John,I`m always wanting to learn about drum history and the great drums from the past. I`m sure glad I took great care of these Slingerland BR drums and of course I use them all the time with my Ken Loomer Big Band.Drums are meant to be played,and I sure use these drums at the many concerts that I do. I don`t know about the Sonor Phonic drums, so I have to check them out.
KenLoomer Very interesting sonor factory 2011 tour video on RUclips even shows new rosewood Phonic snare shells in demand for Japanese collectors and I didn't even know they still produce that range until I saw the video.Enjoy Ken.
Beautiful Ken. My vote goes to the 60's kit.
I have a rare 65 Slingerland Jazz kit with 18" bass drum and Artist snare in BMP.
It is my favorite kit. I love the snare.
As you know Bob,Slingerland made great drums back in the 60`s and they have a sound which the other drums don`t have. Just the way they were made back then,and of course made in the USA. Now most of the drums are made in China,and not in the USA anymore. Great that you are still playing on your classic Slingerland drums.
Ken,you are a great drummer and a great collector!!! Slingerland the best drums!!!!
Most important to me is that I have used both of these Slingerland drum sets with my Ken Loomer Big Band. It has the perfect sound for the type of music I play.Thanks Fred for your comment.
@@KenLoomer Thank you brother for carry-on the great tradition of the American drum and drummer!!!!
Great video. I saw BR in 1982 and 1985. He was using using heavier cymbals than I expected. He had two 14" New Beat bottom hi hat cymbals. 20" Rock Ride. Two 18" Medium Thin Crashes. 8" Splash and 22" Swish Knocker. In 1985 same set up except splash was a 6". The ride was a 21 Rock Ride brilliant finish.
What's your Zildjian cymbal set up?
Great you got to see Buddy Rich in the 80`s. From the late 70`s,Buddy liked the Rock ride or heavy ride because it would cut much better over the brass with his Big Band. He would even put some tape under the ride cymbal to make it ring less you so you can hear what he was playing very clearly. I use 13 inch Zildjian New Beat Hi-Hat, 20 inch ping or 21 inch Rock ride,thin 18 inch crash on left side,18 inch medium thin on right side,and a 6 inch thin splash.
Greg Patterson I did as well...twice. Dude, we probably saw the same tours . In 85 did you get the black tshirt with the BR in blue?
Thanks so much for the "tour" of these great Slingerland drum sets. :-) Loved every minute of it, and also enjoy very much watching the vids of you and your band; really great stuff!! Ken, I have a question you may be able to answer regarding the Radio Kings that Buddy played in his later years. I recently acquired a similar, early 1950s version of Slingerland's "Krupa Deluxe" Radio King set. As I found out, the toms in those days had no vent holes or badges, and on Buddy's last Radio King set there's a small rectangular brass looking plate tacked to his 9x13 tom. Would you know what that is? If you've never noticed it, you can see it during the last part of Buddy's solo on the RUclips vid "Buddy Rich Drum Solo Live @ Chicago Jazz Festival". By the way, thanks for all you're doing to keep this great music alive.... :-)
The Slingerland Radio King drums that Buddy Rich played for the last five years of his career were found and fixed up by Joe MacSweeney,who owns the Eames drumshell company. He found some old radio king drums and put on the Slingerland Marine Pearl finish that Slingerland was still making. That brass badge has Buddy Rich name on it. Joe MacSweeney gave Buddy a Slingerland 5.5x14 Radio King snare drum and Buddy asked him if he could find the complete drumset for him. He did and worked on them,and the rest is history. Buddy loved playing on those 1940`s Slingerland drums,and of course made them sound great. I saw Buddy play the 1970`s Slingerland drums you see in the video,and also when he was playing the Radio King drums in the 80`s. So glad to have drummers like yourself into the history of these classic drumsets. Thanks for your comment.
Buddy Rich forever 🥇
Hello Ken. Love those Slingerlands! I found some photos of Buddy on 'Trixon' Drums.
Any stories about that? Also, what's with the weird Trixon Bass drum? Almost an Oval Shape, but not quite. Is that a design for 'two' bass drum pedals? (Instead of dragging two bass drums around). Was that the idea behind Trixon? Buddy was of course playing a standard 24 inch bass drum. Not the weird one...
When Buddy was Germany in 1967 he was trying out some Trixon drums.Those are the pictures you saw. Then he played their drums for only 4 months in 67 under the Vox name. Yes the oval shape was for drummers to put two bass drum pedals on the flat rim. You can check out the history on Trixon drums on Google. Then startingi n 1968 Buddy played Slingerland drums for the next 10 years. After that was Ludwig,then his last drum set was the Slingerland Radio King set he used from 83 to 87.
Straight edge hoops, wasn't that tough on sticks with rim shots?!
Very nice, Ken! Thank You! Was a pleasure to experience when Buddy was alive (seen him "live" once).
Difference between Buddy and say Gene Krupa and Cozy Cole, for example, both of them kept a loose snare while Buddy kept a tight snare.
The straight edge hoops,sometines called the "Stick Chooper Hoops" did chew up the sticks. I see Pearl is making this straight edge hoops call the "Fat Tone Hoop". All the Slingerland Radio King drums had the straight edge hoops on them.I like them very much for rim shots and cross sticking. Glad you got to see Buddy Rich in concert. I saw him live many times playing on these Slingerland drums. Yes Buddy liked a tight and very crisp sounding snare drum. He could really make that snare drum sing! Thanks for your comment.
Great video. immaculate condition. I remember drooling over than 1968 slingerland catalog but as a young kid they were out of my price range.
I did the same thing Joe,just looking at that 1969 Slingerland catalog,which really came out in 1968,the year Buddy Rich rejoined Slingerland.I still have that Slingerland catalog and the list price for a Slingerland 80N Buddy Rich set was $675 back in 1968. I worked all summer long in 1970 to buy my Slingerland BR set and that is the set in the video.I just took super care of those drums.I had no idea that one day I would use those Slingerland drums with my own Ken Loomer Big Band. Still the best sounding and looking drums I own today. Hope DW will make these drums again since they bought the Slingerland Drum Company. Thanks Joe for your comment.
