I owned a 5.5 from the Nashville era. It was built very well. Finishes and edges were flawless. Sound wise, it was very impressive. A very full bodied beefy sound with plenty of crack. The only reason I sold it was to fund a new players kit that I needed at the time...but I miss it

If I compare it though to my cherry craviotto steam bent with bb edges, to me the craviotto to me sounds a little more organic and natrual or woody. Both great drums.

Jck, thanks for the feedback. Sounds like they are very nice drums. Do you know if these were a short limited edition thing or were they a regular catalog item for a few years?

The Nashville era drums were overseen by Pat Foley,and are highly regarded as far as quality,and the finishes were top notch.I think the radio king snares were produced the whole time,1995-1999.

I read a review in MD that was very favorable,and the RK's were offered in a variety of Models and sizes,some were very old school,some were a bit more modern,between hardware and finish options.

The kits and Radio King snares were price high end for sure, the snares are single ply steam bent and seem to hold value pretty well AFAIK.

Yes. Different options. Mine had die cast hoops that weren't engraved, but I have seen some that were. Pat foley oversaw the process, and sam bacco was heavily involved with the actual production of them. These guys are top notch and so were the drums.

I sold mine for what I paid for it, which I got from at collectors price, not a deal, so I'd say they hold value well

Thanks for the input. They look like beautiful drums. Good to hear they are top notch quality and sound great too. I see them on ebay and have been looking into them more recently.

While I have no personal history with these drums, I do know several guys here in Nashville that swear that the Nashville era drums were the best that Slingerland produced. I have heard Sam Bacco's name in association with those drums and he is very top shelf, both as a musician and as a drum restorer.

Thanks for the great info. I'm glad I asked. I have been overlooking them mainly because they were newer drums or a throwback if you will. I like the shorter shell sizes they come in too. Now the quest to find one I can afford~!

I also read in the drum guide here there was a Radio King made during the Gretsch HSS period from 1990-1994. Still a steambent solid maple shell.

How do these differ from the later Nashville era RK's?

Were they also a good quality snare or were the later Nashville RK's better?

And what does HSS stand for?

Sorry for all the silly questions but I'm trying to learn as much as possible about the later solid maple shell RK snares. If and when I come across one I'd like to at least know the differences.

Thanks!

They made these drums in Conway, AK for a little while after they moved the plant. I tried a Conway badge model once and it was junk. The hardware on it wasn't up to par. Generally they aren't regarded on the same level. Defintely want to look for cloud badge with Nashville on it