TONE WOODS
How does a drummer decide on which kit has his unique sound just waiting to be released?
We know it is a magical concoction of bearing edges, drum sizes, head selection, hoop types, tuning, wood types and shell construction that determines the overall growl of the perfect kit.
So what role does wood play in your drums sound, let’s dive in and find out.
Back in the 1940/50’s most manufacturers used a 3-ply shell of mahogany and poplar.
Poplar is a fast growing white wood that features soft high and mid frequencies with pleasing warm lows. It is not a really hard wood and thus absorbed some of the offending harmonics.
Mahogany is a dark reddish wood that was prized for both it’s cosmetic look and strong warm lows with punchy mids. Back in the day, it was inexpensive and relatively easy to get. It is a slow growing wood and has been over-cut and become endangered. The mahogany found in today’s drums is usually an Asian mahogany that is lighter in colour and less pleasing in tonal qualities. This is why old drums from Gretsch, Ludwig, Rogers and Slingerland are so prized.
Basswood is another white fast growing wood that has been used to replace Poplar or as the feature wood in many makers entry level kits. It’s sonic properties are similar to Poplar.
In the 1960’s and 70’s drums began to use harder woods. Technology improved allowing makers to cut thinner plies and drum construction changed to more plies of different woods. This increased the need for glue between the plies and to many professionals this resulted in a deader sounding drum because glue does not transmit tone (vibration) like wood.
Maple is a very hard wood and it became the wood of choice either in many plies on its own or in combination with other tone woods. It’s tonal characteristics feature even highs and mids with incredible lows and lots of attack. It’s tone is described as clean and clear and Maple has a wide range of tuning options. DW Drums has made its fortune using Maple as a primary wood.
Birch is also a beautiful white hard wood prized for it’s tone when recorded. Yamaha’s historic Recording Custom series featured Birch shells. More aggressive and brighter than Maple, Birch projects well and features enhanced highs, scooped mids and a solid low end.
In the 1980/90’s and beyond a forest of new woods have been tried by every drum company.
Beech wood is also a hard wood, but it’s grain is more open than Birch which gives the low end a boost. It is very strong and sounds much like Maple. Sonor makes a beautiful Beech kit.
Oak and Red Oak are very hard woods that are often combined with a richer tone wood to add projection. Oak is loud and has great presence. Yamaha and Ludwig's Keystone series use oak to give their kits volume and punch.
Bubinga is a dark red/brown wood that carries a beautiful grain. It has warm, dark sonic characteristics that many fans love. Dark and rich, a bit unfocused perhaps. Tama I think has lead the way with its beautiful Bubinga kits.
Walnut is similar to Mahogany but not quite as warm with more high end. Look to Mapex for Walnut infused kits.
Cherry has big high end and raised mids with an average low end. Crispy. Craviotto makes a great cherry snare drum.
Ash focused with average highs mid s and lows. Warm tones. The Gretsch Catalina Ash is a fine example.
Kapur Asian wood between Bubinga and Mahogany. Warm and dry. Yamaha uses this unique wood.
Gum Wood warm and round sounding. DW's Jazz line makes fine use of Gum Wood.
SHELL TYPES
Plywood shells use thin plies of wood glued together into a sandwich. Most current drum makers use this manufacturing method to produce their drum shells. Some use 3-ply shells like vintage kits, others use up to 20 plies like on Pearl’s Reference snare drums.
Stave shells use vertical pieces of solid wood cut on an angle and glued side by side to make up a circle. The grain runs vertically which many advocates feel transmits vibrations and tone between the two drum heads and results in a woody, rich tone that highlights the wood it is made from. Stave drums use far less glue than plywood drums and therefore are heard to be superior.
Steam Bent shells use heat and moisture to bend a solid piece of wood into a circle and use a scarf joint as the only glue point. Beautiful sounding drums with a distinct fundamental tone and longer sustain. Noble and Cooley are the leaders in steam bent shells.
