[COLOR="DarkRed"]Interesting...I was gonna jump in and say that Students usually had 6 lugs...but then there's one in the '60 catalog showing eight, look a lot like this one...

hmmmm....

is it Chicago or Niles badge ???[/COLOR]

It's a Chicago... the clips look like the student in the catalog, I think there's not a radio king on those pages for 59 and 60 models, and no page for 61 models, in the 63 models, the student drum is aluminum... but the Chicago badge means 59-61 anyway so... ... I paid 280 on eFlay yesterday, a few too many quatloos I suspect... whadaya think? (D%^&*t, Jim, I a revived drummer, not a bidder)

That's the student model radio king. These are great sounding drums.

You paid a fair price for it.

Thanks Rich K. and Jaye .... myself with such limited knowledge and experience makes this a really one-sided affair so far in that I don't have a lot to offer to this forum, but as time goes by, I hope to become a more valuable asset... thanks to all for your help... Kevins .... baby crawl2

Looks like it's in amazing shape...don't worry, you didn't get taken. You didn't steal it, either, but I bet it will be worth the price tag.

Thanks all...

They are nice drums. I have one, completely original, even the calf heads have very little wear on them (although I have switched out the hoops for playing). Here's a couple pics:

[IMG]http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1963/50/47/1371250302/n1371250302_201506_3807.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1963/50/47/1371250302/n1371250302_207816_1753.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1963/50/47/1371250302/n1371250302_207817_1982.jpg[/IMG]

Sweet.... is there a big difference in the tone between the original hoops and the ones you put on for playing? Thanks, tillerva... Kevins

The top hoop is die cast, so I think that helps it tune more evenly. I've also usually played it with newer heads, but I've played it with the calf heads a few times, and the feel is unparalleled.