Slingerland has released a 200-unit limited edition Gene Krupa Radio King Snare Drum, handcrafted at Craviotto Music City Workshop with a steam-bent solid maple shell, period-correct nickel hardware and a calfskin batter head.
There are drums, and then there’s the sound Gene Krupa made with a Slingerland Radio King — the snare that helped take drums from the back of the stage to the front of popular culture. The Radio King was the snare he played throughout his entire career, a sound that defined big band and swing and carried him all the way to Carnegie Hall. Now, Slingerland has brought it back in limited edition form, and only 200 are being made.
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The Gene Krupa Radio King Snare Drum is built around a steam-bent, solid North American maple shell handcrafted at Craviotto Music City Workshop, cut with a 30-degree rounded bearing edge for the warm, deep tone the original was known for. The shell is made from a single hand-selected American maple plank and fitted with hand-cut reinforcement rings.
Hardware is period-correct throughout, with nickel-over-brass stick chopper hoops carrying the engraved Radio King script logo, and the vintage 3-Point Strainer handles snare wire control. Each drum ships with a premium calfskin batter head, a custom Radio King-branded case and a certificate signed by DW founder Don Lombardi.
The collectible details are worth noting too. Every snare carries a Gene Krupa signature cloud badge unique to this run, a signed and numbered limited edition label inside the shell, and a Gene Krupa postcard. Each of the 200 units is individually numbered, making this as much a collector’s piece as a working instrument.
The snare is available in one size and one finish — 6.5×14″ in White Marine Pearl Wrap — which is very much in keeping with the spirit of the original.
For drummers with a serious interest in the history of the instrument, or anyone who’s spent time with the Radio King sound and wanted a piece of it, this one is worth moving on to quickly.
Learn more here.
