Hi all,
Well, this snare drum was on EBay UK with a very low BIN for a Nano second. Three buyers later here we are with another addition to the collection. Thanks goes to Mark Cooper of Coopers Vintage Drums for selling me the drum earlier than he wanted to.
1932-33 SLINGERLAND DUALL “RADIO” MODEL ALL METAL DRUM No. 40 (VERSION 1)
For those of you that are not familiar with the Slingerland DUALL Model here is a brief history;
Ludwig & Ludwig patented their Super (parallel) Mechanism in 1924. Slingerland came out with their “version”, the DUALL (parallel) Mechanism around 1932. L & L felt that Slingerland infringed on their patent so they sued Slingerland and won a court decision that forced Slingerland to cease making any further DUALL Models. Slingerland was also ordered to compensate L & L a certain amount for any DUALLs that were sold prior to the law suit. I have documented three versions of the DUALL mechanism as you will see in the “Hardware” paragraph below.
The SHELL:
The all metal (nob) shell was in very good condition with no extra holes or modifications but there was enough patina that I would not have been able to polish out so I used Les Hagnady of Avenue Plating to color up the nickel plating. Les came through (as always) and brought the shell back to life. I have dated this shell at 1932-33. The DUALL Model was around from 1932-34. The 1934 Slingerland catalog states that the DUALL Model will be equipped with a Harold R. Todd internal tone control. This shell has no tone control ergo 1932-33.
The HARDWARE:
Aside from 9 broken collar hooks and 2 missing screws all of the nickel plated hardware was present and accounted for. Les Hadnagy did his magic again and colored up the hardware to match the shell. The top rim has the DUALL stamp. The Manufacturer’s Cartouche on the snare gates are “F” and “FF”. I still do not know the significance of the Manufacturers Cartouche but that is what I am told those markings are called. Either gate fits on either side so it’s not a matching process but I still matched “F” with “F” and “FF” with “FF” because I am a “plumb and square” type of guy. The snares were also in great shape which is very rare.
The DUALL MECHANISMS:
I have documented three versions of the DUALL Mechanism. Be sure to check out the photos. Version 1: V. 1 has the internal center pole that connects the linkage on both sides. I believe that this is Slingerland’s first version as you can clearly see how it approximates (copies) the Ludwig & Ludwig Super Mechanism. It is also easy to see how V. 1 triggered the famous lawsuit that I mentioned above. NB: I am not sure about the next two versions as to which came first, there is no documentation of these in any Slingerland catalog so I am giving my opinion here. Version 2: V. 2 is similar to V. 1 but with no center pole. The areas where a center pole would have been attached have been closed off. Clearly this “version” was an attempt to comply with (or circumvent) the court decision. Version 3: V. 3 has an elaborate internal “pulley” system. This is definitely a factory item as you can see the expert workmanship. V. 1 works the best, just as smooth as the L & L Super Mechanism. V. 2 does not work too well. V. 3 works way better than V. 2 but not as well as V. 1.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
DUALLS are very rare. The Slingerland DUALL Model was manufactured from 1932-34 as compared to the L & L Super-Ludwig Model that was around from 1924 to the late 1930s. This is true for the wood shell DUALLS but All Metal DUALLS are in a totally different category of rareness. I have only seen or heard of 4 metal DUALLS and 2 of them were in bad shape and missing many parts. There is one more DUALL Model that needs to be mentioned, this is probably the rarest of all DUALLS... The Engraved Black Metal Shell/Art Gold Fittings “Radio” DUALL Model #43. I know of only one of these, photo attached.
Of-the-era calf heads rounded out this restoration.
As always, feel free to weigh-in if you have any comments or know of any other DUALLs out there.
Enjoy!
Mike Curotto