Cooper’s Vintage Drums
SLINGERLAND STRAINERS
1926-1965
Slingerland began
drum production in 1926, and their first snare drum was the Slingerland
Eugene Geisler snare drum which featured a simple
strainer.
Early
1920’s Slingerland Geisler
Model
THE
FAMOUS THREE POINT STRAINER (1928-1980)
Slingerland’s first
drum catalog was printed in 1928 and in that year,
they introduced what would become their most identifiable and prolific snare
strainer……”The Speedy Sure Hold
Strainer”.
Late
1920’s Speedy Sure Hold Strainer
1928
ARTIST MODEL
1929
ARTIST MODEL
Photo by Dave Zima
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The “No. 967 Speedy Sure Hold
Strainer” was also called the “Professional Strainer”. Collectors have come to
know it as the “Three Point Strainer” because it was attached to the drum shell
at three points. It utilized either wire
or gut snares. (Note that the bottom section is facing inward)
This popular and very reliable
strainer was used from 1928 until the mid 1960’s. While there were some
modifications to the design over the years, the basic mechanism remained
unchanged.
Here we will take a short “detour” to
discuss a very interesting snare strainer that had quite a short life…
The
1933-34 Slingerland “DUALL”
1934 Slingerland
catalog
Around 1933, a new snare
strainer innovation was introduced: The Slingerland “Duall”. This highly complicated system was Slingerland’s answer to the Ludwig Super and Leedy Parallel mechanisms. However, due to a lawsuit
brought by C.G. Conn (parent company of Ludwig and Leedy)
over the design, Slingerland was forced to abandon
this elaborate snare mechanism and by 1934, the ill-fated Duall
was just a memory. There are very few examples of this unique drum in existence
today.
Photo courtesy of Mike Curotto
From the Dave Brown Collection
1934
DU-ALL SET
From the Dave Brown Collection
1933-34
DUALL Mechanism
Now, back to the three point
strainer…..
In 1935, Slingerland
incorporated adjustable extension brackets and extended snare wires on the new
Broadcaster line of snare drums. These adjustable brackets had two small
thumbwheels that when turned, would raise or lower a thin piece of metal that
was attached to the brackets. This adjustment would determine the amount of
contact between the snares and the snare head. Each drum had one of these
adjustable brackets on either side. With this new feature, the bottom section
of the three point strainer was now facing outward. The words “SLINGERLAND PATS
PEND” were stamped into these thin brass adjustment plates. Often, these pieces
were removed as they did not always function well.
1935-38
Adjustable Extension Brackets
1935
Three Point Strainer
(Note that
the bottom section is facing outward…also note the “diamond pattern” on the
adjustment knob- later 1930’s versions had a different linear pattern as
pictured in the second photo below)
LINEAR
PATTERN ADJUSTMENT KNOB
1935
White Marine Broadcaster Snare Drum with three point strainer
It is interesting to note that the early
Broadcasters employed an eyelet or “stud” on the butt side of the shell. This
simple yet effective method was soon replaced with the standard butt assembly.
I have only seen two examples of this.
EARLY
BROADCASTER BUTT ASSEMBLY
STANDARD
BROADCASTER BUTT-SIDE ASSEMBLY
In 1936, the Broadcaster model
was discontinued (again, by a court order for patent violation of a Gretsch name) and the new Radio King line of snare drums
appeared on the scene. These new Radio Kings were exactly the same as the
aforementioned Broadcaster and again featured the three point strainer and
adjustable extension brackets.
The
first Radio King models featuring the three point strainer and extended snares
Around 1938, the adjustable
Radio King snare brackets were changed. They were made
a bit wider and now attached to the shell with six screws instead of four.
Around 1940, an optional wire strap was introduced which connected the snares
to the strainer with a small screw. These straps were offered on the Hollywood
Ace models as well as the Krupa model. The adjustable
feature of the snare brackets was gradually discontinued after 1941. NOTE: Some
“top of the line” models were offered without the extension brackets. The Buddy
Rich model was one such drum. It is also interesting to note that famous
drummer Gene Krupa was known to remove the brackets
from some of his snare drums!
