lower quality drum wood

#1 (**permalink**) 07-31-2005, 12:44 PM

Ok so some of the lower quality drum woods are basswood, philipine mahogany, and poplar. What are some brands that use these woods for their entry level kits, and which do you think offer the best sound?

#2 (**permalink**) 08-04-2005, 01:59 PM

there are a lot of brands, even high quality brands like pearl and tama who use some of these woods for their entry level kits.. I think mahogany is the most popular but I could be wrong..

Mahogany:

True mahogany from USA or Honduras will have about a 20% increase in low frequency resonance over the maple drum, mid and high frequencies will be the same from a reproduction point of view, but because the Mahogany has the 20% low end increase, the perceived tone is warmer. Certain deep red timbers from South East Asia are sold as a 'Mahogany', or 'Mahogany Finish' although they are not true Mahogany from USA or Honduras. It’s most likely called mahogany due either its common appearance (dark red) or due to the nature of the forestation being depleted and the stigma attached to it. Asian 'Philippine Mahogany' is often sourced from the endangered Dipterocarp forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Dependant on the source tree the timber types are often known as Meranti, Lauan and Keruing. Hence the name Philippine mahogany. The species known as Khaya Nyasica or African mahogany are more plentiful yet still endangered and therefore, not plentiful at this time.

Poplar:

Poplar is derived from fast growing straight medium hardwood trees and is a less expensive alternative to Birch and Maple. Its finish can be somewhat green in color and is therefore used in the inner ply layers as substitute for more expensive and less plentiful woods. To my ear it takes on more of the tone of birch or mahogany than maple.

Basswood:

Basswood is a great less expensive hardwood that mimics the sound of Maple to some, mahogany to others. Yet it is more plentiful and gives the manufacturer a price advantage. It in many ways is an upgrade to luaan, or ramin and is often used as a core wood with a bit more of the lower register tone to it than realized out of maple. For this reason I tend to think of it more like mahogany than maple.

I'd suggest you save up and buy a kit with a better wood like birch or maple

malletjazz · #3 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beamerzz

Poplar:

Poplar is derived from fast growing straight medium hardwood trees and is a less expensive alternative to Birch and Maple. Its finish can be somewhat green in color and is therefore used in the inner ply layers as substitute for more expensive and less plentiful woods. To my ear it takes on more of the tone of birch or mahogany than maple.

FWIW, my late-70s six-ply Ludwig set has tom and bass shells made from a combination of maple plies and poplar plies. I think that as an interior ply, used in combination with other tonewoods, poplar can be quite effective. At least, I'm very happy with the sound of my toms and bass - YMMV.

#4 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 09:51 PM

are you still using that 70s kit??

malletjazz · #5 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by escalade

are you still using that 70s kit??

Yep. One of these days I want to build or buy something new (or even "vintage but new to me"), but now that I've got RIMS mounts on my Luddies (I know that not everyone is pro-RIMS, but they really helped the rack toms on this set), I'm really happy with the sound of these drums.

#6 (**permalink**) 09-02-2005, 08:48 PM

Wow, now that's what I call, going with what works. Usually people don't stay with one kit for up to 35 years. Congrats! Are you guys married with children? haha

malletjazz · #7 (**permalink**) 09-03-2005, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by escalade

Wow, now that's what I call, going with what works. Usually people don't stay with one kit for up to 35 years. Congrats! Are you guys married with children? haha

LOL

Lessee...I got these in (thinking...thinking...) 1977, when I was in 7th grade. So, we're only up to what, 28 years? No time at all!

Actually, I'm primarily a vibes and steel pan player, and for about ten years, I didn't really have any involvement with drum set, so this kit spent the better part of a decade patiently waiting in my parents' basement. A couple of years ago, I got the drum set "bug" again, dusted 'em off, stuck some RIMS mounts and new heads on 'em, and they sounded better than I expected.

I'm pretty happy with the way they sound these days (http://www.malletjazz.com/snares/maplestave/soca01.mp3), but at some point, if I can get some gigs to justify another set, I want to go with something newer, just for the sake of variety.

#8 (**permalink**) 09-03-2005, 04:10 PM

That's a decent sounding kit...
What are you using to record? And are the cymbals from 1977 as well?

malletjazz · #9 (**permalink**) 09-04-2005, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwjd777

That's a decent sounding kit...
What are you using to record? And are the cymbals from 1977 as well?

Thanks for the kind words. They're not bad drums - not the best you'll get, but plenty good for my purposes.

FWIW (now that I've totally hijacked this thread, for which I apologize profusely...), the kit was mic'd with two Marshall large-diaphragm condensors as overheads, and an SM57 pointed at the bass drum as an experiment (altho I did a lousy job of positioning it - the bass drum sounds much better than it does on the mp3), recorded thru a Presonus mic pre' into an old Fostex D90. Typical DIY home-studio stuff. The hi hats are a mix - Paiste Dimensions thin top and a late '70s A Zildjian New Beat bottom. (I've got the matching cymbals for both - I just think this is a nice combination). The ride is a 20" Paiste Prototype, which I picked up two or three years ago. The snare is a 6x14 tiger maple segment shell.

BTW, the top drum is a 10x8 Pearl Export. The smallest tom on the Ludwig set was a 12x8, and after months of trying to find a double-headed 10" Ludwig tom from the same era at a reasonable price, a friend suggested the Export tom - so I picked one up cheap and tried it. It sounds surprisingly good, and is a good match for the kit - which is either high praise for the Export, or a condemnation of the Ludwigs.