? about bearing edges

[larlev]

How many of you have actually checked your shells to see if they are flat and true?????

I just watched the Bob Gatzen tuning DVD....learned a few things....

[radiofriendlyunitshifter]

i have. and i'm sure almost everyone here has. bearing edges are... important.

[larlev]

I was just curious.....a friend of mine came over today, and brought his kit.....I was checking out the shells and noticed that they where not flat at all....They rocked back and forth pretty bad...He put on Die-cast hoops and couldn't get them to tune up at all....

Now I see why.....with his rolled hoops it made up for the sloppy shells....die-cast cannot be used on shells that are not perfectly true.

[Fat Elvis]

I could not get my DW to tune properly. Checked my bearing edges and they were bad... i just got them re-cut at Pork Pie (lots of pics to come). Let me just say this:

it makes ALL the difference!!!!

[Synthetik]

My drums are 2.92mm shells. The bearing edge as it comes out of the mold is like a knife.

[larlev]

I could not get my DW to tune properly. Checked my bearing edges and they were bad... i just got them re-cut at Pork Pie (lots of pics to come). Let me just say this:

it makes ALL the difference!!!!


Man don't tell me your DW's were bad.....I looked my ddrum over...needless to say it is getting all shells redone as we speak.....snare and 10" where really bad...

Do you think the DW's were abused or just bad from the factory....or just lost some of the sharpness from years of use....I am looking to buy another kit and can't decide between a Delite or DW.....

[larlev]

My drums are 2.92mm shells. The bearing edge as it comes out of the mold is like a knife.

Quit rubbing it in..... :)

[Ozzy Biz]

Well my drums are pacific and the edges are most likely pretty shabby in comparison to anything from it's price range or above. Damn, now I feel inadequate...

Biz

[Synthetik]

Well my drums are pacific and the edges are most likely pretty shabby in comparison to anything from it's price range or above. Damn, now I feel inadequate...

Biz

I do know that custom drum shops offer the service of re-cutting bearing edges. It's worth it.

[Fat Elvis]

Man don't tell me your DW's were bad.....I looked my ddrum over...needless to say it is getting all shells redone as we speak.....snare and 10" where really bad...

Do you think the DW's were abused or just bad from the factory....or just lost some of the sharpness from years of use....I am looking to buy another kit and can't decide between a Delite or DW.....

My DW edges were horrible. I kept having a really hard time tuning. I thought at first it might have been the heads... got new heads, but while i was changing them i saw that i had a few nicks in the edge and that the edge was not even.

I took my drums to Pork Pie in LA -- I will be posting in detail of what they did (including some great pics of Pork Pie). I found out that my DW's were made in 1995 (date stamp) so maybe after all that time of 11 years of playing and gigging with different drummers, the edges just took a beating? I dont know, because the drums themselves have not a single scratch on them.

But anways, some time at Pork Pie and $125 later, my edges are BETTER than the factory (i will also go into detail about that as well). I highly recommend Pork Pie for bearing edges.

Now they tune perfectly and sound absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!

EDIT: oh and larlev, put my vote down for DW. I played with my band today, and these drums sounded perfect! Like incredible. And that is with Coated Ambassadors over Clear Ambassadors.

[Ozzy Biz]

I'll have to consider having them re-cut. I assume it's harder to have done for a reasonable price in Aus however because the drum industry in significantly smaller and there are only a few custom shops, most who are probably not cheap. I'll look into it after exams

Biz

[Fat Elvis]

I'll have to consider having them re-cut. I assume it's harder to have done for a reasonable price in Aus however because the drum industry in significantly smaller and there are only a few custom shops, most who are probably not cheap. I'll look into it after exams

Biz

Brady? I cant see where it would be expensive to get them re-cut anywhere you go -- takes little time. I went to Pork Pie (which I found out a LOT of pro's go to) and they cut three drums for me for $125. Cant beat that.

[Ozzy Biz]

Brady? I cant see where it would be expensive to get them re-cut anywhere you go -- takes little time. I went to Pork Pie (which I found out a LOT of pro's go to) and they cut three drums for me for $125. Cant beat that.

Well, I'd consider Brady is they weren't on the opposite side of Australia to me (Western Australia, I'm in NSW/Victoria). There's also Dee Jay drums, but they're in South Australia and Spirit Drums is in Cairns (waaaay north of me). I don't know of any builders in Melbourne or nearby, but I'll have a bit of a research and see what I come up with.

Biz

[larlev]

I just got my shells back today.....the edges are now perfect....

For those of you who have poor edges, spend the $100 or so dollars and have them recut....

It really makes a difference.....

