Articles & Listings
- Drum Building (17)
- Drum Parts (9)
- Drum Shells (2)
- Woodworking (2)
- Drum Heads (4)
- Resonant Heads (2)
- Drum Set (29)
- Cymbals (13)
- Drum Accessories (4)
- Drum Hardware (9)
- Snare Drum (1)
- Drum Building (17)
Category Archives: Drum Parts
Snare strainer
The snare strainer and snare butt are the two elements of a part of drum building hardware. As the name suggests the unit is used to apply tension to the snare wires that in turn press into the drum head creating the distinctive buzz sound.
One end of the unit is passive and simpy holds the snare wire retaining cord or tape. The other end is active and has mechanisms to;
- increase/decrease tension by small amounts usually by turning a small knob; and
- snap the entire unit on or off the drumhead, maintaining the tension when the snare is in the 'on' position
 |
  Gretsch NEW Micro Sensitive snare strainer  US $88.00
|
 PureSound Custom Pro Brass Snare Strainer 14 CPB1420 US $26.00
|
 Vintage Premier Drums 60s 70s snare strainer slide base throw arm part US $30.00
|
Posted in Drum Building, Drum Parts
Tagged snare butt, Snare Strainer
Snare wire
The underside of a snare drum has a number of wire coils stretched across it.
These snare wires vibrate and snap against the resonant head in response to the batter head being struck and give the snare its distinct sound
|
Posted in Drum Hardware, Drum Parts
Tagged snare wire
Puresound Snares
It's hard to imagine that something as trivial as changing the kind of wire snares are made of would make such a world of difference, but it DOES! Check 'em out.
For deeper snares you are gonna love 'em
|
 Puresound Snare Wires 14 Custom Pro Brass 20 Strand US $29.99
|
PureSound Custom Pro Brass Snare Strainer 14 CPB1420 US $26.00
|
 Puresound Snare Wires 14 Custom Pro Brass 24 Strand US $29.99
|
 PURESOUND 14 SUPER 30 SNARE WIRES SNARES 30 Strands US $25.75
|
 Puresound Snare Wires Custom 15in 20 Strand P 1520 NEW US $31.95
|
 PURESOUND 12 SUPER 30 SNARE WIRES SNARES 30 Strands US $25.75
|
Drum Lugs and Drum Tension Rods
Tension Rods and Drum Lugs
Placed vertically through the holes in the [hoops] are tension rods which are basically bolts, threaded at one end and sporting a square top at the other to accept a drum tuning key. Older kits tended to use slotted tops (like the top of a screw) however these are not generally manufactured for modern drums.
A tension rod fits into a 'lug' or 'nut box' that contains a threaded barrel into which the tension rod is screwed. The nut boxes are attached directly to the shell of the drum, the exception being free-floating shells where the lugs fix to a ring on the bottom edge of the drum. Over recent years as players become more demanding and the understanding of how drums operate is becoming increasingly applied, manufacturers have been seeking to reduce the amount of lug contact points and the 'footprint' of each lug contact point. This is working towards permitting the drum shell to resonate more freely and put more of the sound of the wood into the drum. Many manufacturers have developed 'low-mass' lugs expressly for this purpose.
|
 Tama Crystar Acrylic Tom Drum Lugs Ludwig Vistalite era 9 Rare US $75.00
|
 Tama Crystar Acrylic Bass Drum Lugs Claws Ludwig Vistalite era 10 Rare US $50.00
|
 drum lugs for floor base US $75.00
|
Posted in Drum Building, Drum Parts
Tagged drum lug, drum tension rod, t rod
Triple Flange Drum Hoops
Triple Flanged Hoop
By far the most common type of hoop is the flanged hoop (normally triple flanged) which is rolled into shape from a single strip of metal, made circular and welded.Equally spaced holes made to accept the [tension rods] are punched into the rim.
This type of hoop has two main advantages, firstly it is cheap and secondly it has a degree of flexibility in use which allows it to provide good contact all around with both head and shell, particularly where a drum is not exactly round or where some lateral torsion is evident.
Generally this type of hoop is found on toms and when playing gives a 'soft' strike and increased rebound.
Flanged hoops are available made out of metals of differing thicknesses, a thicker hoop will act more like a die-cast hoop (see below)
|
 Leedy or Ludwig clip style single flange 16 drum hoop snareside NOB US $11.00
|
 PDP 14 Snare Drum 23 mm Triple Flange Drum Hoop US $15.00
|
 DDRUM Chrom 10 x 5 Lug Triple Flange Drum Hoop NEW LK US $10.00
|
Posted in Drum Parts
Tagged drum hoop, Drum Hoops, triple flange
Reinforcement Rings
If you look inside the interior of a drum you may see that there is a second layer of plies, maybe 2mm thick at the top and bottom 3/4" - 1"of the shell, These are usually angled to match the bearing edge cut, with the central vertical area of the shell remaining at the 'proper' shell thickness. These are known as reinforcement rings or 'rerings' primarily these are used for maintaining roundness and tune .