@@KenLoomer Very Cool, Ken. I was 12 in 1970 & I too worked all summer in a farmers market to buy my first cheapo kit which cost $300 with "cymbals" ! An older friend had a 5 pc. blue swirl Slingerland kit which I loved to play. They were great & wish I knew he was selling them 30 years later! Seen Buddy a few times 1978-79. He was playing Ludwigs with the big band in small venues- wasn't hard to get a ticket in the first few rows! The Slingerland Catalog I had was brown with Gene Krupa on the cover with a very similar kit...You had a better job & were a lot smarter since you kept & cared for all the vintage gear all these years!
It always feels good when you work hard to get something you really want. Then you want to take great care of what you buy. Wonderful Joe you got to see Buddy Rich live with that amazing Big Band of his.I became a huge fan of Buddy because of his music. Thanks for your comment Joe.
Fun fact: After Buddy Rich left Slingerland in 1978, the kit was still available, but renamed to the fusion kit and changed from 80N to 680T. The kit was featured in the 1979 Catalog and was discontinued a few years later. Here is the link of the catalog featuring that kit: www.drumarchive.com/Slingerland/Slingerland1979.pdf
That is excellent information about the Slingerland BR drum set. I`m hoping DW will make this set when production begins.Thanks Ethan for your comment.
Thank you.
Of course.
Glad you liked my video on the Slingerland BR drum sets. Thanks Les for your comment.
fantastic. best looking drums on the planet, including their intelligent stick saver hoops. would be interesting to hear a side by side comparison between the 3 ply and 5 ply shells.
Since I tune both the 3 ply and 5 ply the same way,it would be hard to say which set is which. Here is video of me playing the 3 ply Slingerland BR set ruclips.net/video/k4AFHr0kq44/видео.html Me playing the 5 ply BR Slingerland set ruclips.net/video/kMAybt8yjL0/видео.html You decide what is the better sound for you. I think they both sound amazing with that full warm open sound that projects so well.
@@KenLoomer so they sound the same side by side?
@@sticksbass Since you are a drummer,you know you can make any two drum sets sound different by the type of heads you use,if you use moon gel or tape on the heads,if you use certain kind of bass drum head,or just use felt strips. I use the same heads and tuning on both of these Slingerland drum sets. So the sound is very close on how I want my drums to sound on both of these sets.
@@KenLoomer yes. I had a stewart set which im thinking was mahogany but unsure and a pearl vision birch set and played the 2 12"s side by side and they sounded exactly the same to me even though the heads were different but I tuned them the same. had to be a little diff since I had a coated ambassador on the stewart and an evans ec2 clear on the pearl. but I remember laughing at how similar they sounded. theres a guy on youtube who makes drums and he was demoing diff qualities and makes of drums side by side and it was interesting.
@@sticksbass Sure you might be able to tell a little different in tone of a drum set because of the wood they use to make their drum shell.But most important is how you tune the drums with the right heads to give it the sound you want out of your drums.Since you are a bass player,you know different makes of bass can sound the same by using the same strings and amp settings to get the same sound. It`s all about the player and how well you play and of course how you want your instrument to sound.
Zildjian has the slingerlands that buddy kept at his house,I have a pic of me sitting behind them...the bd pedal was a rodgers swivomatic that was worn smooth,the patch was a gauze pad...he used that throne as well..............It was awesome touching his drums...not sure which version it is.......wish I could post apic
The Slingerland Buddy Rich 80N drum set at the Zildjian factory is the 1968 version one model. That has the 3 ply shell shell with the solid maple re-enforcing rings. Wonderful John you got to see those drums and have your picture taken with the drums that the great Buddy Rich played on.That is a huge part of drum history those Slingerland drums!
Ken I have seen 16'' Cymbal L bracket supposedly from a BR kit but it's 'fixed' height ?
On page 30 of the 1977 Slingerland catalog, you could buy the Buddy Rich cymbal arms which were fixed height for the splash at 18" high.The ride cymbal arm was 9"high.
Also. Those snare drums look perfect. What did buddy dislike about them? He loved that Fibes...
Most important is the Artist Slingerland model snare and the TDR Slingerland model snare drum sounded great. I use them all the time with my Big Band. Since both model snare drums were made of wood,maple and poplar, it had a warmer sound than the Fibes snare drum made of fiber glass which was much louder in volume. At times Buddy just wanted a louder snare drum,so he would use the Fibes. The last 4 years of his career Buddy liked the Slingerland Radio King snare drum which of course was a solid maple shell. He said it was the best snare drum he ever played.
wow!
It's actually a double tom holder, Ken.
It looks like rod going into the bass drum, with an arm going into each tom.
Not much room for changing positions.
20" bass drum moves, when only playing 4 piece, which I prefer.
I don't use the extra tom.
What you can do Roy is find a Slingerland set-o matic to put on your set if you only use one tom. To me,it`s the best single tom arm Slingerland ever made.
What your thought’s on the 2007 DW Buddy replica kit Ken ?
I was offered one for the same price as 76 80n
To me the 76 - 3 ply has more character.
Not played or heard either yet
DW has 10 ply snare !
76 just 3 ply same as other shells including rerings.
Like you said, the DW BR drum set was only a replica set. Of course I want the real type of drums that Buddy played which was Slingerland during the 1968 to 78 period. The Marine Pearl finish was so much better on the Slingerland than on the DW set. As you can see in this video, the Slingerland BR set looks super!
Ken, I just bought a vintage 1977 Buddy Rich 5.5x14 tdr snare. It is mint. It came with the 20 strand
15 7/8 tdr strainer. I'm trying to buy a new 20 strand strainer for it. I can't find a 20 strand strainer.
Can you give me any anvise as to where I can buy any original parts for my snare. All I can
find are 16 strand snares. I want the original 20 strand snare strainers. Thank you. An admirer
of you and your drums.
I had to replace my snare wires for my BR Slingerland TDR 5.5x14 inch snare.Since you really can`t buy any Slingerland snare wires anymore, I found that Pearl makes the perfect replacement snare wire for this snare. It has 20 strands and of course is 15 7/8 inches long which is the length needed for this TDR Slingerland snare. The part number is Pearl snare wire S-025.
