Slingerland Drum Company
Musical instruments | |
| Founded | 1913 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA |
|---|---|
| Founder | Henry Heanon Slingerland |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Drum kits, electric & acoustic guitars,
banjos, ukuleles |
| Owner | Drum Workshop |
Slingerland is a United States manufacturer of
History
The "Slingerland Banjo Company" was founded by Henry Heanon (H.H.) Slingerland (1875–1946) in 1912. Slingerland had won a correspondence school of music in a card game aboard one of the gaming boats that once cruised Lake Michigan. He then opened a music school in Chicago, and soon turned to manufacturing
A resourceful and energetic businessman, H.H. established an extensive dealer network throughout the U.S., the then-territory of Hawaii (in the early 1930s) and China. After H.H.'s death from a stroke, the company was run by his wife, Nona, and one of their children, Henry Jr. The company's manufacturing plant was later moved from Chicago proper to Niles, a suburb in Cook County, Illinois.[4]
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Although the Slingerland company was best known as a
The company remained in the Slingerland family until 1970, but continued to be a prominent drum manufacturer throughout the 1970s. After introducing the Magnum series in 1982, Slingerland lost its footing, and the company folded in 1986. Slingerland changed ownership multiple times until it was acquired from
In 1998, Slingerland released a model based on its Gene Krupa signature drum kit.[7]
In 2018, much if not all of the remaining warehouse stock of Slingerland drums, including bare shells, hardware and complete drum sets, were sold as a result of Gibson's bankruptcy[8] auction to a private individual who proceeded to liquidate the remaining stock via eBay.[9] This included drums produced in Nashville and in Taiwan.
On November 25, 2019, it was announced that DW Drums had taken over ownership of the Slingerland brand from Gibson.[1][2]
Products
Radio King
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Slingerland's most famous product line is the Radio King series of drums. These drums were introduced in 1936–37, and remained Slingerland's flagship snare drums and drum sets until 1957, when the Radio King model briefly disappeared from the product line. Between 1960 and 1962, Radio Kings were reintroduced. Older Radio Kings are obsessively collected by vintage drum enthusiasts. Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich were both Radio King endorsers.
The original Radio King snare drum is distinguished by its construction: rather than several plies of mahogany, like most snare drums of the era, a Radio King drum was created from a single piece of steam-bent maple with solid maple reinforcement rings to assist in keeping the drum round under the pressure of the metal hardware attached to it. Single-ply wood drums are known for their resonance and bright tone.[10]
Radio King bass drums and tom-toms were made from mahogany, with maple reinforcement hoops. These drums are known for their "thuddy" sound; very warm, with quick decay.
The popularity of the old Slingerland Radio King snare drum is evidenced by a myriad of professional drummers who still used the snare in 2017, despite endorsing other brands.
Rolling Bomber
A departure from the standard Slingerland product line occurred during World War II when wood was used to manufacture drum parts that had traditionally been made of brass, chrome, nickel, and steel. This was due to the high demand for metals needed for the war effort. These drums were named the "Rolling Bomber" series, and are highly collectible.
Rock and Roll
The
Marching drums
Slingerland marching drums were produced as early as the 1920s. By the 1970s, the Slingerland line of marching equipment had become very popular in marching bands, colleges, and drum corps. During the late 1970s, Slingerland introduced its TDR marching snare drum, with a novel strainer and synthetic-gut snare that produced a distinctive sound. Another late-70s innovation was the Slingerland cutaway multi-tenors that were carried in trio, quad, or quint arrangements. The cutaway design was first used in 1977 by the
Manufacturing
For most of the company's pre-1970s history, Slingerland's manufacturing processes were not standardized in the way that modern large-scale manufacturing companies' are. Exceptions to nearly every strict product
Legacy
Jean-Paul Gaster of the American rock band Clutch uses Slingerland drums, and is described as one of the last drummers to play rock using "vintage weapons," besides Neil Hennessy of the punk rock band the Lawrence Arms.[11]
Jamie Oliver, veteran drummer of English punk rock band UK Subs, frequently appears live with his beloved vintage silver tone Slingerland.
References
- ^ a b Grizzle, Nicolas (2019-11-26). "DW Buys Slingerland Drum Company from Gibson". DRUM! Magazine. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
- ^ a b "DW Announces Acquisition of Slingerland from Gibson". reverb.com. 2019-11-26. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
- ^ ""Gene Krupa - Drum Kit Set-Up"". Archived from the original on 2014-04-20. Retrieved 2014-12-15.
- ^ a b Slingerland History on Cooper Vintage Drums
- ^ "The Slingerland stringed instruments" on Slingerland Guitars.com
- ^ Music Radar Team (2008-02-07). "Slingerland Radio King Red Sparkle Snare review". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
- ^ "The Legends Series Gene Krupa Signature Drum Kit" on DrummerMan.net
- ^ Hood, Phil (2018-05-03). "Slingerland Future Uncertain After Gibson Declares Bankruptcy". DRUM! Magazine. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
- ^ "THe Conway Slingerlands have been Rescued". Drummerworld Forum. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
- ^ Radio King drums on Vintage Drums website
- ^ "DrummerBitch - Neil Hennessy Interview" on LawrenceArms.org Archived 2014-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, 22 Feb 2008
External links