With the on-going development of drums, manufacturers have created product lines that are very thin-shelled to produce warm and woody sounding drums, although structurally sound, these drums, particularly larger sizes, may distort with the vibration of being struck, the reinforcement ring acts as a shock absorber and keeps these excessive vibrations to an acceptable level.
Reinforcement hoops therefore, by restriction, counter the tonal effect of thin shells to an extent, however as John Van Ness from DW drums says in his article on re-inforcing hoops on this site, they taper "off the highs because the column of air is physically blocked by the re-inforcement hoops at the inside edges." Certainly you should expect less resonance a more low frequencies from a drum with reinforcement rings.
Posted in Drum Building, Drum Parts
Tagged reinforcement hoops, reinforcement rings, rerings
Drum Shells
SEE OUR PAGE ON KELLER DRUMSHELL LISTINGS
Drum Shell Construction
This section is based on the excellent article by Mike Radcliffe on drumdojo.com which sets out to explain how the physical characteristics of a drum's shell affect the sound of a drum. The drumhead combines with the physical characteristics of the shell and the tuning standard adopted to determine the overall tonality of the instrument
A drumshell designed for maximum resonance, will be affected by a drumhead combination designed to muffle of a tuning designed to deliver a pitch bend, or decreased sustain. Muffling is not recommended as it overrides a large part of the drum's physical design and the head selection.
|
 Keller 6 ply Drum Shell 12 x 16 diam US $69.00
|
 Keller 5 ply Drum Shell 16 x 10 dia US $58.00
|
 Keller 6 ply Drum Shell 18 x 24 dia US $107.00
|
Why are drum shells made of wood?
There isn't a special reason other than wood sounds nice and because there and almost infinite variations and combinations available .
There are some companies making drums out of plastics, metals and composites, we will focus on wood. Which material sounds the best is at best subjective, but since the vast majority of drums are made of wood, we will focus on that.
Finishing Soon
Generally, the more dense the wood, the better it sounds because it will vibrate more 'evenly' helping to create even tones when struck or during coupled vibration, as with a drumhead. There are all kinds of exotic hardwoods but in order for a wood to be considered economically feasible for mass production, it must be inexpensive, workable, and attractive. To be inexpensive, a wood must be available sufficient quantity; to be workable, it have a long, straight, tight grain, with no knots. It must be dense enough to be strong, but not so dense that it can not be bent into a circle. To be attractive, it must have the same characteristics as for being workable, as well as a pore structure that is pleasing to the eye and takes stain well.
Examples of woods that fit these categories are Maple, Birch, Beech, Poplar, Ash, and Mahogany (or Lauan). There are different species of these grown in different areas of the world. Each will have differing characteristics, but still close enough to be grouped under their 'main' names. i.e.: We won't be differentiating between Canadian Rock maple and Birdseye maple, or between Scandinavian birch and any other birch.
Maple, Birch, and Lauan.
Most drum shells are made of one of these three types of woods, so we can compare them.
Lauan is the softest and least expensive of these woods, it is also the least attractive. For this reason it is often used in low end, budget drums and most lauan drums will be covered in a plastic wrap. This also makes them less expensive to make.
Maple and Birch are commonly used to make high end mass produced drums. They both sound wonderful and look very attractive with a natural finish. One of the reasons why maple is so popular with drum makers is because it is the choice of Keller who specialise in making drum shells. Many big name drum makers buy their shells from the Keller company. There is nothing wrong with this. Keller makes beautiful shells and they've been doing it for more than 50 years, so I think they've got it down.
Maple, Birch and Lauan have different tonal characteristics.
The diagrams below were provided by Gene Okamoto and the folks at Pearl Drums.
Most companies use Lauan for their Mahogany shells. This is not the same African Mahogany that Pearl refers to in these diagrams, but a much cheaper, less attractive, and less tonally pleasing species.
Boosted lows - smooth mid and high frequencies - Good for all around applications.
|
 Keller 6 ply VSS Maple Poplar Drum Shell 16 x 22 diam US $127.00
|
 Keller 6 ply VSS Maple Poplar Drum Shell 18 x 22 diam US $130.00
|
 Keller 6 ply VSS Maple Poplar Drum Shell 24 x 22 diam US $140.00
|
Birch - Most Common wood for Drum Shells
Boosted high frequencies - slightly reduced mids - low end boost
|
|
Keller 6 ply Drum Shell 12 x 16 diam US $69.00
|
Keller 5 ply Drum Shell 16 x 10 dia US $58.00
|
Keller 6 ply Drum Shell 18 x 24 dia US $107.00
|
Very rich low end frequencies - smooth mids and a good balanced high end - warm sounding "bottom" and punch.
|
Many people describe Maple as being "warm" and even in its frequency response. Birch is often described as "bright," because it produces more high end than Maple. Any of these woods, with the exception the lauan that budget drums are made of, will produce a wonderful tone that is slightly different from the others. Notice how we do not say better or worse - it's very much a personal preference. If you have certain preferences about the frequency response for your drums, choose accordingly.