A slice of history, very impressive. The snare touching the tom on the newer of the two kits, possibly leaving a mark, is making me nervous though! When did BR add the swish/pang then, was that much later on?
Just to let you know,I always put a felt strip on the snare hoop so it will not mark up the small tom since I play the snare drum at an angle down. Drummer Mel Lewis told Buddy to use a swish cymbal back in 1979,so that is when Zildjian made the 22 inch swish knocker for him. So Buddy used this swish cymbal from 79 to 87. Thanks for your comment.
I own a 5 piece on kit that I bought in 1976. They are white mother of pearl with a Chrome snare. The Tom's are 12, 13 and 16". They have reinforcement rings and I was told at the time I purchased them the shells were mahogany. Don't know if they're 3 ply or 5 ply assuming 3 ply since your Buddy Rich kit with reinforcement rings are 3 ply. I also have all original hardware. However I no longer play this kit out only for jam sessions at my home. Can you give me any information about this kit.
On should slingerland
I have a 1976 Slingerland catalog and your 1976 Slingerland drums with the 12,13 inch tom,and 16 inch floor tom with the chrome snare drum is called the Rock Outfit 50N kit.It should have a 22 inch bass drum.All Slingerland drums made in 1976 were 3 ply maple,polar,maple with a solid maple reinforcement rings. The Buddy Rich TDR snare drum was the only drum that year in 1976 with the 5 ply shell. Slingerland made excellent drums during this time period and wonderful Richard you still have them.
Interesting comparison! I have a WMP Slingerland set that I bought new in 1982. I suspect the quality was past its prime then (as were many drums in the 80s), but it was a high school graduation present, I didn't know better, and I really wanted Slingerlands because to me that was the drum of Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, and other greats, even if they weren't playing them in that exact moment. (BR was playing Ludwig and LB played Remo PTS for some reason.)
I still love them, they still have that distinctive blue hue, and I can set them up in the BR configuration for big band use. (I have an extra 24" bass drum for when I'm in an LB mood.)
I'd love to hear mine compared in person to similar sets from the 60s and 70s.
In 1982 was the year the great Mel Lewis joined Slingerland drums. Slingerland in 82 was making only the 5 ply shell which was an excellent drum shell. My 1977 Slingerland BR 80N set had the 5 ply shells and they are very well made. So you have excellent Slingerland drums.Things got bad for Slingerland starting in 1986,so they were sold to Gretsch. No longer making drums in the Niles Factory,and the quality went way down. Slingerland put in that blue tint in the Marine pearl to help stop the yellowing of the pearl.As you can see in the video,my Marine Pearl still looks new. Hold on to your Slingerland drums Fred.They are great drums.
Thanks for the info! Seeing earlier Slingerlands with the solid reinforcement ring, then looking at my 5-ply shells, made me worry that I had ended up with an inferior product, though I like the sound. The bass drum is amazing, and the Spitfire snare is very snappy and crisp. Cheers!
do u have the kind of cymbal nuts br used w the little metal seasaw thing on top? i wonder if they can still be bought?
At the 6:06 minute mark you can see a close up of the Zildjian Cymbal snaps. If you want to buy them, Cardinal Percussion makes them now and you can get the cymbal snaps online at Sweetwater Music.
@@KenLoomer ah yes. they make them for a few diff threads so i just have to make sure of the threads i have. that design is the most clever and practical ive seen. i dont see the intelligence in putting felts on top of all the cymbals as most do.
@@sticksbass I agree with you about why drummers put a felt pad on top of the cymbal. Only reason is if you like to tighten the cymbal with the wing nut and choke the sound, then I guess this would be good. I want my cymbals to be free and get that open sound to project out into the room. When your get your cymbal snaps, let me know how you like them.
@@KenLoomer its funny; more likely to crack too.
that drum thone on the left pic looks funky
Slingerland made two kinds of canister drum thrones.The one on the left with Buddy Rich looking down on his drums is the Krupa Throne 24 inches high and 13 inches in diameter. The 2nd one Slingerland made is called the Pac-All Throne which is the same size but the top comes off so the drummer can put accessories inside the throne.I have the Slingerland Pac-All Throne in the video...
Awesome
These are some of the best Slingerland drums ever made. I use them all the time with my Ken Loomer Big Band. Thanks for your comment.
Hello Ken. I found a story on Google where someone bought the 1978 Buddy Rich set that was stored at NBC/Johnny Carson studio. Slingerland sent that set to NBC. So when Buddy went On Air with Johnny, he'd use that set. Someone bought it for 39 Thousand Dollars. Slingerland had a formal note with it giving the details of the set and how they sent it to NBC. How many sets did Buddy Own?
I saw that Slingerland Buddy Rich drum set for sale. Of course I have the real BR set Slingerland made with the right hardware and snare drum.Not a set Buddy played ,but one that I bought that is still in super shape as you can see in the video. Buddy Rich of course could have as many Slingerland drum sets as he wants. They must of sent to him a huge numbers of sets. One of the members of the BR big band,who played trombone, but also a drummer told me this story. He asked Buddy if he could have one of his snare drums.Buddy said just go to the warehouse where I keep all of my drum sets and snare drums,music band stands and music gear in NYC and pick any snare drum you want. So he did.The picture he showed me was the Buddy Rich model Slingerland TDR snare drum from that warehouse he picked.I knew it was Buddy`s snare,since it had no tone control and it had the straight edge hoops on it. I sure would love to have that snare drum.
@@KenLoomer Cool story Ken. Thank you for getting back to me. Love the BR stories!
Anyone know where his drums are that he actually played? Does his daughter Kathy have a set? I'd be interested to know. I saw him over a dozen times and still have his autograph on a "Lennirs on the turnpike" table card where he played quite often.
The last drumset Buddy played on,the Slingerlnd Radio King set from 83 to 87 the Smithsoniam Museum in Washington DC has them. I know Steve Maxwell has a1977 Buddy Rich Slingerland drumset in his drum store in Chicago. I do believe that Cathy Rich has one of her fathers drumset. Excellent you got to see Buddy Rich live at Lennies. Buddy loved working at that club.