Solid shells hollowed out of a single log, these drums are extremely expensive and the sizes are limited to the width of the original log. They must be carefully dried to prevent cracking and warping. You see this mainly in really high end snare drums.
Reinforcement rings: many manufacturers add a reinforcement ring to the top and bottom edge of each drum. This is usually a single strip of Maple or other hard wood. It’s practical purpose is to assist in maintaining the drum’s round shape preventing warping. It can also add sonic focus to the drum.
Lugs and mounting hardware: Most people agree the smaller and lighter the hardware attached to the shell the more the shell will resonate. This creates a more open, cleaner and less muted tone. However less lugs decreases tuning accuracy and head tension, so it is a balance that is sought. Gretsch has for years used only 5 lugs on it’s twelve inch toms while everyone else uses at least six. High end snare drums usually feature 10 lugs while most inexpensive snares use only 8. Many drum makers use a suspended tom system built for use only with it's drums. Most hang the drum in some fashion from the lug or tuning rod with nothing touching the shell itself. Floor toms too use advanced hanging systems or isolated leg systems to increase shell resonance. Kick drums on higher end kits do not attach rack toms to the Kick drum suspending them from a drum rack or cymbal stand instead.
So, if you play metal music, your perfect kit would need a short sustain, more highs to ensure the blast beat articulation can be heard and really a focused tone. A country drummer might be looking for a big warm, woody tone. A classic rock player might be looking for a 3-ply vintage popular/mahogany/poplar plywood shell. Modern pop/rock players might want thicker shells with maple as the primary wood. A recording studio player might look at a birch or beech kit. Jazz players will want warmth and might go for a mahogany, gum wood or walnut based kit. But these are only suggestions, that is what makes shopping for a new kit so much fun. It’s your sound and it needs to make you want to play and practice, so get out there and hit something!
DW Collectors Series Maple, Birch and Maple/Mahogany
DW Classic Series Poplar/Mahogany with Maple Reinforcements
DW Jazz Series GumWood with Maple, Mahogany or Cherry
DW Eco-X Bamboo/Birch
DW Performance Series Maple
PDP Concept Series Maple or Birch
Ludwig Legacy Classic Mahogany/Poplar or Maple
Ludwig Classic Maple Maple
Ludwig Club Date Maple/Poplar/Maple
Ludwig Keystone Maple/Red Oak
Ludwig Evolution ???
Ludwig Breakbeat 7 ply hardwood
Ludwig Accent 7 ply select veneer
Sonor SQ1 Birch
Sonor Vintage Beech
Sonor Prolite Maple
Sonor Select Force Maple
Sonor Essential Force Birch
Sonor Smart Force Poplar
Tama Star Bubinga Bubinga
Tama Star Maple Maple
Tama Star Walnut Walnut
Tama StarClassic Bubinga or Maple
Tama StarClassic Performer Bubinga and Birch
Tama SuperStar Hyper-Drive Maple
Tama SilverStar Birch
Tama Imperial Star Poplar
Pearl Masterworks Create your own mix
Pearl Reference Differs by drum size
Pearl Reference Pure Birch and African Mahogany
Pearl Music City Custom Differs by drum size
Pearl Masters Maple Reserve Maple
Pearl Session Studio Classic Birch/Kapur
Pearl Wood Fiberglass Kupar/fiberglass
Pearl Export Poplar/Asian Mahogany
Yamaha PHX Maple/Kapur/Jatoba
Yamaha Recording Custom Birch
Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple Maple/Wenge
Yamaha Live Custom Oak
Yamaha Stage Custom Birch
Yamaha Rydeen Poplar
Mapex Black Panther Maple/Walnut or Maple
Mapex Saturn Maple/Walnut
Mapex Armory Birch/Maple/Birch
Mapex Mars Birch
Mapex Storm Poplar
Gretsch USA Custom Maple/Gum
Gretsch Broadkaster Maple/Poplar/Maple
Gretsch Renown Maple
Gretsch Catalina Club Maple, Ash or Mahogany
Gretsch Energy Poplar
We know it is a magical concoction of bearing edges, drum sizes, head selection, hoop types, tuning, wood types and shell construction that determines the overall growl of the perfect kit.