Shell Thickness
Thicker shells have higher pitches. Thinner shells have lower pitches
Don't get caught up in the number of plies because ply thicknesses can vary greatly. Density of the wood can determine how thin a ply can be cut. Lauan plies will be much thicker than Birch, for example, because Birch is stronger and can be cut thinner.
Making shells from plies, instead of solicwood adds strength and stability to the shell. Ply alternates the grain of each layer so that a thin shell can be made that is stronger than a thicker, solid piece of wood. Ply construction also resists warping.
Pearl Drums, provided the following information about how shell thickness affects the sound of a drum: The number of plies affects how energy is transferred from the heads to the shell. This single factor has a profound effect on the tonal characteristics and projection of the drum.
Thin shells (4 ply, 5mm) facilitate energy transfer from the heads to the shells thus causing the shells to vibrate. This vibration imparts a very rich "wood" tone to the overall sound. Great for recording .
Medium thick shells (6 ply, 7.5mm) greater stiffness and resistance to energy transfer from the heads. Less shell vibration brings a less warm sound but projection is greater. 'Standard' drums approximate this thickness.
Thick shells (8 ply, 10mm and 10 ply, 12.5mm) "Efficient", allowing most of the player's energy to be focused to the audience and not into the shell. Snares made in this thickness rival metal snare drums in intensity and projection.
SEE OUR PAGE ON KELLER DRUMSHELL LISTINGS
Shell Sizes
The size of a shell is measured in diameter by depth. A 14 inch snare, with a depth of 5 and 1/2 inches would be notated as: 14x5-1/2 (5.5). A 12 inch tom that is 10 inches deep would be: 12x10. Occasionally you will see depth x diameter; that MO is somewhat unusual but be watchful. Larger diameter drums give the potential for lower tunings and greater amplitude (volume).
Shell depth also affects tone with deeper shells emphasising lower frequencies. However depth also affects more than the tone of a drum. A deeper drum will also be louder and therefore project more. A shallow drum won't project as well, but it will have better resonance and a purer tone. As an example, power toms became popular in the 70's for rock music, low tuned deep toms delivering projection and low end thud. This is also why smaller drums with higher tunings are so popular with jazz music adn they help deliver cleaner, fundamental tones.
We gratefully acknowledge Gene Okamoto and David Howe of Pearl Drums for their permission to use information from their web site for this page. www.pearldrums.com
-Mike-
SEE OUR PAGE ON KELLER DRUMSHELL LISTINGS
Edited by Paul Marshall
Die Cast Drum Hoops
As the name suggests this is cast from molten metal into a mould (die) which is the exact shape and size of the finished rim. This is a very solid piece of hardware and it resonates a a unit which gives greater attack and a sharper more 'brittle' sound to the drum
There is limited flex within the hoop and it is more inclined to show up any inconsistencies in the bearing edge, head and your tuning than you would find with a flanged hoop.
When the drum is struck, lateral vibrations move across the head and hit the hoop, as it is constructed from a solid piece of metal, the sound is not absorbed and is reflected back in towards the centre of the drum again, giving increased overtones and clarity. Die-cast hoops are a love/hate thing, many drummers love the extra ring and bite that it gives them, it certainly facilitates high tuners who want that high more ringy sound, others find them too cutting, it is very much a matter of personal taste.
The other point to consider is that Die-casts will have less of a rebound than a flanged hoop, the head will feel 'harder' requiring increased control by the player.
It is most common to see Die-cast hoops on snare drums as they lend themselves to this type of sound more than rack toms, however some manufacturers such as Gretsch and Premier have used die-casts all around their kits for many years.
Posted in Drum Parts
Tagged cast drum hoops, die cast hoop, drum hoop, Drum Hoops
Wood Drum Hoops
Wooden Hoops
Wooden hoops are constructed from plies of wood laminate and are about 3/4" thick. If you think of a very shallow but very thick-shelled laminate drum shell you get the idea. The plies give the hoop strength to withstand the battering they will take and they are much more durable than you would imagine.
They are the opposite of the die-cast hoops, as they impart a 'warmer' tone into the drum by absorbing vibration instead of purely reflecting; they vibrating and impart that vibration in a manner not dissimilar to a shell. These are the most expensive type of hoop available with the exception of gold plated hoops.
|
 PEARL 22 Bass Drum Hoop Rim Wood 2 Gloss Black NEW US $35.00
|
 PEARL 18 Bass Drum Hoop Rim Wood 2 Gloss Black NEW US $30.00
|
 Wood Drum Hoop Set 13 8 Lug 24 ply Top and Bottom RIM US $115.00
|
Posted in Drum Parts
Tagged drum hoop, Drum Hoops, wood hoop, wooden hoop