tension rods loosening

[butter]

Hey all, I am starting to like this place more and more, it's a great forum with a great community! Now I have a question for you all

I play with my snare drum tilted towards me a little, so one side of the drum is at a lower height than the other. I used to have a steel snare that was of low quality and toward the end of it's career with me I started to notice that the tension rods on the lower side of the drum often loosened. Those on the higher side retained tension well, but I had to constantly tighten the other ones to keep a good sound and a tight enough head.

I never noticed this with my second snare...

I now own a Mapex Meridian Maple snare that came with the kit. I am not pleased with the sound right now, but I attribute that entirely to the head I am using. I gave the Evans reverse dot head a try, I don't like it. Anyway, I am having trouble with the tension rods on the lower side again. I thought maybe when I had this problem before it was just because of the low quality of the drum, but now I know my drum is of decent quality, so I ask:
Why is this happening?

[leeman_36]

make sure your head is properly seated all the way around and it could be that it is just your head stretching a little as it seats try retuning it and see what it does

[Pearl MCX Man]

Depends on the hoops. Single flange will de-tuned themselves while a double flange will hold it a little better, the triple flange even better but the best is Die Cast Hoops they hold their tunes for ever.

[kay-gee]

Lots of rimshots will detune lugs as well. It's a vibration thing.

all the best...

[Screwy]

Lug Locks.

[marko138]

I have one lug on each rack tom that comes loose as I play. It is the one on the side that is tilted on the low end...and I do tend to hit the rims sometimes...so it could very well be because of that.

I figured it was b/c they are lower quality Swingstars.

[MrB]

I used to have a similar but more severe problem- not only were my tension rods loosening, but I broke the lug directly underneath the spot I made contact with the rim!

I ended up buying a new snare after I went through three lugs, but the simplest remedy is free- rotate the drum a little bit each session to spread the force around. If it's enough to rattle the rods loose, then the shell is also under increased duress in that area.

Hey, you rotate the tires on your car so that they wear evenly too, right?

I'd wager spreading the force around also decreases the risk of ply separation or damage to the bearing edges, and probably also extends the life of the head.

[atomcorr2]

Lots of rimshots will detune lugs as well. It's a vibration thing.

all the best...

+1 its the rim shots that loosen the lugs . just keep a key handy.

[Dad3353]

Good evening, butter...
A+ for the rimshots as a prime cause. A common problem, on most drums, especially snares (equally bottom floor tom heads; you never think about them until suddenly they're all over the floor...). I had the problem for years, finally got it fixed with TightScrew tension rods, which have a nylon insert which 'binds' the thread (as with NyLock nuts...). I put them on my main snare first, then quickly adopted them on all. No mods to be made to the drum. You just need to be careful to state the correct lengths required.
Hope this helps...

[Dad3353]

Good evening, butter...
A+ for the rimshots being a principal cause, but this often happens to any drums (we've all got stories of neglecting the floor tom lower head, and losing a handful of rods on the stage floor...).
I solved this totally by adopting TightScrew tension rods. They have a nylon insert the length of the thread (as with NyLock anti-vibration nuts...), which 'binds' in the lug. I tried them first on my main snare, then quickly installed on all my kit. No mods, no fuss, and tuning's a 'breeze'. One has to carefully check the lengths required, that's all. All my heads are now as stable as one would wish.
Hope this helps.

[kay-gee]

I used to have a similar but more severe problem- not only were my tension rods loosening, but I broke the lug directly underneath the spot I made contact with the rim!

I ended up buying a new snare after I went through three lugs, but the simplest remedy is free- rotate the drum a little bit each session to spread the force around. If it's enough to rattle the rods loose, then the shell is also under increased duress in that area.

Hey, you rotate the tires on your car so that they wear evenly too, right?

I'd wager spreading the force around also decreases the risk of ply separation or damage to the bearing edges, and probably also extends the life of the head.

Oh my goodness! How hard are you hitting the freaking thing??!!

all the best...

[MrB]

Oh my goodness! How hard are you hitting the freaking thing??!!

I was young and angry, and I was absolutely laying in to it more than I should have.

I also cranked the top head as much as possible to try and achieve a sound similar to Jeremy Taggert's (Our Lady Peace). That snare was also set up in exactly the same orientation each time, and it was the same lug location that failed. Interestingly, there was a metal vent hole grommet that separated once as well, half falling to the floor and half rolling around the inside until I popped the head off and retrieved it.

It was around this time (2000-ish) that I read about William Goldsmith, another guy who talked about being a hard hitter, who went on to describe to Modern Drummer how his hard hitting not only took a toll on his equipment, but it caused lifelong damage to his ligaments and muscles.

That was enough to scare me straight. I sold that snare once I fixed it up (luckily the bearing edge and hoop had no discernable damage) and had Ayotte make me a copy of it; I went with them because they promised that their lugs simply would not break, period. They were also the only company at the time who let you choose the most options online, and it didn't hurt that the two drummers whose sound I coveted used them.

But yeah, long story short, there is a thing as too much. I've been trying to ease up for years.

[Greenmonster206]

Search TightScrew tension rods on the web. They have a built in nylon strip in the rod which actis the same way as a jam nut you would buy at the hardware store. I don't use them but I have heard very good things about them. This should solve your issue.