Greetings Vintage Drum Fans!
This installment of Vintage Happiness is on my first Leedy love. This was the first Leedy set in my collection and the one that made me buy several more Leedy sets!
I became a big fan of the art deco lugs and T-rods from this era. This is the era that many collectors refer to as the “Slingerleedy” period when Slingerland owned Leedy and manufactured these drums as well as Slingerlands from 1955 through 1966. This is a 1965 Leedy Shelly Manne Outfit No. 11 in Sparkling Champagne Pearl.
The set consists of a 14x20 bass drum, 9x13 tom, 16x16 floor tom, and the fantastic 5.5x14 Shelly Manne snare with the Broadway throw off. The drums also have the “chocolate milk” interiors, which is consistent with Slingerland manufacturing. As like most of my sets, the entire kit is in almost showroom condition. There is no rust on any of the metal and there is no fade on the wrap. This is another great example of a very well cared for drum set through the years. It really amazes me when I am able to find a set that still looks brand new. This combination of sizes also is a favorite of mine making the kit very versatile for the different size venues and music I play. The drums are loud enough for the big dance halls yet small enough and still project quietly with brushes for the supper clubs.
The wrap on this kit is unlike the Ludwig Sparkling Champagne Pearl I am used to. It seems to have more color in it depending on the lighting and really is quite beautiful in the plain daylight. This set has the originals heads still on it as well and they sound superb. A welcome addition to the collection and this classy set gets used for some very classy gigs. I’ll be featuring another Leedy set in the coming months so stay tuned for more time machines because nothings cooler than time traveling some music on a set of vintage drums.
Until next time,
PLAY those drums!