The Slingerland Gene Krupa Sound King Snare Drum

Gene Krupa was Slingerland's top endorser. He was on the cover of every Slingerland catalog from 1936 to 1967. As mentioned in earlier blogs ( See Dec. 20th, March 21st, and Apr. 12th), Slingerland wasted no opportunities when it came to Mr. Krupa. It's no exaggeration to say that Gene Krupa was the best drum salesman Slingerland ever had----which brings us to the beautiful drum you see pictured above.

This ten lug cupcake was known as the Gene Krupa Sound King Snare Drum. It came in two sizes, 5 x 14 and 6 1/2 x 14. It was in production from 1963 to 1977. There was an eight lug model that was an option and, although not plentiful, is not too difficult to find in the vintage market. The ten lug is more difficult to find, especially one like this. But more on that later. The shell is made of brass and the hoops are also brass. The drum is outfitted with the Zoomatic snare strainer, the standard Slingerland Strainer for the time. This snare drum was the last Slingerland snare drum to bear the Gene Krupa name. Indeed in 1976, " Gene Krupa" was dropped from the listing and the drum was simply known as the Sound King.

This particular drum has a special uniqueness. She is brand new. I bought this drum yesterday. The drum has never been tuned, much less played. The small bag hanging from the lug contains the drum key and the warranty paperwork. It goes without saying that everything on her is totally original. This drum had been sitting in a music shop for 35-40 years until I happened to see it 2 weeks ago.

Obviously, I can't comment about its playability. But I hope to rectify that situation shortly