Prestons Top Tip No.1

The Drum Shell- choosing the right sound for you

The foundation of any drum building project is largely determined by what shell you choose. The shape, diameter, and depth of the shell will all influence the sound, therefore the sound you want for your drum will be defined by the shell you choose.

Things to consider are:

1. The smaller the diameter of the shell, the higher the pitch, fewer overtones, and less sustain.
2. The deeper the shell the lower fundamental pitch, more lower frequencies, more volume and increased projection.
3. A thicker shell has less sustain, and less volume.
4. The thinner the shell the more sustain, more volume and more overtones. Hence many thinner shelled drums require dampening for controlling some of those over tones,

Tiki Drums is a Keller drum shell supplier, we stock 6,8 and 10 ply shells which we can cut down to your specific requirements to create the sound you want.

For advice on achieving a specific sound please email us at info@tikidrums.com or click here to see the range of shells we stock. And if you can't find what you are looking for please contact us, we will do our best to get it in for you.

Top Tip No.2

Achieving an even wax coat on your shell

Sometimes when you are staining your shell with a wax stain you will find that it can go on blotchy and uneven on application.

To even out this blotchiness try applying a small amount of white spirit to a cloth and drag it gently over your drum shell with even strokes, you will find that the colour will even out beautifully across the shell and create a uniform finish.

Preston's Top tip No.3

Drilling holes in a veneered shell

When drilling new holes in a veneered shell, start off by drilling a pilot hole with a 1.5mm drill bit, once this is done use a correct size wooden drill bit (i.e a standard tube lug will require a 7mm diameter bit) for your lug and drill in an anti clock wise direction, this will make an initial cut without ripping the veneer. You will find that veneer will tend to tear if you go straight in with a clockwise cut due to its thin structure.

It is advised to make your holes with an initial depth cut of 1.5mm then finish drilling from the inside of the shell. This will minimise any risk of breakout.

Top Tip No. 4

Resolving snare buzz

If you are experiencing severe snare buzz your snare wires might be to wide for the width and depth of your snare bed. Its not a drum issue, its often the incorrect snare wires, using a narrower set of snare wires for a narrow snare bed should resolve this problem, but do not use 42 strand wires on a snare bed that is 4" wide as this will produce loose and rattly snare wires. instead try using a 20 strand or less.

Top Tip No. 5

Squeaky Tube Lugs!!

Most suppled shells these days are undersized, allowing greater flexibility to apply thicker veneers or drum wraps. The common problem for drum builders is the alignment of the lug with the tension rod. If you are using a self aligning lug ........... ah what do you mean by self aligning........ Well self aligning is the insert of the lug which is supported generally by a spring or plastic/rubber sleeve and allows the tension rod to have more flexibility in its vertical position to the lug. A tube lug for example does not have this as an option, the tension ideally should be aligned vertically with the tube lug.

Have you ever attached tube lugs and when you tighten the head they squeak?
This is due to the fact that there isn't enough packing out form the shell to the base of the lug, thats why the black grommets are useful, i however think they look naff and we like to use a nice steel washer which is are 0.75mm thick x 12mm diameter with a 6.5mm diameter hole. I've found that adding these to the lugs really helps align the lug and does not affect the aesthetic. If ever you need any of these let us know as we generally have them in stock, this could solve your squeaky tube lug problems.