So what role does wood play in your drums sound, let’s dive in and find out.
Back in the 1940/50’s most manufacturers used a 3-ply shell of mahogany and poplar.
Poplar is a fast growing white wood that features soft high and mid frequencies with pleasing warm lows. It is not a really hard wood and thus absorbed some of the offending harmonics.
Mahogany is a dark reddish wood that was prized for both it’s cosmetic look and strong warm lows with punchy mids. Back in the day, it was inexpensive and relatively easy to get. It is a slow growing wood and has been over-cut and become endangered. The mahogany found in today’s drums is usually an Asian mahogany that is lighter in colour and less pleasing in tonal qualities. This is why old drums from Gretsch, Ludwig, Rogers and Slingerland are so prized.
Basswood is another white fast growing wood that has been used to replace Poplar or as the feature wood in many makers entry level kits. It’s sonic properties are similar to Poplar.
In the 1960’s and 70’s drums began to use harder woods. Technology improved allowing makers to cut thinner plies and drum construction changed to more plies of different woods. This increased the need for glue between the plies and to many professionals this resulted in a deader sounding drum because glue does not transmit tone (vibration) like wood.
Maple is a very hard wood and it became the wood of choice either in many plies on its own or in combination with other tone woods. It’s tonal characteristics feature even highs and mids with incredible lows and lots of attack. It’s tone is described as clean and clear and Maple has a wide range of tuning options. DW Drums has made its fortune using Maple as a primary wood.
Birch is also a beautiful white hard wood prized for it’s tone when recorded. Yamaha’s historic Recording Custom series featured Birch shells. More aggressive and brighter than Maple, Birch projects well and features enhanced highs, scooped mids and a solid low end.
In the 1980/90’s and beyond a forest of new woods have been tried by every drum company.
Beech wood is also a hard wood, but it’s grain is more open than Birch which gives the low end a boost. It is very strong and sounds much like Maple. Sonor makes a beautiful Beech kit.
Oak and Red Oak are very hard woods that are often combined with a richer tone wood to add projection. Oak is loud and has great presence. Yamaha and Ludwig's Keystone series use oak to give their kits volume and punch.
Bubinga is a dark red/brown wood that carries a beautiful grain. It has warm, dark sonic characteristics that many fans love. Dark and rich, a bit unfocused perhaps. Tama I think has lead the way with its beautiful Bubinga kits.
Walnut is similar to Mahogany but not quite as warm with more high end. Look to Mapex for Walnut infused kits.
Cherry has big high end and raised mids with an average low end. Crispy. Craviotto makes a great cherry snare drum.
Ash focused with average highs mid s and lows. Warm tones. The Gretsch Catalina Ash is a fine example.
Kapur Asian wood between Bubinga and Mahogany. Warm and dry. Yamaha uses this unique wood.
Gum Wood warm and round sounding. DW's Jazz line makes fine use of Gum Wood.
SHELL TYPES
Plywood shells use thin plies of wood glued together into a sandwich. Most current drum makers use this manufacturing method to produce their drum shells. Some use 3-ply shells like vintage kits, others use up to 20 plies like on Pearl’s Reference snare drums.
Stave shells use vertical pieces of solid wood cut on an angle and glued side by side to make up a circle. The grain runs vertically which many advocates feel transmits vibrations and tone between the two drum heads and results in a woody, rich tone that highlights the wood it is made from. Stave drums use far less glue than plywood drums and therefore are heard to be superior.
Steam Bent shells use heat and moisture to bend a solid piece of wood into a circle and use a scarf joint as the only glue point. Beautiful sounding drums with a distinct fundamental tone and longer sustain. Noble and Cooley are the leaders in steam bent shells.
Solid shells hollowed out of a single log, these drums are extremely expensive and the sizes are limited to the width of the original log. They must be carefully dried to prevent cracking and warping. You see this mainly in really high end snare drums.