1938-41
Six Hole Adjustable Extension Bracket
1940 Krupa model with adjustable brackets and wire strap snares
“Butt”
side extension bracket without adjusting screws
The three point strainer was
made up of four basic parts: Upper knob adjustment section, lower sliding
section, throw-off lever and lever knob. Pictured below are the various
components that make up a typical early 1940’s three point strainer.
The earlier versions
(1928-1939) of the upper knob adjustment section featured a threaded “bolt”
over which the throw-off lever was fit and held in place by a threaded
(“female”) knob. The throw-off lever could be tightened either in the “up”
position while playing or “down” when not in use. This made storage easier, as
the lever extended above the top hoop when in the playing position. This design
was reversed around 1940 when the threaded bolt was replaced by a threaded hole
and the lever knob gained a threaded “male” piece which screwed into the hole.
LEFT: 1928-39 VERSION
RIGHT: 1940-1962 VERSION
After WWII, the three point
strainer underwent subtle changes. The snare tension adjustment knob was made
larger, as was the lever knob and the shape of the lower threaded receiving
piece. These parts took on a more rounded appearance. These changes can be seen
in the photo below (The throw-off levers were removed in this photo).
Around 1963, the three point
strainer received one more major change. The previously detachable (and
retractable) throw-off lever became a part of the upper section and no longer
required an attachment knob. This eliminated the tendency for the lever and
knob to fall off. However, it could no longer be retracted or moved out of the
way. A gum rubber washer was placed below the adjustment knob. Also around this
time, the extension brackets were being made with only one screw hole on each
side.
1960’s
Slingerland Catalog showing various Radio King strainer components
The long running “Number 967, Speedy Sure-Grip, Three Point Strainer”
which first appeared in 1928 would continue to be seen on the Radio King line
of drums off and on until about 1980.
THE SUPER STRAINER (1940-1962)
In 1940, Slingerland introduced a radically different snare strainer
called the “Super”. This new design allowed throw-off action from one side and
tension adjustment from the other side while maintaining constant tension on
the extended wires. When the throw-off arm was pulled to either side, the
snares would drop away from the bottom head. The strainer also featured a
telescopic “antennae”-like extension arm.
This strainer was often referred to as the “Clam Shell” due to its
artisticly designed resemblance to the shellfish. While it may have been
cosmetically pleasing and unique, the mechanical design was weak. The throw-off
arm was made from brass and was prone to breakage if used incorrectly. The
earliest Super strainer (1940) allowed the snare wires to attach by way of a
metal tab, which also was susceptible to metal stress and would snap off. Later
versions used a single screw on each side to attach the snare wires to the
bottom of the strainer. There were several versions of the Super and one major
difference can be seen where the strainer body attaches to the shell.
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1940 Super Radio King
During
World War Two, the U.S. Government placed metal restrictions on drum
manufacturers. In answer to this restriction, the ever resourceful designers at
Slingerland came up with a quite beautiful hand
carved Super strainer for their Rolling Bomber series (see Slingerland
History section of this web site).
In spite of
its mechanical shortcomings, the Super Strainer was quite long lived. It was
offered as an alternative to the three point strainer until 1962. Below is a
catalog page from that year.
1958
Super Strainer
Mid
1950’s Super Models
The Zoomatic
Strainer (1963 - Present)
The Super strainer was discontinued
around 1962 and soon a new strainer appeared on the new Artist Model snare
drums. This strainer was usually paired with a butt end plate that was
previously used on Leedy and Leedy
& Ludwig Broadway snare drums in the 1940’s and early 1950’s. The use of
this butt plate was facilitated by Slingerland’s
purchase of the Leedy line in 1956. The Zoomatic strainer also suffered from a relatively poor
design in that the adjustment knob was easily stripped if used improperly. Like
the Super strainer, the Zoomatic used special
extended snare wires.
Artist Model with Zoomatic Strainer and Butt
The Rapid Strainer (No. 673)
The
Rapid strainer was introduced around 1958 and was offered as an alternative to
the three point strainer. It appeared on the Hollywood Ace and Concert models
as well as the various student and lower line models
well into the 1970’s. This strainer was paired with a standard simple butt
assembly. The Rapid strainer was also used on some Slingerland-made
Leedy drums from the same era.
1960 Student Model (L) and 1965
Hollywood Ace model (R) with Rapid strainers
(NOTE THE DIFFERENCE IN STRAINERS)
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