Ultimate Slingerland solid maple snare, Part 2 of 2
By Darin Soll
This is part two of a two-part story about a legendary drum, the Slingerland solid (1-ply) maple snare.
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TDR throw and butt plate cover original Super clamshell strainer holes |
As I mentioned in part one of this post, I had already purchased Slingerland's 1970's-vintage TDR throw and butt plate for installation on this drum. Originally, I planned to fabricate adapter plates using a sheet of carbon fiber, but after test-fitting the TDR parts to this shell, I realized that I could use the top hole drilled for the original clamshell strainer and drill one small hole on each side of the shell for the lower TDR mounting bolts. Because the TDR gates already protrude over an inch from each side of the shell, I decided to go ahead and drill the two extra holes. I know a number of Slingerland faithful out there will question that decision!
Fortunately, both the TDR throw and butt plate mounted and aligned perfectly, with the surface notched into the lower bar of each gate lining up perfectly with the snare beds. This matches the TDR system alignment on my 1979 Slingerland COB snare, so fingers crossed that I got it right. I had to use smaller washers with the lower mounting bolts on each side because they are close to the reinforcement ring. Bonus: The TDR strainer nicely covers all of the holes drilled for the original Super clamshell strainer.
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TDR installation required one new hole and smaller washer on each side-- note shell interior is unfinished |
Next up: Heads. I planned to use a set of new Evans G1 coated and Snare Side 300 clear heads that I already had, but this is where I encountered my first snag. These modern heads did not easily drop onto the shell--the metal collars of the heads were extremely snug against the shell, actually scratching the wrap as I tried to press them downward.
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Remo Classic Fit snare head fits vintage shell perfectly |
Do Remo's Classic Fit heads resolve the problem of oversized vintage drums? In my case, yes. They dropped right onto my late-1950's Slingerland shell. The metal collars on the Classic Fit heads are thinner, which provides the extra clearance needed around a vintage shell while still fitting standard hoops. And speaking of hoops, the reproduction Slingerland-style stick saver hoops I purchased for this drum have a more rigid, solid feel than standard 2.3mm triple-flange hoops. I hear that rigidity in rimshots on these hoops.
Pearl's 15-inch S-025 snare wires fit TDR's extended snare setup |
Tune-bot tuning: I tuned the drum up to 3g (196Hz) using Tune-bot. To achieve this, I first tuned each snare lug to 400Hz and then each batter lug to 301Hz. I love how Slingerland maple snares bark at 3g. I also found that this 8-lug drum was easier to dial in from a tuning standpoint than the 6-lug 1964 3-ply Student model I owned a number of years ago. I added this tuning scheme to the snare section of Tuning drums with Tune-bot.
Finished 1950s Slingerland solid maple snare sounds as good as it looks! |
The finished drum is a beauty and it sounds even better! This late 1950s Slingerland model No.153 solid maple snare is ready for the next phase of its life as a player's drum.
Who says you have to slow down after 60?
--Darin
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