1959 Slingerland Radio King

Rebound Drum Works sourced this one owner 1959 Slingerland Radio King (Chicago Badge). The kit came to us in outstanding shape for a 67 year old set. The wrap is all original and has no lift. Approximately 2 months was spent restoring this Radio King to excellent shape.

13” Rack Tom with original Consolette

14” x 5” Radio King Chicago Badge Snare dated Jan 10, 1959. Clamshell throw off and butt plate have been rebuilt and are working perfectly with new Pure Sound snare wires.

22” x 14” Radio King Chicago Badge Bass Drum dated Jan 10, 1959. Internal dampner cannot be verified as original, it is possible it was added after production, looks to be a Gretsch.

15” Slingerland Niles Badge marching drum converted to Floor Tom, this drum still retains its Zoomatic throw off and butt plate. Ludwig Leg mounts were added by the prior owner.

Some of the tasks performed during the restoration follow in the pictures and details below:

All hardware was removed and ultrasonically cleaned.
Each reinforcement ring was carefully reglued and clamped, the reinforcement rings were not removed from the shells, where glue was needed a fine needle and syringe was used to inject wood glue prior to clamping those areas.
Light sanding of the bearing edge was completed to minimize any high spots, no bearing edge recutting was undertaken at this time.
All internal Lug springs were wrapped or rewrapped in new felt to minimize any potential unwanted noise from the springs.
All internal dampening was removed and rebuilt as needed including the bass drum internal dual front and back dampeners (Gretsch).
Bass Drum Hoops were sanded and repainted all while keeping the wrap in place.
All wraps received a 3 stage polish and wax using a random orbital polisher. Most minor scratches have been removed, there are no cracks on any of the wraps and just some minor pitting on the most exposed surfaces of the bass drum is present.
All Bass Drum T-Rods have been straightened, some are in the process of being replaced.
Prior to installing all heads Drum Dial Bearing Edge Conditioner was applied to all bearing edges.
The Bass Drum retains its original Slingerland calf skin heads on both reso and batter sides. There are no holes in either head.
All drums have Remo Coated Ambassador heads tuned with Reso Heads slightly higher.