Buddy Rich's Slingerland 1968 White Marine Pearl Drum Set.

Buddy Rich’s 1968 Slingerland Drum Set, $23,154.00

This set was acquired from Barbara Belle, a popular songwriter and music publisher in the 1960s and 1970s. She also managed artists including Louis Prima and Keely Smith. Belle gave this set to her lawyer, Arthur Munisteri in exchange for legal services. Munisteri in turn gave the set to it’s current owner, the son of one of his clients. I’m still researching Belle, Munisteri and their connection to Buddy Rich. I’ll update as I make progress. Meanwhile if anyone know’s anything I’d love to hear from you.

The late 1960s Slingerland White Marine Pearl set includes a 24×14 bass drum serial #198980, two 16×16 floor toms, serial #s 198360 and 198361, a 13×9″ tom with no serial # or badge and a canister throne with no serial # or badge. The drums are in excellent condition with no notable damage. The photos depict the condition accurately. The hi-hat stand in the photos is original to the set. The other hardware and cases in the photos are included but not original to the set. The only original head on the set is the “BR” crest logo bass drum head. All other heads have been replaced. The snare drum in the photos is not original to the set and is not included.

Without any solid written documentation, I’ve been able to authenticate the set by identifying unique characteristics on these drums and match them to archive photos and videos of Rich on these drums. I also received help from renown Buddy Rich historian Tommy Piorek who believes that based on all of the information we have that this set was in fact used by Buddy Rich. Here are some of the key details.

-Buddy is playing a White Marine Slingerland set identical to this set in the 1969 “Kraft Music Hall, Sounds Of The Sixties” video below. Notice the identical “BR” crest bass drum logo head with the significantly off center Slingerland logo. Also notice there is no badge on the 13″ tom.

-The bass drum cymbal mounts have been moved. The mounts in their current location line up exactly with those in the screen shot photo. The mounts and holes from the original mounts can be seen clearly in the B+W photo of Buddy adjusting his snare drum.

-The fade in the finish of the bass drum is slightly different than the fade in the toms. The serial # on the bass is slightly higher than the sequential serial #s on the floor toms. This suggests that the bass came from a different set than the floor toms. It’s very possible that Rich could have interchanged drums from 2 different Slingerland sets of the same era. This possibility is supported by the B+W “VSD” photo that shows Rich with a WMP Slingerland set with no visible badge on the 13″ tom but with a bass drum with a different “BR” crest logo head. Again, this does not prove anything but it does support the idea that Rich could have interchanged drums from 2 different sets.

-None of the drums have internal mufflers and all have clear lacquer coated interiors. It is well documented that drums custom made for Rich were made without mufflers and finished with clear lacquer interiors.

-The snare drum scratches on the 13″ tom are consistent with those seen on many other Buddy Rich sets.

IMPORTANT: Due to the high value of this item, payment by bank transfer is the preferred payment method. Contact seller before making payment!

More photos and video available on request. 

The set will ship as crated freight. Plan on around $800-$1,000 freight charges. Buyer will pay exact crating and freight cost. We will ship internationally.

Serious offers considered.