1942 Slingerland Rolling Bomber

SLINGERLAND ROLLING BOMBER DRUM SET

DRUMS:
26x14" Bass Drum
14x6.5" Snare
13x9" Tom
14x12" Floor Tom (1940's*) *Not with the original set.

PERCUSSION:
Wood Block

CYMBALS:
11" Hi-Hats
13" Crash
10" Splash

HARDWARE:
Hi-Hat Stand
Snare stand
Wood Block Holder
Cymbal Arm
Cymbal Arm

For those who don’t know the background, my drum collection started in 1977 but was formerly established in 2008, although it took until 2014 for the name to be born out of the personal loss of my father, Frank Collins.

Like his father before, Frank Collins Snr, my father had been a drummer, not professional, but even in his last days, he would still tap the change in his pocket like he was riding the cymbal in a big band and we would raise a smile whenever he uttered his favourite phrase, “Quite frankly son…..”

Quite Frankly Drums seemed fitting as the name of the collection as Quite frankly... it’s all about the drums!

Early in 2025 while prepping for a tour, a rare kit came into my sights, one that would be the perfect replacement to this SLINGERLAND SET that I sold to a very famous individual, but yet still missed greatly due to its total completeness some 77 years on.

At the start of the year, I purchased a new vintage 1945 Slingerland Radio King set because once again, it was so complete and in excellent condition, but to add further sentiment, it came from the legendary Frank’s Drum Shop in Chicago. How very fitting!

Over the decades, while travelling and working in America, my name has been spelt incorrectly almost every time in is written, so much so, that twenty or more year back I adopted using just my initials, GC and many call me by that when on tour.

I even made a banded logo of GC that appeared on a few drum videos all those years ago.

My fondness for vintage Slingerland drums is documented in many places on this site, and in keeping an open eye on sets, I almost fell off my chair when this kit particular came into view and the more I discovered, the more it was naturally destined to be a centre piece in my collection.

Somehow, the initials GC have been on this rare Slingerland Rolling Bomber set since 1942. While crudely painted on, whether they are the first owner’s initials or perhaps the initials of the band they played in, sadly is lost to time.

What is not lost to history, is that the second owner of the set was gifted the drum set in 1948 by his parents when aged just 14. His name is Michael Levine and today is aged 91 and still carrying many wonderful memories of the set.

It remained in the family from 1948 to 2025, passing first to his son, and then to his Grandson, Reuben and never did they consider removing the GC from the original Slingerland calf head.

Now, not only do I own Phil’s drum (my middle name is bizarrely truly Phil making me another Phil Collins), but now I have some of Frank’s drums to commemorate two generations, my Father and Grandfather, and finally, I now have my own GC vintage set.

The universe does indeed work in strange ways!

More to follow....