How Are Drum Shells Made?

a drum set

As a drummer, you should probably develop a thorough understanding of your instrument. While you may never feel compelled to actually make your own drum shells, knowing what goes into making them can help you make informed decisions when fleshing out your kit. Drum shells are deceptively simple in appearance, but they're actually fairly complex. Different shell materials produce different sounds, so a drummer will want shells made with materials that produce the desired sound.

Instructions

1. While drum shells can be made in a variety of ways, from plywood cylinders to stave construction, steam-bent and solid shells provide the best sound. To make a steam-bent shell, a single piece of wood is formed into a circle using steam and bending jigs. Be aware, this process does take some time. Glue your shell together at a single "scarf joint" and further tune the resulting cylinder on a lathe.

2. To make a solid shell, dry a hollowed-out tree trunk in a kiln and form this wood into a cylinder. Select your wood according to the sound quality you desire. Drum shells are usually made from either birch, maple or lauan. Maple is often said to have a warm sound and birch is described as sounding bright. The much less-expensive lauan is generally considered inferior to maple or birch, but if it's all your budget can manage, it's still better than acrylic.

3. Create your shell to the precise thickness for the type of sound you desire. Bear in mind that thinner shells produce lower tones and thicker shells produce higher sounds.

4. Make sure your shell is the right diameter and depth for the sound you want, keeping in mind that the larger the diameter, the deeper the resulting tone will be.

References

• wood is the most popular choice of drum shell material
• Drum Shells from the Inside Out
• Drumset Technicals
• Shell thickness