Hi Ken. Thank you for sharing this with us all. Being of a certain age, I have started wondering how my family can best dispose of my drum kits when I am gone. It's really a matter of getting the best price when the time comes. With such a special collection as your own, I imagine that it won't be quite a simple as that. Will you be making specific provisions to preserve these when you leave the scene?
As you know" turnitback",you can`t take it with you when you`re gone. Of course I made plans with my family on what to do with everything that I own. But as long as I`m still here,I will enjoy these drums and play them with my Big Band to give people joy in all of my concerts that I do.
Nice video Ken, thanks so much for posting. You certainly have gone the extra mile keeping those in mint condition. Hard to do when gigging. I was working in a music store in '66 while going to Eastman School of Music. I bought the Buddy set in '66 and played them until about five years ago when I downsized to a smaller set for trios and quartet work in small clubs.
Do you have a Fibes snare as well? :) Best and happy drumming.
I take care of these classic drums like people take care of their classic cars. Since these drums are not made anymore, and the last Buddy Rich Slingerland drumset was produced in 1978,I want to make sure these drums get the best care possible. Of course I still use them because they need to be heard,but only on my best Big Band concerts which I have posted many on RUclips. I have other drumsets that I use on my other gigs that I do. Yes I do have a Fibes snare drum. I knew Bob Grauso very well and he was the founder of Fibes drum. He gave me one of his Fibes snare drum and of course signed it for me. He use to come to my concerts and my house and he told me so many great storied about Buddy Rich. Thanks for your comment.
Mr Loomer, how did you take such good care of these drums? I have a set of 3 ply 70s slingerland that I’m restoring and I would like to keep them like new.
That is wonderful Ken(A Great Name For Sure)that you as young drummer has a set of classic Slingerland drums. I`m the type of person who wants to keep his drums in the best shape possible.I always use hard case for all of my drums and hardware when I use these drums at my concerts.Of course I clean them when needed and must keep the drums out of the sun to have that classic finish looking new all the time. Best of luck Ken in restoring your great Slingerland drums.
KenLoomer thank you very much, and I know only good looking people are name ken hahaha. I honestly can’t wait to see how it comes out. And when dw make a reissue of the Radio Kings, that’ll seal the deal.
Absolutely beautiful drum kits!!! Love the 24” bass drum and double 16x16 floor toms. I never understood why he didn’t go 14 and 16”. Double 16” seems a bit odd, however it’s Buddy Rich so I trust he knew what he was doing. I’m not a fan of the Slingerland Tom holder’s. They look very unusual, maybe that’s just me. I personally loved the Ludwig rail Consulet
The two floor toms in the 16x16 size were the only size drum companies made in the 30`s for floor toms. Plus Buddy rarely ever played that 2nd floor tom.Buddy used that same drum set up all during his amazing carrer.He used the 2nd floor tom to hold his towel or drink. Very easy to change the tuning on these two 16x16 inch floor toms. I always loved the Slingerland set-o-matic single tom holder with the clean look to them.It works great for me so well and never a problem for 50 years now using them.Thanks for your comment Matt.
That makes complete sense now that you say that, a 16” floor tom makes an excellent drink and towel table. I recently watched a video on Buddy’s Fibes drum kit and it had Italian Drum company hardware for the splash/ride mounts , floor tom legs and bass drum Spurs with a Ludwig rail system and Walburg&Auge Tom mount, all per Buddy’s specs by that time in his career he knew what he liked and he used that Fibes snare drum for the rest of his career he loved the sound of it so much. The story behind the kit was a waitress at a Casino was given the kit by Buddy for her Son...... how amazing that would have been!!!! Thank you for taking time to answer my comment, be well, and enjoy those amazing looking vintage drums.
@@mattryan6886 Buddy Rich only played that Fibes drumset for only 6 months in 1967. Also for the last 5 years of his career he played the Slingerland Radio King snare drum from 83 to 87 which he said was the best snare he ever played. I`m still enjoying and playing these great Slingerland drums.Thanks Matt for your comment.
You look like you are using the fixed cymbal stands on your 68 Ken . They 9'' &18'' ?
Also it seems the Black and Gold label hard wear came with either black plastic or chrome like you have adjuster knob's ?
The cymbal arms for the 24 inch bass drums are 9" and 18" high. Are you talking about the Slingerland hi-hat stand that has the adjuster knob on each leg? Hard to understand what you are asking me. The chrome metal knob on each hi-hat stand will go up or down. The rubber part of the stand leg has threads inside so you can move it down to cover the spur on the leg. Then with the metal round knob, you just thread it down to hold the rubber part in place.
@@KenLoomer Sorry for confusion - Talking about your Cymbal Floor Stands - Chrome wing nut's but I've also seen narrow base like your stands that have a big black plastic knob's for adjustment. Was it a choice or later in the 70's when the plastic knob was introduced ?
@@Bigsbeee The chrome handle wing nut were replaced only on the 1974 year of production of these Buddy Rich cymbal stands with the plastic knob. Then it went back to all metal.
The Slingerland drums from the 1970s were the best sounding drums ever! I remember seeing one of these kits new in 1977, but the WMP had a distinctive blue hue to it, where as new Rogers's version did not. Your drums have lost much of their blue, but fortunately they haven't yellowed. I have a 1979 version of that same snare, the Louis Bellson model with 12 lugs. It lost most of the blue too, but hasn't yellowed either. Did you cover them, or store them in cases, to keep them from yellowing?
Just the way Slingerland made their shells gave them a special sound which I always love. The reason Slingerland put a blue tint on their Marine Pearl finish from the 70`s was to stop the yellowing of the finish. The old pure white marine pearl finish would yellow with age,but with that blue tint to them,it would stop it a great deal. Yes I would put my drums in cases if I would not play them and that keeps the drums looking almost new. Slingerland drums in the 70`s were some of the best ever made like you said. Thanks for your comment.
Ken which do you prefer , the sound of the 68 with the different Shells & Hoops or the 76's ?
The first version of the Slingerland Buddy Rich model in 1968 had the 3 ply shells with the rock maple reenforcing rings which I thought had the better sound. It had a more open sound and you could tune the drums at a lower pitch if you want. The 2nd version which came out in 1976,but starting in 1977 you could buy these drums with the 5 ply shell which had a sound that was brighter and louder. Since I like a more open sound,the first version I perfer,but nothing wrong with the 2nd version for the brightness and projection of these great drums.
