Sorry but I have to disagree.Radio king snares were also made wth "clamshell "strainers which did NOT have extended brackets(aka Bridges)Clamshell strainers were used more increasingly than 3 point strainers (which DID use extended brackets) from about 1947 on.I know because I'm looking at my Aluminum cloud badge 46-47 Super Gene Krupa 7x14 Radio king with a clamshell strainer and no extended brackets.I think in order to be considered an rk snare other than the student model;the drum can have a 3 point with bridges(except if youre Buddy Rich)or a clamshell strainer without bridges..but the drum must be single ply maple,not withstanding brass snares.FYISteve B
Steve, this discussion is a very old one to us old timers such as myself and blair. Read Rob Cooks bookThe Slingerland Book,, it will set you straight, here is the article about RK's The successor to the Duall and the Broadcaster as Slingerlands top -of -the line- snare drum was the Radio king, to many of today's vintage drum dealers and collectors, any slingerland snare drum that has a solid shell is considered a Radio king, that is Technically Incorrect.
As slingerland produced other models with solid maple shells which were Never marketed as Radio kings, and sold Radio Kings with plied shells, A better way to identify a true Radio King snare drum is by the presence of the snare support brackets on both the strainer and butt ends, these are part of the basis of the patent.
In the patent application of 1937, H.H. slingerland claimed as new and unique the fact that the snares remained active over the entire width of the drum head.Though this certainly was not the first drum to see snares extened off both sides of thte snare head,
Ludwigs super late 20's, Leedy Broadway parallel 1930,and even slingerland duall accomplished this, the same catalog 1936 that Introduced Gene Krupa as an endorsee introduce the Radio King drum, though the patent was not applied for until 1937 and granted until 1939
