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Found a set of Radio Kings in a 2nd hand store Last viewed: 1 hour ago

Posts: 85 Threads: 10

I know it's my first post, After digging around in here for most the evening it seems like the best place to throw this out and keep coming back for advice if I pull the trigger on these drums.

I met this guy today who has a Slingerland Radio King kit, rescued it from a building falling over. I only saw the floor tom and a rack tom, it looked like a 13' and 16". He said the snare is as big and deep as the tom. The floor tom hardware was in poor shape but the shell looked to be in good shape there was some covering de-lamination and the bearing edge looked a little rough with a crack in the maple ring. All the lower lugs were blown out and missing the middles but the all the mountng holes looked fine. I noticed some of the intact the lugs looked like they had tiny hairline fractures.

The hardware was fairly pitted on both drums, the mounting plates were pretty rusty, the hoops had the radio king logo engraved on them, and had light pitting it still had calfskin heads on the top and bottom of the rack tom that looked to be in good shape, the cover was a greenish pearl.

He also had a ton of hardware tambourines, cowbells a couple nicer made in england cymbals forgot the name.

I know I can clean them up and have the skills to fix any delams. but I'm wondering if the pitted hardware and replacing the lugs would break the bank on a project like this. I don't think it would need recovered or would I want to even if it's a littly rough.

I've been playing a cheap drumset for years, until a friend left his Gretsch kit in my care until he gets settled down somewhere he can play. Now I have the bug to get a good sounding kit and am always leaning toward a fixer upper, but it has to play and sound better than my PDP kit.

He's asking 600.00 for the whole lot and will want more if he has to clean it up and put i on the floor of his shop.

Thanks all

Posted on 13 years ago
#1
Posts: 85 Threads: 10

I'm thinking late 30 or 40s Maybe Hollywood superlugs. I don't really know, i only had ancouple hrs to research them. They have cloud badges, no paint on them, just brass. I think the lugs are beavertail? The rims are engraved. I haven't seen the snare, I guess it's as Deep as the tom I'm going back again today to look at them all.

Posted on 13 years ago
#2
Posts: 2212 Threads: 95

The snare would probably be the most desireable item of the lot. If it is in good shape you could sell the other stuff, dare I say part it out, and keep the snare. $600 for me would be high, I would come in a lot lower.

Good Luck

Posted on 13 years ago
#3
Posts: 1247 Threads: 204

Hey SuperChief, sounds like a winner if the condition is fairly decent and that maybe a few hundred dollars and some elbow grease couldn't cure. Pics would help tell the pros here really what's up with it. I have a somewhat cannibalized BDP kit that looks greenish from fade.

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Posted on 13 years ago
#4
Posts: 85 Threads: 10

Thanks Oly, I think thats the same wrap. I never really like the ringo oyster type coverings but it's starting to grow on me.

How does your kit sound? because I don't really want a garage queen, I want something that is fun to play because it sounds cool. That being said can the pitting in the rims be restored without messing up the engraving?

Posted on 13 years ago
#5
Posts: 1247 Threads: 204

I think they sound amazing but that would be best judged in the ear of the beholder. Eye Ball I've received tips on cleaning in this forum and one was to try rubbing compound on the rims and alot of elbow grease. You're not gonna scrub out the engraving but be careful if possible not to chip off the chrome in any flaked areas if present.

Posted on 13 years ago
#6
Posts: 85 Threads: 10

Didn't have the scratch to buy them today but made the trip and inspected them again a put a deposit down.

Does the solid snare have an inner laminate of some wood? There is some peeling/delaminating inside? but the covering is intact and looks good minus a small burn hole. The bass drum looks intact, minus a broken lug, maybe a cracked one or two, the floor tom is in bad shape, the cover is starting to lift, all the bottom lugs are trashed and the drum or hoop is a tad out of round, I may have to rework a bearing edge too. I think it will survive though. I figure if I pay too much I'll at least have something to clean up try and tune up and play, and see if I can get it to sound at least as good as the PDP Kit I'm playing.

[IMG]http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u216/46chief/Oldscool%20Slingerland/IMG_0209.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u216/46chief/Oldscool%20Slingerland/IMG_0211.jpg[/IMG]

Posted on 13 years ago
#7
Posts: 2753 Threads: 132

You need to buy them for as little money as possible. The little list of things that need replacing will be at least a few hundred bucks. And, the more you get into spiffing them up, the more repairs and replacement parts will be needed. Having said all that, those drums will eventually be a great set.

No matter how far you push the envelope, it is still stationery.
Posted on 13 years ago
#8
Posts: 1311 Threads: 9

That wrap is actually black diamond pearl,not black oyster pearl like Ringo's.If the snare is a Radio king it should be 1 single ply of steam bent maple,with maple re rings.If there is an inner ply of mahogany then its an artist model,not a radio king.Its seems to be missing the strainer handle also.

I agree with Leedy....you need to get thoe drums cheap.They need work and the original parts can be wxpensive,although reproductions can be had cheaper.

Steve B

Posted on 13 years ago
#9
Posts: 85 Threads: 10

Thanks for the advice, feeling a bit discouraged though. It sounds like I can find a better kit for five or six hundred. Especially since the snare Isn't solid maple. The owner is stuck on an eBay listing that the the cloud badges bring 100.00 a piece. I'm not too stuck on the value, and have no interest in parting it out, and there's a nostalgic part in me that thinks it should stay intact. First and foremost I want a playable kit that sounds great. The bonus is that I think it's somewhat unique. Wish I had a better idea of when the kit was made so I can haggle value a bit more with the owner.

Posted on 13 years ago
#10
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