I wish that the Stands & Hardware were still made , it had unique style and had character.
I agree with you James. I use the Buddy Rich Slingerland cymbal stands all the time because they are light and fold down to only 21 inches in length. The massive stands they have now are to big and heavy for all of the one night gigs that I do. The secert to these Slingerland cymbal stands is that they have a low base and never move even when the cymbals are hit hard. Buddy used these stands for ten years and I never saw them moved once when he used them. Like you said, they had character to them. Glad I bought the Zildjian cymbal snaps for these stands. So easy to remove or put a cymbal on these stands. Wish Zildjian would make them again. Thanks for your comment.
I live near in Quincy ( next to Boston ) the old Zildjian Factory was sold and torn down a year & a half ago , now five story Condo place , so sad. but I got two half Bricks from the famous side Door entry where Buddy and all the famous players met the Zildjians.
I wanted to get the Doorway but Zildjian actually took it and its on display at their Factory Museum. , maybe I will visit Zildjian and ask them to make them Snaps again.
To me the older version of their Shells are more substantial with the reinforcement Hoops and are more Musical.
You are a terrific Drummer and I love how you maintain the integrity of your Drum equipment. You are a Professional.
Great story about the Zildjian Factory that was in Quincy Mass. Thanks for sharing this with me. I love hearing about stuff like this. Like I said,the 3ply shell with the rock maple reenforcing rings are great drums. My Slingerland drums are almost 50 years old and they sound better than the new drums I have now. Thanks so much James for your comment.
+James Berlo
Check out the newer "Classic Series" hardware by Tama. Peter Erskine was part of the development team. I have the Tama Classic # HS50S Snare Stand and love it. Holds my 12"-15" snares.
I'll probably get the rest of the Classic Series hardware now as well. The bass drum pedal is very nice. It's vintage style hardware with modern appointments and improvements. DW has their lightweight/vintage hardware as well.
Great video! Does anyone know if the 3-ply version is maple/poplar/maple or mahogany/poplar/mahogany?
The 3 ply shells made during the late 60`s to 70`s were maple,poplar,maple with the solid maple rings.
Thank you very much! I appreciate all of your knowledge and great videos!
Hey Ken, great videos and playing! What do you think about the DW Buddy reissue kits? Thanks!
DW Buddy Rich kits were made for only a year,and the drums with the right tuning will sound good.I know DW put on Slingerland Radio King lugs for these drums and also the straight edge hoops like the Slingerland Radio King drums of the 40`s. It had the BR shield for the bass drum and all the right Buddy sizes for this kit. I did not like the aged Marine Pearl finish it had, or the rail mount for the tom. Most people did not know that Buddy Rich did play a DW kit back in January of 1983. DW made Buddy the drums and he used them for only a month.But Buddy did not like the sound of these drums.When he had his heart attack at the end of January, Joe MacSweeney made him and restored the Slingerland Radio King drums he used for the rest of his career. My best friend in Florida owns the DW set Buddy played, and I have have played this set. He has all the cases with the Buddy Rich name on them and you can see this set by going to Not So Modern Drummer,DW Buddy Rich drums. But of course the drums Buddy real used the most was Slingerland. Thanks for your comment Victor.
Beautiful drum sets Ken, I know different players and collectors prefer the three ply over the 5 ply. Do you notice a difference in sound or quality of the drums?
Both of these Slingerland drums sound excellent with the type of open tuning that I do.The 5 ply shell which is a thick shell, is a bit louder in volume and will project more. The thinner 3 ply shell with the maple rings has a bit more warmer sound.I can tune both of these Slingerland drum sets to almost sound the same. I use both of them with my Ken Loomer Big Band and they sound great for the type of charts that I do.Both very well made and has held up so wonderful after over 40 years of playing them.Thanks Phil for your comment.
@@KenLoomer Thanks for your quick reply Ken. You’re an amazing player and have great drums. It’s interesting what you say about the new drums your have in comparison to your vintage kits. Why not just have all vintage kits? I’m curious about your opinion about the older Slingerland from the 50’s and early 60s when they have the three play mahogany poplar mahogany shells with the maple reinforcement rings. Have you ever played them and what’s your thoughts on them..
I picked up a while a ago a very early 60’s kit in red glass glitter with a 18”bass and 12 and 14” toms and a 5x14 matching wood snare with the rapid strainer and a 5x13 snare with a clamshell strainer. I put the Evans 57 heads which are supposed to look and sound like calf. The drums sound beautiful. Just wondered what your thoughts are on that era drums? Also have you ever played the set up that Buddy had on a vintage Rogers or Ludwig kits? Thanks again for your playing.
@@philipnestor5034 I have played on some early Slingerland drum sets with the mahogany,polar, mahogany shell. With the right drum heads on them it has a very warm tone to them which is great for jazz playing. I never played on a Rogers early drum set,like what Buddy used when he first played Rogers back in 1960. I have played on some early 50`s Ludwig drums and it has the same shells as the early Slingerland drums. Like i said,with the right tuning and heads,those early Ludwig drums do sound excellent.Wonderful you have an early 60`s Slingerland kit with that rare 18 inch bass drum. I`m sure you enjoy playing on those classic drums.
wish i have them:) nice
These Slingerland drums are a big part of drum history. I use both of these drum sets with my Big Band and they have the perfect sound for the music I play.Glad you enjoyed the video Geirfuglen 1.
thanks for posting and playing:)
My 1967 Slingerland Black Diamond Pearl, has a more flimsy looking tom holder than the 68 model.
Do you know if they are ok, because they don't look very strong or secure.
What you have is the rail consolette tom holder which all the drum companies of the 50`s to the 70`s used. I have a 67 Ludwig kit with this type of holder and it works just fine. Over the years the parts will wear out and not be as strong. Steve Maxell of his vinage drum store in Chicago sells new consolette rail tom holders that fit Slingerland drums if you need to replace it. Starting in 68,Slingerland went to the set-omatic tom holder. A few times Buddy Rich wanted the rail mount put in and so a few times I saw him with this type of tom holder with his Slingerland drums in the 70`s. So yours might be worn out.