I have learned however, that my 10" with cast hoops does not accept a EC2 coated worth a damn....the combination of cast and edge ring just don't work....no matter what tuning is used compared to the 12" and 16"

[Fat Elvis]

good, im glad you got that done. Made a huge difference for me as well.

i am considering re-heading my Starclassic (die-cast hoops as well). I will post a thread in the heads section.... maybe you can post your thoughts?

[larlev]

The money was well spent......

On a side note.....I have the option to buy a Yamaha Beech 6 pc. for a ridiculous price....funny how things work....lose an auction...win in the long run....

It's such a deal...I don't think I can pass.....

[xkevinx]

i should put up some pictures of the bearing edges on my Kroth kit (vintage slingerland copy from japan). I bought it at the thrift store i used to work at for 15 bucks. they have the old style thick rounded bearing edges. I *really* like the sound of round bearing edges. These edges are SO wrecked i can't imagine what happened to them, big dents all over the place. They still sound pretty good, but I imagine they'd be alot better with perfect edges. In my opinion the very most important part of drum construction is the accuracy and consistency of the bearing edges.

[larlev]

I had my 10" and 12" cut to a 45.....The 16" I had cut at 60 to eliminate some of the excess resonance.....sounds incredible....

You are exactly right....edges are absolutely critical to achieving great sound out of a kit

You can have cheaper wood shells and stilll get a great tone...as long as the edges are nice....

[cringlebush]

this one time... i took my exports to school and recut them my self... man i was smart.
oh well... i got myself a nice set of dw collectors series. with gyroscope streetcred.

[rendezvous_drummer]

My Stage Customs had perfect bearing edges, so I never had to worry about recutting them...just another reason to go with Yamaha.

[SketcHyRollin564]

How many of you have actually checked your shells to see if they are flat and true?????

I just watched the Bob Gatzen tuning DVD....learned a few things....

Im thinking about picking up that DVD. How long is it, and how in depth do they explain things? I have always never been able to really be good at tuning, and im sure there would be plenty of other helpful things to know in that video that i could learn as well.

[hauk]

its 155 min. long, and i dont actually have it but you can check out its in-depthness (yeah, its a word) from the clips on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcvQDh7U6Lo
there's some more clips in the sidebar thing

[aceman]

My Stage Customs had perfect bearing edges, so I never had to worry about recutting them...just another reason to go with Yamaha.


My stage custom bearing edges were in great shape also. Have never heard a better sounding mid-range kit in 33 years of drumming. Very very close to my MCAN kit.

[Fat Elvis]

My Stage Customs had perfect bearing edges, so I never had to worry about recutting them...just another reason to go with Yamaha.

im sorry, but that is no reason to go with yamaha

while there may be lots of reasons, the only mid range kit i have ever heard people talk about bearing edge issues is a PDP. While I have not owned a kit from every manufacturer (and to be honest, i have only owned 5 kits -- 2 pro) and have only had bearing edge issues with my DW (my most pricey kit) simply because the kit is 12 years old and was purchased from a regular gigging professional musician -- otherwise im sure they would have been perfect as well.

so i think the only argument is yamaha is simply as good as almost every other major drum manufacturer when it comes to quality of bearing edges.

[rendezvous_drummer]

im sorry, but that is no reason to go with yamaha

while there may be lots of reasons, the only mid range kit i have ever heard people talk about bearing edge issues is a PDP. While I have not owned a kit from every manufacturer (and to be honest, i have only owned 5 kits -- 2 pro) and have only had bearing edge issues with my DW (my most pricey kit) simply because the kit is 12 years old and was purchased from a regular gigging professional musician -- otherwise im sure they would have been perfect as well.

so i think the only argument is yamaha is simply as good as almost every other major drum manufacturer when it comes to quality of bearing edges.

It's still a pro instead of a con haha.

[mofle]

its 155 min. long, and i dont actually have it but you can check out its in-depthness (yeah, its a word) from the clips on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcvQDh7U6Lo
there's some more clips in the sidebar thing

That was AMAZING! I really hope they have this in my shop or on order around here! Just that little clip helped me so much! Thanks for posting!

[Mediocrefunkybeat]

Actually I'll be honest and say I haven't done this. My drums do sound great, however, so I don't really feel the need. When I get my new snare (Monday I'm hoping) I'll give it a thorough once over, but it should be flawless.

[bs.drums]

I recived a Yamaha Musashi Oak snare as a gift, bought brand new from guitar center in Modesto or Sacramento (CA), im not sure. The top bearing edge is perfect. But the snare side looks like someone bumped the drum while it was spinning on the lathe, all the way around the bottom of the shell i can feel and see small humps and dips along the rim but the berring edge is fine.

Check your gear as close as you can before you buy it.

