My Vintage Mid 60's Slingerland Jazz Kit

40 years ? wow. something about that stirs the imagination. i am picturing an epic "raiders of the lost ark" movie scene. SET and ACTION:

early one morning, you innocently hit the rack tom & this LOUD godlike tone comes out without warning...40-year-old dust blasts out of the air vent...the tone WON'T stop (!)...the windows shatter...the tone continues as you frantically cover your ears & start yelling...birds & squirrels are screeching & scattering outside like crazy. that big ass oak tree releases all it's nuts at once. finally this heroic tom tone starts fading & stops singing. dust is still in the air, books are continuing to fall off shelves & one last dish smashes on the kitchen floor. outside, the clouds suddenly part & a single beam of sun shines on the Slingerland kit. coincidence ? i think not. :D

I think Bobda qualifies as a 'top man', so he's allowed to study this kit.
 
Pics, of 99% completed kit. I don't have the BD spurs yet because someone in a warehouse thinks that the word, "Pair" means, "One" They sent me the left spur.
I am using the original spur holders and two of the original floor tom legs as spurs for the time being. I need the extra length of the FT legs because of the BD lifter.1012031039.jpg

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Nice work there fella. How do they sound?
 
Thanks Camco, they sound wonderful! I will put up a Q2HD vid tomorrow.
The modern hardware really works well with the vintage drums. I can't wait to get the thick spurs on the BD so that it is more stable.
They sound exactly like the dw Jazz series kit that I played a few months ago.

I have them tuned tight for a Jazz vibe with these heads;
Coated Ambassador snare batter and Ambassador Hazy snare side.
Coated Ambassador as batter and resonant heads on toms.
Coated PS3 batter and Smooth White Ambassador resonant on BD.
Felt strip to dampen the BD reso.
 
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Wow they sound great, totally the right head choices. That snare is absolutely crackling. The PS3 works exceptionally well on the 18", just enough low end & not to ringy. I'm going to have to re-think the Aquarian Super Kick I've been using on the Camco's. Was your original tom mount a rail consolette with the spade arm or the ball arm type? If the consolette did the holes line up with the DW consolette? Again nice job .
 
Was your original tom mount a rail consolette with the spade arm or the ball arm type? If the consolette did the holes line up with the DW consolette?
Thank you :)
The Rail Mount was a Spade type.
The dw Rail does not cover all of the holes. I plugged the holes with black plastic automotive fasteners. They can be removed at anytime to reinstall the original hardware.
I plugged the holes in the tom in the same way and I made a vent out of a large hole that the previous owner drilled in the center underneath where the diamond shaped mount bracket was.
 

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Thank you :)
The Rail Mount was a Spade type.
The dw Rail does not cover all of the holes. I plugged the holes with black plastic automotive fasteners. They can be removed at anytime to reinstall the original hardware.
I plugged the holes in the tom in the same way and I made a vent out of a large hole that the previous owner drilled in the center underneath where the diamond shaped mount bracket was.

So the DW consolette has 2 open ended tabs (somewhat adjustable for different hole spacings) to mount to the bass drum? Why in the world would he drill a hole dead center in the diamond plate? It makes no sense to me, oh well.
 
So the DW consolette has 2 open ended tabs (somewhat adjustable for different hole spacings) to mount to the bass drum? Why in the world would he drill a hole dead center in the diamond plate? It makes no sense to me, oh well.
Yes, The dw rail is somewhat adjustable because of the slotted bracket feet.
I scratched my head for a long time when I found the 5/8" hole under the tom mount. I can't figure it out either. Perhaps he was going to use a Rogers mount but he changed his mind?
 
Yes, The dw rail is somewhat adjustable because of the slotted bracket feet.
I scratched my head for a long time when I found the 5/8" hole under the tom mount. I can't figure it out either. Perhaps he was going to use a Rogers mount but he changed his mind?

On second thought, maybe factory drilled for the Set-o-matic.

Thanks for the info on the DW consolette.
 

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They sound exactly like the dw Jazz series kit that I played a few months ago.
And I bet they didn't cost the $2635 they want for the DW's.​
Heard your vid ..... and those drums got some killer mojo. Very cool.​
 
On second thought, maybe factory drilled for the Set-o-matic.

Thanks for the info on the DW consolette.
Yea that makes sense, perhaps a Slingerland employee made a mistake and he began drilling for the Set-O-Matic. He then covered up his error knowing that white heads and the mount bracket would cover his mistake. I removed the heads from the tom and I didn't even notice the hole until I removed the mount bracket.
 
And I bet they didn't cost the $2635 they want for the DW's.​
Heard your vid ..... and those drums got some killer mojo. Very cool.​
Yes Harry, and thanks.
I saved a few bucks by doing this. The dw jazz series start at $2600 without a snare and the Rail consolette, BD Lift, cymbal holders, etc. Those options add up quickly.
I priced the dw version of this kit that I put together from a dw dealer for twice what I have into this one.
Of course as we all know you can't buy Mojo.
Mojo is priceless :)
 
When I first got this idea of finding a rare vintage Slingerland kit and adding contemporary hardware to it, I knew that it would rattle a few cages with the purists folks . I guess that the verdict is still out as to weather I improved the kit, or ruined it.
Some will say that it is better this way, and some will say that I should be hung from the nearest tree :)

Here are some pics of me playing my first kit. It was a 60's Slingerland in Blue Satin Flame wrap.
I went back in time to my youth and I enhanced a memory from the past while linking it with the present.
I took the things that I like from, "Now Time", and I mixed them with things from, "Then Time"
I made something that compiles the things that I like in regards to drum gear.
I think that I made a wise choice in doing so.
The kit is great and I really like it.

The child of, "Then", and the old man of, "Today" have come to terms with themselves via this drum kit project. We are now one.

I put this kit together so that I could play it with this band. http://youtu.be/c_agpKgaPmQ
 

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The Gibraltar spurs finally arrived today. Those of you who have been following this thread may recall that only the left spur arrived last week. Super Bummer for me!
I mounted the spurs so that they would be at the perfect height when they were fully extended so that I didn't have to fuss when I set up my kit. Simple custom solution that makes me very happy :)
I also made sure that when they were folded they would be behind the rim of the batter head.
This kit is now perfect for me! And I mean Perfect ! :)
I played it for a few hours tonight after I installed the spurs. I just could't put it down.
 

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The perfect simple kit!.. Enjoy it brother :) ... the simple, so much the better.
 
Bob - pure class - all the way! Just a wonderful set of drums. Congratulations.
 
Love it Bob. Congrats. Everyone should own an old Slingerland kit.

Any chance you could take a current photo in the same location as the old photo? Would be neat to compare.
 
Thanks dmacc, and thanks larryz.
Hmmm, My parents still own the house where the pics were taken. The house looks different now because the siding on the garage that is in the background has been changed.
I suppose that I could go there and set up the kit and have someone take pics.
I don't know if I would get anything out of it though? The original kit is what is important, and not so much the location that It was in.
If I could find the original kit, now that would be cool :)
 
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