+KenLoomer
Sorry Ken, my Slingerland is 1968 and has the set- o- matic tom holder.
It's thread is worn, which made it a bit wobbly.
I've put a metal screw ring on it, to hold it in place and it seems to work.
Love the kit. Great sound.
Glad you fixed the problem Roy.Wonderful you have a classic Slingerland 1968 kit.As you might know,I have lots of video`s on RUclips of me playing on my classic 1968 Slingerland jazz kit.
Ken, do you know what Slingerlands Gene Krupa used towards the end of his career, seeing he died in 1973.
An excellent book by Bruce Klauber "Gene Krupa The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend" has a chapter on the 70`s with lots of pictures of Gene`s Slingerland drums. On the few times he played with a Big Band in the 70`s,he used a 24 inch bass drum.Most of the times in the 70`s with his jazz quartet he used a 14x22 bass drum,9x13 tom,and one 16x16 floor tom. Some RUclips video`s of him with Benny Goodman reunion band in 1972 shows him with this set-up.I saw Gene Krupa live in 1971 and 1972 and he was using the 22 inch bass drum. Had a chance to talk to Gene and he was just a super guy. As I`m writting this,my picture of Gene and me is hanging right above me. He was the man who made the Slingerland drum company famous. Of course when Buddy Rich first saw Gene Krupa,he used the same drum set-up like Gene Krupa. Gene Krupa was a true Jazz Legend!
Niles badged Radio King snare ,BEST EVER.
Slingerland made some great drums in the 60`s and 70`s at the Niles factory. I have played on the Radio King snare drums they made and know it is one of the best ever made.
Thanks for sharing Ken,
what are your thoughts on dw now
owning Slingerland?
It`s great that DW who knows how to do things right will be making Slingerland drums again. They own Gretsch and Latin Percussion and both companies are in good hands with DW. I look forward to the new Slingerland Drum Company under the leadership of DW.
Which kit sounds better, Ken and which is better made.
Both of my Slingerland Buddy Rich 80N drum sets sound great and have that big open sound. I`m able to tune both sets the same way so hard to say which set would sound better. I would say the 1977 BR Slingerland set I have with the 5 ply shells will project more since it has the thicker shell. If you like the Slingerland 3 ply shell with the rock maple rings,then you can say it`s better made with that type of drum shell.Other drummers will like the Slingerland 5 ply shell better since it will project better with the thicker shell. Just up to the drummer what kind of drum shell you like better. Slingerland made some of the best drums ever during this time period.
Hi Ken, may I ask how many BR kits you have?
I have 4 Slingerland BR drumsets and have used them all. I have video`s of me with my Big Band and Jazz Quartet using these drumsets. Then I have one Ludwig BR drumset. I have made a video showing those drums up close.
My son and I have a version of these drums.
Wonder ful Kevin you have one of these great Slingerland Buddy Rich 80N model drumset.They are rare now,so hang on to that set.
Is the 5 ply shell a deeper sound?
A thick shell like the 5 ply Slingerland will not produce a deeper sound.Thicker shells will always have a higher pitch than a thinner shell. Like a cymbal,a thicker cymbal will be higher in pitch than a thin cymbal. But the thicker shell will project more than the thiner shell.
@@KenLoomer interesting. I never knew rhat. Thanks Ken.
What year did version one come out in?
The Slingerland BR model version one came out in january 1968. I have used both version Slingerland BR drum sets with my Big Band. Here is version one with my Big Band ruclips.net/video/MM-OXmNhzO0/видео.html
Hey Ken, Great video. Are you still playing out, minus the virus of course? How much would someone expect to pay for a 1968 set in your condition?
Of course right now since all the clubs and performance art centers,school,music festivals are closed,I`m not playing right now because of the virus. But once this is over,of course I will be playing again with my Ken Loomer Big Band and Quartet. Hard to say what the price would be for a like new condition Slingerland Buddy Rich 80N drum set would be with all the original hardware in great condition would be.I have seen on e-bay bad condition BR Slingerland sets going for around 2500 dollars. But I would never sell mine since I use them all the time with my Big Band and they are rare now in my condition.Thanks Donald for your comment.
Thanks for your response.Yea there is a 1969 set on ebay for 10k.Comparing that set to yours, I think the seller feels his set is a rare find.
I saw those drums on e-bay and they look very beat up. Now to find a Slingerland BR drum set in my condition will be hard to find.I`m hoping DW since they bought the Slingerland Drum Company from Gibson,will make a BR model set.
what head do you have on your bass drum and do you have any muffling in it ?
I use the Remo Emperor Smooth White heads for both sides.The only muffling is a 2 inch felt strip on the back head only. This gives me a more open but control sound out of the bass drum. I have used both of these Slingerland BR sets with my Ken Loomer Big Band and have posted lots of RUclips video`s where you can hear the sound of these drums.
thanks Ken
Hi Ken,
Would you happen to know if Buddy was using a 21" Rock Ride during the 1982 Montreal Jazz Festival performance? And if the hi-hats were 14" New Beats? The hats sounded brighter as though they could have been Rock hat as well. BTW, who would currently be the owners of those cymbals if you happen to know? I'd love to know the weight(in grams) of the entire set
he used in that performance.
Buddy did play the 21 inch Rock ride or Heavy A Zildjian ride cymbal on the Montreal Jazz Festival concert in 1982.Easy to tell because of the large bell that you see. He used this ride cymbal because it cuts through all the brass and you can clealy hear every beat he played. Some Big Band drummers today use the K`s and they don`t cut for Big Band. Sounds great to the drummer,but no projection to the people so they don`t hear the beats clearly. The hi-hats are 14 inch New Beats. The only hi-hats Buddy used in the late 60`s to the 80`s. He did use the 13 inch New Beats a lot also. I don`t know who has these cymbals now.
KenLoomer I suppose Lenny DiMuzzio hand selected/suggested Buddy's cymbals in this case as well. Have you ever been to the Zildjian vault Ken? Thanks for you reply BTW!!!
I had a chance to talk to Lennie DiMuzzio and he did pick the Zildjian cymbals for Buddy since he knew the sound and models he liked best.I never got a chance to visit the Zildjian factory and see the famous cymbal vault. I know Buddy gave Armand one of his Slingerland drumsets and it`s on display at the factory along with the cymbals Buddy played.
