2025 Slingerland Drum Company Debut

Slingerland is an esteemed U.S manufacturer of drums. The company was founded in 1912 and enjoyed several decades of prominence in the industry before the 1980s. After ceasing operation in the early 1980s, Slingerland was acquired by Gibson, who briefly revived it and owned it until November 2019, before selling Slingerland to DW Drums, who announced the intention of re-launching the brand. Slingerland is strongly associated with jazz drummers, such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, who played signature instruments made by the company. Although primarily known for its drums, in the 1930s Slingerland also produced electric and acoustic guitars, violins, mandolins, banjos and ukuleles.

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 musical instruments as well. As its name indicated, the company started out producing banjos while importing ukuleles from Germany but set up its own production because it could not meet demand. Soon, they produced their own musical instruments and eventually, also guitars (including electric guitars from 1936 or earlier). Production of snare drums was started in 1926 in answer to the entry of the Ludwig & Ludwig drum company into the banjo market.
  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.
  Louie Bellson playing his Slingerland kit in 1980
• 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 Gretsch (part of the Gibson Guitar Corporation by then) in 1994. Gibson revived the brand, but had limited success, due to premium pricing and poor economic conditions. 
  In 1998, Slingerland released a model based on its Gene Krupa signature drum kit.
• 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 auction to a private individual who proceeded to liquidate the remaining stock via eBay. 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! 

RadioKing Model

• 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. 
• RadioKing 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 myriad professional drummers who still used the snare in 2017, despite endorsing other brands. 
  

We here at Bentley's Drum Shop are very excited to announce that we are one of the few exclusive dealers for the Slingerland Drum Company and have some incredible drums available to purchase below!