Drum Shells

A lot of attention is given to drum shells when purchasing a drumset. Most manufacturers stress which kind of wood was used in producing their drumset, such as maple, birch, bubinga, mahogany and many other types of exotic woods. With all the possibilities out there, it can be confusing to know just what to get. Here I'm going to try to break down most of the differences between all the shells options to help you decide what you need for the sound you want.

The two most popular wood types used in shells are maple and birch. Below I cover the different properties of each.

Maple Drums
Birch Drums

Shells Composition

There are many factors in shell production that can effect the sound of the drums. Some companies use materials other than woods to create their shells. This is most commonly found on snare drums, but some entire kits can be made from aluminum, fiberglass, and other synthetic materials. I cover these and other factors below.

Metal Drums

Bearing Edges

Drum Sizes

Drum Wrap

More on Shells

I just wanted to cover a few more things about the shell. First, I'd like to cover a few things about Drum Care. I also hear a lot about drummers wanting to stop their drums from ringing. I'll cover a few options on ways to stop ringing and give you a few reasons on why you may not want to stop them from ringing. It's all covered in my lesson on Drum Rings. You may also want to learn more about using a Drum Muffler.

Leave Drum Shells and Learn More About Drums on the Homepage.

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