[bojangleman]

maybe its some sort of new snare bed?..lol....and they dont use a lathe....its a table router...

I recived a Yamaha Musashi Oak snare as a gift, bought brand new from guitar center in Modesto or Sacramento (CA), im not sure. The top bearing edge is perfect. But the snare side looks like someone bumped the drum while it was spinning on the lathe, all the way around the bottom of the shell i can feel and see small humps and dips along the rim but the berring edge is fine.

Check your gear as close as you can before you buy it.

Alex

[Michael G]

My bearing edges are horribly bad.

Drums still sound amazing and like any other old Ludwig I've heard.

[bs.drums]

very funny
i still have not contacted yamaha, when i do i will report back with their solution.

bs.drums
www.the blameshifters.com


maybe its some sort of new snare bed?..lol....and they dont use a lathe....its a table router...



Alex

[sejives]

How many of you have actually checked your shells to see if they are flat and true?????

I just watched the Bob Gatzen tuning DVD....learned a few things....

Hi, I´ve been having a hell of a hard time trying to tune my DW´s.
I don´t think my shells are out of round but it might be the bearing edges.
they are "curvy", I thought they were supposed to be pretty sharp.

also, my kit has a wrap finish. is the wrap supposed to be glued all the way
up to the bearing edges ? in other words, were´nt you supposed to be able
to see a piece of the "natural wood" between the finish ply and the bearing edge?
whatever I do, the drum sounds choked. its not a head problem, i´ve tried many
different ones and they all choke the sound. i tuned them myself, took it to a drum shop, had many drummers trying to tune it, tuned it with a drum dial, you name it. the thing won´t budge.

could you please send me the photos of your edges when they were recut by pork pie ?
many thanx

sejuyz@hotmail.com

[Fat Elvis]

Hi, I´ve been having a hell of a hard time trying to tune my DW´s.
I don´t think my shells are out of round but it might be the bearing edges.
they are "curvy", I thought they were supposed to be pretty sharp.

also, my kit has a wrap finish. is the wrap supposed to be glued all the way
up to the bearing edges ? in other words, were´nt you supposed to be able
to see a piece of the "natural wood" between the finish ply and the bearing edge?
whatever I do, the drum sounds choked. its not a head problem, i´ve tried many
different ones and they all choke the sound. i tuned them myself, took it to a drum shop, had many drummers trying to tune it, tuned it with a drum dial, you name it. the thing won´t budge.

could you please send me the photos of your edges when they were recut by pork pie ?
many thanx

sejuyz@hotmail.com

wow -- been a LONG ass time since i was on here. Okay well i checked, i dont have any bearing edge pics of my dw's. However i do not remember them being rounded at all - i will tell you that they were chewed up and it was MUCH easier to tune after i got the edges recut. Im sure thats a big part of your problem. As far as the sound being choked, DW's can be finiky, but they should tune -- i used to tune in 4ths without too much of an issue. I will admit that my starclassic and ludwig were easier to tune, but only slightly.

get the edges re-cut -- its pretty cheap and it should sound awesome.

[caddywumpus]

My bearing edges are horribly bad.

Drums still sound amazing and like any other old Ludwig I've heard.

When the shells are thin and spectacular-sounding like the old Ludwigs, the bearing edges add a lot of "character" to the sound. They still sound great, even with less-than-perfect bearing edges. I don't get all of the "perfect bearing edge" hype, when I have the proof against it right in front of me...

My DWs have perfect bearing edges (I've checked), and try as I may, I just can NOT get these darn tubs to sound bad. No matter how high or low (until wrinkled, of course) I tune them, I can't get them to choke or sound muffled. They just sing and sing, no matter what heads or tuning I use on them. Does anyone else have this problem? (Don't actually answer the question. It's called sarcasm. My DWs are amazing!)

[larryace]

I just got a set of DW Collectors in May and I have to admit I agree with Fat Elvis that when it comes to tuning, they are finicky. But they are like the Ferrari of drums. Once you get to know them, they sound like no other, huge, warm, pure, focused and BIG with great attack. They have atmosphere. I use clear ambassadors over clear ambassadors totally unmuffled and tuned to perfection for the most open sound I can get. I seriously attribute their great sound to the thin maple shells with reinforcement ring construction. If all the companies would offer that kind of shell, they would seriously give DW some competition. Hey Elvis did you ever try die cast hoops on your DW's? I'm curious to see what that would sound like. I have black hardware so finding black die cast might be difficult. I'm scared to measure my edges ha ha, but I should probably do so since they are still under warranty. To me the difference between the sound of Yamaha, Pearl, Tama, and DW is like comparing the sound of a Honda to the sound of a Harley....