I would like to talk to Lennie DiMuzzio. Do you know if he is still roaming the surface of the planet at this time Ken?
Lennie DiMuzzio passed away last year. One of the great cymbal guys of all time. So glad I got to talk to this great man. If you want to learn more about Lennie and all the famous drummers he has known, get the book he wrote "Tales From The Cymbal Bag". He did an entire chapter on Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. He sent to me and signed for me this great book that he wrote. Also so many rare and wonderful pictures that he put in this book.
Ken, your math is wrong, BR did not play Slingerland longer then other brands, he
played Ludwig/WFL longer. Starting with Ludwig & Ludwig 1923-35 (12 years), Slingerland 1936-46 (10 years), WFL 1946-59 (14 years), Rogers 1960-66 (6 years), Slingerland 1968-77 (9 years), Ludwig 1977-82 (5 years) and other brands briefly throughout his life (Leedy, Gretsch, Fibes and Vox). In his final years he used a
mis-mash quasi Slingerland set but I won’t include that because I’m very aware of the build of it (what a joke), he should have been embarrassed to play it but at this point he’d burned his bridges with every company. Anyway, add up the Ludwig/WFL years and compare them to the Slingerland years and you’ll see the difference.
The Ludwig Book,written by Paul Schmidt states that the W.F. Ludwig Sr. sold the Ludwig Drum company to C.G.Conn in 1929. But by 1939,he wanted to have his own drum company again,so he started W.F.L drum company.Conn was of course making Ludwig drums since they own the rights to this name until 1955 when they sold it back to W.F.Ludwig Sr. So Buddy was not playing Ludwig drums back in 1946 to 1954 since Conn owned this company,but he was playing W.F.L. drums that W.F.Ludwig Sr. started in 1939. My thinking was Buddy played W.F.L drums from mid 1946 to 1954. Conn wanted to get out of selling the Ludwig brand they had so they sold the name back to W.F.Ludwig Sr. in 1955. Now from 1955 to 1959,Buddy was playing the Ludwig drum name again. It can be a little confusing on this but this is what happened. So under just the Ludwig name only Buddy played 1955 to 1959,and then mid 1978 to 1982. So that`s 10 years under the Ludwig name. He played W.F.L from mid 1946 to 1954 which is 9 years. Ludwig and Ludwig from 1923 to 1935. Slingerland from 1936 to mid 1946. Also Slingerland 1968 to mid 1978. Rogers from 1960 to March of 1967. Then Vox for about 5 months and then Fibes to the end of 1967. Last 5 years of his carreer he played the Slingerland Radio King drums,1983 to 1987. So with just the Slingerland name that is about 25 years. Just the Ludwig name is 10 years plus the Ludwig & Ludwig name is 12 years,so that`s 22 years. Bottom line is he played both Slingerland and Ludwig drums the most during his amazing carreer.
❤
Is it true that even though Buddy was sponsored by Slingerland, that he still used his 1st generation Rogers bass drum pedal?
True
Interesting in the '76 version has the bottom head off the mounted tom.
Are you saying in the 76 version catalog picture the bottom head looks off on the mounted tom? Could be the way the light hits the picture it might appear that way. Just to let you know, it has a bottom head on the 9x13 inch tom.
Okay, good to know.
Cool
i bet you have been asked but... how much would you sell one?
Like I said in the past before I would never sell one of these drumsets since they are not made anymore.Plus I use them all the time with my Ken Loomer Big Band. These drums have the best sound for me and of course since I took great care of these drums,they still look new. Once in awhile one of these Slingerland Buddy Rich drumsets show up on e-bay,so someone may still be able to buy one when they come up.
One correction. Slingerland was not the largest manufacturer of drums; the Ludwig drum company was. I have one Slingerland kit, 5 Ludwig kits, a Rogers kit, two Pearl kits, A Gretsch kit a Sonor kit and a set of pdps so I hope you realize I am not partial to any one company.
So great to have a person like yourself who are into these classic drumsets Steve. Wonderful you have Rogers,Slingerland,Gretsch and Ludwig drums. I have drums from all of these great drum makers. I got my info that at one time Slingerland was the largest manufacturer of drums from the Slingerland Book that Rob Cook wrote. When the Slingerland family sold the company,then Ludwig became the largest makers of drums.Of course the Ludwig family sold the company,but I`m glad Ludwig is still making drums with the Selmer company. I believe Pearl is now the largest manufacturer of drums in the world.
KenLoomer Hey Ken. Yeah I read that info. a number of times and we both know why first Slingerland was the number one company until Ludwig blew them out of the water. Slingerland had Rich and Krupa endorsing them and I'm sure neither Slingerland or Ludwig could look into the future and predict the storm coming called the Beatles. Ludwig sold so many kits once the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show that they had to keep their factories open 24/7 and hire three work shifts. Unbelievable. Then with John Bonham Ludwig really solidified it's place as the number one drum company (in terms of sales).
I had a set of Gretch round badge Champagne sparkle finish drums that were pretty much in mint condition I sold to a friend in high school for 100 bucks to "upgrade". If I had known then what I know now I never would have done it. He stripped the sparkle wrap off and stained them with his own finish because sparkle finishes were out and natural wood was in. I never knew what happened to those drums.
I know another guy from high school I had a drum battle with as part of a talent show who is still playing. That was about 38 years ago but he contacted me about ten years ago. I went over to his house and he had a nice set of vintage Slingerland Radio Kibgs that were bought from someone who worked for the Slingerland company. The set is a Krupa kit. This guy was always a huge Krupa and Rich fan even back when we had our drum duel. He lent me a video when we reconnected a few years ago of him winning first place in a Gene Krupa sound alike contest. I thought maybe you may have crossed paths with him at some point. His name is Steve Taddeo.
Great that you know about the history of Slingerland and Ludwig. Still my two favorite drum makers. Ludwig can now claim the most expensive drumset of all time. Ringo Starr just sold his Ludwig drums he used on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964 for 2.2 million dollars. I have a 1964 Ludwig catalog and that set sold for $460 with hardware with the famous Black Oyster pearl. Those drums must be very beat up by now. I know the Slingerland Radio King Drums Buddy Rich played on his last 5 years of his career is in the Smithsonian Museum. I know a lot of drummers love to own some of these classic drums from the past. I don`t know Steve Taddeo. Thanks so much Steve for your comment.
