Neil Peart's original Slingerland drum kit (which he used from Fly By Night through 2112) was put up for auction on eBay a couple of months ago and ended up being sold for over $25,000. Ever since the purchase Michael of NeilPeartDrumsticks.com has been working with the new owner of the kit to help restore it to a playable condition so it could be put on display. I'd mentioned on Friday that Michael had finally released all the details regarding when and where the kit would be displayed. The kit will be at the upcoming Percussive Arts Society show (PASIC) in Indianapolis the week of November 11-14 and people will even be able to play the kit themselves with a donation of $10 to the American Cancer Society for 1 minute on the kit. Here are all the details straight from Michael:
Hello All,
Well, the time has come. Some of you have caught word with the News sites announcing the upcoming PASIC show in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Myself and the newest owner of Neil Peart's 1974 Chrome Slingerland Drum Kit are going to PASIC within the next couple weeks. The exciting part is that we are going to let people play the actual kit. It will be in Indy the week of 11-14 November at the downtown Indiana Convention Center at PASIC 2009.
Daily admission to the exhibition hall for non-PAS members is $15. You need not be a member to come to PASIC and see the kit we have simply named "Chromey".
Chromey is being used to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We are going to allow people at the venue to play Chromey for $10 a minute and 100% goes to charity.
Yes, you can play the 1974 Chrome Slingerland Kit that Neil Peart used from 1974-1977 to record "Fly By Night", "Caress Of Steel", "2112", "All The World's A Stage", and was used on five consecutive US-Canadian Tours in support of those albums. The very same kit seen on the cover of ATWAS and used to record one of the most duplicated drum solos ever.
People who show up and wish to do the "Pay To Play" option will have the opportunity to play the kit in it's restored condition. We have made every attempt to replace every single part with an original vintage piece from that time or its modern replacement until we can find that vintage piece. It will all be there. The kit will be a bit of a "Frankenstein" in some sense as it will have all the pieces available that have been pictured on the kit from 1974-1977 when it was retired. So the kit is not one year specific but that should be fine as Neil really kept all the pieces as he added more on the kit. You will have the chance to choose which snare to play, either an original era Rogers Dynasonic or the 100% matched replica of the copper Slingerland Artist that Neil named "Number One", expertly replicated by Kevin Stroud of Illinois.
Not that we are being butts about this, butt if you choose to step into the booth to participate with the kit we ask that you please make a donation to ACS. Every penny is going to ACS. The kit owner has put a lot of money into this restoration project, and I have put a lot of hours into the restoration and we are not asking for you to pay us, we simply ask that you donate to the American Cancer Society, please.
What I mean is, if you are just wanting a photo and you wish to stand in front of the kit, please donate $3 per shot, to stand inside the kit only is $5 per shot, and to play the kit is $10 a minute. If you don't have a camera don't worry as we will have one to take your picture with as long as you have email for us to send it to you. If your outside our booth in the aisle it won't cost you a thing but I cannot guarantee you'll get the good shot you might be hoping for. This whole event is about raising money for the American Cancer Society so I am trying to get them everything we possibly can ... know what I mean.
So please, if you have the means and way to get there, come on down. We'd love to see you and of course meet you. At the moment we are in Booth #1254 which should be easy to find. Also while there drop by and check out the Guitar Center Booth which will have the Snakes & Arrow drum kit ... but you don't get to play it.
If all goes well as planned the kit will then travel around the block to the Percussive Arts Society Museum for a short term loan to be on display for all to see. More about that later.
If you don't plan on attending and would still like to donate, please drop by my website front page at www.neilpeartdrumsticks.com where you will find a link on the American Cancer Society logo to donate ... it will be greatly appreciated!
For those of you who don't already know the winners/owners of the kit and have really gotta know ... drop by as they too will be there to meet everyone along with myself.
Thanks for taking the time to read all of this!
RUSH ON!
-MichaelPS ... If you live in Indy and would like to volunteer to assist in our booth ... drop an email at michael747@neilpeartdrumsticks.com.
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