Reinforcement rings: many manufacturers add a reinforcement ring to the top and bottom edge of each drum. This is usually a single strip of Maple or other hard wood. It’s practical purpose is to assist in maintaining the drum’s round shape preventing warping. It can also add sonic focus to the drum.
Lugs and mounting hardware: Most people agree the smaller and lighter the hardware attached to the shell the more the shell will resonate. This creates a more open, cleaner and less muted tone. However less lugs decreases tuning accuracy and head tension, so it is a balance that is sought. Gretsch has for years used only 5 lugs on it’s twelve inch toms while everyone else uses at least six. High end snare drums usually feature 10 lugs while most inexpensive snares use only 8. Many drum makers use a suspended tom system built for use only with it's drums. Most hang the drum in some fashion from the lug or tuning rod with nothing touching the shell itself. Floor toms too use advanced hanging systems or isolated leg systems to increase shell resonance. Kick drums on higher end kits do not attach rack toms to the Kick drum suspending them from a drum rack or cymbal stand instead.
So, if you play metal music, your perfect kit would need a short sustain, more highs to ensure the blast beat articulation can be heard and really a focused tone. A country drummer might be looking for a big warm, woody tone. A classic rock player might be looking for a 3-ply vintage popular/mahogany/poplar plywood shell. Modern pop/rock players might want thicker shells with maple as the primary wood. A recording studio player might look at a birch or beech kit. Jazz players will want warmth and might go for a mahogany, gum wood or walnut based kit. But these are only suggestions, that is what makes shopping for a new kit so much fun. It’s your sound and it needs to make you want to play and practice, so get out there and hit something!
Drum Makers shell mix
DW Collectors Series Maple, Birch and Maple/Mahogany
DW Classic Series Poplar/Mahogany with Maple Reinforcements
DW Jazz Series GumWood with Maple, Mahogany or Cherry
DW Eco-X Bamboo/Birch
DW Performance Series Maple
PDP Concept Series Maple or Birch
Ludwig Legacy Classic Mahogany/Poplar or Maple
Ludwig Classic Maple Maple
Ludwig Club Date Maple/Poplar/Maple
Ludwig Keystone Maple/Red Oak
Ludwig Evolution ???
Ludwig Breakbeat 7 ply hardwood
Ludwig Accent 7 ply select veneer
Sonor SQ1 Birch
Sonor Vintage Beech
Sonor Prolite Maple
Sonor Select Force Maple
Sonor Essential Force Birch
Sonor Smart Force Poplar
Tama Star Bubinga Bubinga
Tama Star Maple Maple
Tama Star Walnut Walnut
Tama StarClassic Bubinga or Maple
Tama StarClassic Performer Bubinga and Birch
Tama SuperStar Hyper-Drive Maple
Tama SilverStar Birch
Tama Imperial Star Poplar
Pearl Masterworks Create your own mix
Pearl Reference Differs by drum size
Pearl Reference Pure Birch and African Mahogany
Pearl Music City Custom Differs by drum size
Pearl Masters Maple Reserve Maple
Pearl Session Studio Classic Birch/Kapur
Pearl Wood Fiberglass Kupar/fiberglass
Pearl Export Poplar/Asian Mahogany
Yamaha PHX Maple/Kapur/Jatoba
Yamaha Recording Custom Birch
Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple Maple/Wenge
Yamaha Live Custom Oak
Yamaha Stage Custom Birch
Yamaha Rydeen Poplar
Mapex Black Panther Maple/Walnut or Maple
Mapex Saturn Maple/Walnut
Mapex Armory Birch/Maple/Birch
Mapex Mars Birch
Mapex Storm Poplar
Gretsch USA Custom Maple/Gum
Gretsch Broadkaster Maple/Poplar/Maple
Gretsch Renown Maple
Gretsch Catalina Club Maple, Ash or Mahogany
Gretsch Energy Poplar
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