KenLoomer Wow very interesting info. on the Ringo kit. And yeah he probably didn't have to pay for that kit I'm sure even though $460 would have been quite the investment. I wish I bought 20 of those kits with the black oyster pearl finish. I think they go for close to $5,000 these days.
I recall '71 BR cover; my 1st set of "Rogers"; lessons w/Mr. Stein - "Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer"; mom holding down R' foot in developing coordination; time flies...
You are right about time flying by so fast. Hard to belive I have been playing on these Slingerland drums for over 40 years now.They stood the test of time and still sounding great.
+KenLoomer you/your band truly sound great. Keepin' it alive for sure
+KenLoomer p.s. subperb solo in "Love for Sale"
As long as I have people like yourself who enjoy what I`m trying to do in keeping the sound of a modern Big Band alive today,I will keep on swinging. Thanks so much for your comment speedofite 1.
I always get inspired when I play on these old classic Slingerland drums.Glad you enjoyed what I played.
Awesome condition, did you ever take these on the road?
+Chris Krause , sorry watched more of video and you did advise that you have used these kits with your big bands.
All of my classic drumsets that I have, I always use them on my jobs.I don`t want to have these drums and just look at them. For me,these drums sound better than the new Pearl Master drums that I have and the new Gresch sets that I just bought. Since I like a very open sound,these Slingerland drums project very well and have a very clear tone to them. Plus they look great! I love the history of these great companies of the past,so it`s so great to be able to still play on these drums which are now over 40 years old now,and they still sound great.I have 100`s of video`s of me playing on these drums on RUclips,so just pick one out and check them out.
Internal mufflers?
Like Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, I had Slingerland not to put any mufflers on these drums. I`m into the wide open full tone of each drum.
Totally awesome, Mr. Loomer. Thank you for showing these gems. By the way, have you seen the current day Slingerland Gene Krupa kit marketed by Gibson? I'd be curious to know your opinion of the drums. Thank you again.
Slingerland drums were a big part of drum history. These were some of the best drums ever made. Gibson Slingerland did make a Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich model set in the early 2000`s,but they have stopped making drums now. I did see one of the Krupa sets and they were well made. Even had the same Marine Pearl finish that Slingerland made at the Niles factory with the blue tint to them. Sad to say Slingerland drums are not being made now. Gibson still has the rights to the Slingerland name,but have decided not to make these drums anymore now. So if you ever see one of these classic Slingerland sets, buy it since they are rare now.
So he was with Slingerland, then Rogers, then Slingerland, then Ludwig? I heard he never stopped using the Rogers Swivomatic.
When Buddy Rich was a child star,he was using Ludwig drums.When he started his jazz career,he used Slingerland drums in the 30`s and 40`s. After Slingerland in 1946,he used WFL drums, a new company that William F.Ludwig started since he no longer had the rights to the Ludwig name. In 1960,Buddy played Rogers drums. In 1967,Buddy was with three drum companies.Started 67 on Rogers,then went to Vox drums for about 4 months,and then finished the year playing Fibes drums. Then back to Slingerland for the next 10 years. He used Ludwig drums again for about 4 years,then finished his carreer with Slingerland. Buddy used the Rogers Swiv-o-matic foot pedal starting in 1960,and never stopped using it no matter what drum company he was using to the end of his carrer. I have some pictures showing a few times Buddy playing on the Slingerland Tempo King pedal and the Ludwig Speed King pedal,but he loved the Rogers pedal the most.
I have a patent version of the Swivomatic, wingnut spring tensioner and 32 needle bearings per side. It is a great pedal. They lowered the needle bearings then at the end had no needle bearings and just a brass sleeve.
Bob Dudeface, BR wasn't the only one. Mich Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Neal Peart of Rush and many others used Swivomatic equipment no matter what drums they played.
Scott Elkin I thought Peart used DW 9000 double pedals.
swivomatic tom mounts, many players used them
Lucky You - Value today?
Nothing to do with luck,but it was me working hard all summer long way back in 1970 to buy my first Slingerland Buddy Rich drum set. No way did I ever thought back then that I would have my own Big Band one day and be using those very drums. I`m so glad I took super care of my Slingerland drums and they still look and sound great. The value of these Slingerland BR drums,and as you know they are rare now in this near mint condition could be up in the many thousands of dollars.
no1 for me ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, both world class drums
Since these classic Slingerland drums have not been made since the late 70`s, it`s important to make sure these great drums are still being played and that other drummers know about the history of this great American Drum Company(Slingerland) that so many of the truly great drummers have used in their career. Like you said Irelan,these are true world class drums. Maybe one day ,Slingerland will come back and produce again these great drums.
Why do many americans say the depth before the diameter?
The bassdrum is of course not 14x24, it is 24x14...
You are correct Niels that is should be 24x14. I looked at some of my old Pearl and Tama drum catalogs from the 90`s printed in Japan and even they have the depth first before the diameter. Must be the way drum companies do it and I don`t know why.
To bad Slingerland went out of business . There factory was in Niles Ill . .
The first Slingerland factory was in Chicago,and in 1960 they built a new factory like you said in Niles,Illinois.At that time,Slingerland was the largest drum manufactuer in the world. All American made of course. As you can see in the video,they made great drums. When the Slingerland family sold the drum company,then the new owners like Conn ruin this once great brand. Gibson still owns the Slingerland name ,but at this time they are no longer making drums.
Everybody knows that Zildjian makes great cymbals but lamps? How very strange! Sitting behind the 70's kit there it is sitting on a little table. My first question is, Why? Is there a story behind this piece?
As you know Erik,Zildjian over the many years has made all kinds of merchandise to promote their cymbals. Of course items like hats,t-shirts,mugs,jackets,water bottles,pins,clocks,and lots of other items were sold. I saw on e-bay this Zildjian lamp and also a Zildjian bar stool.I liked it so I bought it. I`m sure people have all kinds of rare Zildjian items that at one time were for sale.