Survey for Uni assessment

[drumstix]

Hey guys,

So last week I posted a thread asking for your opinions on different woods that drums are made out of. I didn't get too many responses, so I'm gonna try going about it another way. For a start, I am going to ask a simple question: Do you think there is a noticeable difference between different wood types?

Here's the other thread I mentioned: http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.p...ent-29735.html

[Northern Redneck]

Not as much as people claim.

[Pearl MCX Man]

There is a significant difference in sound that you get from each individual wood shells. Mostly it is preference to your ears that matches your genre of music to the rest of your kit. If that makes any sense lol.

[Ricardo]

There is most definitely a difference in many sound components between my birch set and my maple set.

[Zeta]

I have had SEVERAL different types of wood and ply count, re rings, mixed plies, brands, ect.

Each has its own voice.

I've owned:
DW Birch
Mapex Birch
Pearl MIJ Maple
Poplar
Fiberglass
Philippine Mahogany
Basswood
"hardwood"
Acousticon (saw dust and glue)
Ludwig 3 ply w/re rings
Slingerland w/re rings
Camco w/re rings
Keller Maple Snares

and a bunch of different ply counts and sizes/variations of these.

Heads, Edges, tuning have a huge impact. But Each wood vibrates differently. So every drum should be different (like snow flakes :P) However, going from drums made of the same type of wood from similar sources won't have a noticeable effect. But my Mapex M Birch vs my DW Heartwood Birch even sounded different. I know the quality is supposed to be vastly different but for this it should make sense. The Birch was taken from different sources and grew under different circumstances. The Mapex was probably grown "cheaper" so it would be a little softer/less dense. This allows it vibrate a little more freely like a loose rubber band. The DW Heartwood Birch is grown under more optimal conditions for birch which should allow it to become more dense. It's shell should vibrate consistently, like a rubber band pulled apart some.

[xweasel]

Yes. If you put two 10" toms side by side, one birch and the other maple, and have them tuned to the same tension with the same heads, played with the same stick at the same volume, then I'll likely be able to discern a difference lol

[Northern Redneck]

My point was with good tuning skills you can get any wood to sound good.

[late8]

I experimented with different types of wood shells. I combined two sets together; maple and birch. Both kits had different heads. I was able to tune the maple and birch toms so they complimented each other. If you were to close your eyes, in my opinion, you couldn't tell the two woods apart because I had tuned them together in the same room.





I continued my experiment by separating both maple and birch kits and tune them out of the room from each other. To my surprise, both kits sounded completely different.



In my most recent experiment, I set up two kits, both maple, both Gretsch kits, both had coated heads over clear resonance heads. I found the lesser costing kit sounding very close to the top of the line kit. If both had identical heads from one drum head maker, in my opinion, only a well trained ear can hear the difference. In conclusion, I think the selection of heads, bearing edge cut angle and tuning plays a huge role in how a drum can sound its best within its wood group.

[Doc_d]

Play a set of Mapex Saturns next to a plain maple kit and it's obvious that a little walnut completely changes the sound.

[signia fan]

Wood 100% makes a difference, however it is not 100% of the equation. All things involved make up the sound, change any one item will alter the final product, being a bearing edge on 1 or both sides, number and size of vents, hoop choice, lug choice and mounting systems, as well as head choices top and bottom, finished inner shell, raw, highly polished clearcoat or bees waxed, the room you play in, the stick you use and the intensity and stroke all add together to give you the final THUD.

[N2Bluz]

Pearl charges a lot of money for the Reference series, based on the theory that 100% Maple shells sound different that a Maple/Birch Mixed ply.

[pastor_bob]

Wood 100% makes a difference, however it is not 100% of the equation. All things involved make up the sound, change any one item will alter the final product, being a bearing edge on 1 or both sides, number and size of vents, hoop choice, lug choice and mounting systems, as well as head choices top and bottom, finished inner shell, raw, highly polished clearcoat or bees waxed, the room you play in, the stick you use and the intensity and stroke all add together to give you the final THUD.

I totally agree with this.