Slingerland launches limited Gene Krupa Radio King snare drum
Slingerland’s comeback got a prestige marker: a 200-piece Gene Krupa Radio King snare built in White Marine Pearl for $1,999.
Slingerland turned its relaunch into a statement of intent with a limited Gene Krupa Radio King snare that tied the brand’s comeback directly to one of drumming’s most recognizable names. The 6.5x14-inch model arrived in White Marine Pearl wrap, was capped at 200 units, and carried a $1,999 price tag, putting legacy and scarcity at the center of the launch.
The drum was framed as more than a tribute piece. Slingerland said it was built with a steam-bent, solid North American maple shell at Craviotto Music City Workshop and faithfully produced in Oxnard, California, with nickel-plated period-correct hardware, a 3-point strainer, nickel-over-brass stick-chopper hoops, and a signed-and-numbered Gene Krupa shell label. Each drum also shipped with a calfskin batter head, a custom Radio King-branded case, a certificate signed by DW founder Don Lombardi, and a Gene Krupa postcard.
That heritage matters because Krupa was not just an endorser in the old drum-company sense. Slingerland’s own legacy account says the Krupa-Slingerland relationship began in the early 1930s and continued until Krupa’s death in 1973, and that it helped define what drummers now recognize as the modern drum set. The company also credits Krupa with helping elevate the drum set and shape the development of double-headed, tunable tom-toms, placing him in the same lineage that runs through Buddy Rich, John Bonham, Bill Ward, Keith Moon, Ian Paice, and Carl Palmer.
The launch also marked another step in Slingerland’s rebirth. The company stopped producing drums in 2008, then returned under the ownership story laid out in Roland’s January 22, 2025 relaunch announcement, which said Chris Lombardi gave Don Lombardi the Slingerland brand as a birthday gift in 2019. That relaunch positioned the Radio King as the first move in a broader Slingerland drum line, and this Gene Krupa edition pushed that message further by leaning on the brand’s most famous historical connection.
For players, the result looked aimed at two camps at once: collectors who want a credible piece of Slingerland history, and working drummers who still care whether a limited snare can deliver more than display value. In a market crowded with anniversary editions, Slingerland chose a different lane, using Krupa’s name, Radio King identity, and real hand-built construction to make the comeback feel like a living part of drum history rather than a souvenir from it.
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