mahogany vs maple

[RicardoG]

hi, first time poster, long time reader!
Lately I've been wanting a new kit, and I've narrowed it down to 2 options. both are in the same price range, and both of them are good kits, but one is mahogany and the other is maple. From your experience, how do you compare them? for example, is the sound of one warmer than the other, the volume etc.
sorry for ze bad english :p

Ricardo

(ps: i'm not trying to compare 2 kits, but 2 types of wood)

[sXeDanimalsXe]

Is it a high end kit with mahogany? or is it a lower end kit? Mahogany has a lot of low end. It does sound good but the thing to remember is bass is harder to "cut through." Maple on the other hand has a very strong mid range to it that cuts through a bit better. If its a high end kit I might be tempted to go with the mahogany, but if its low end or mid range kit, the mahogany is usually cheap and sounds weak and doesn't have a wide tuning range. Maple on low end-mid line kits sound pretty decent. If your not going to have drum mics and will be playing with a band I would stay away from mahogany.

[RicardoG]

in this particular case it's a gretsch catalina jazz, so it's a low-end kit.
and the style of music that I play the most is funk/jazz, so you can have an idea of the sound I'm looking for. The drums are also meant to be at home for pratice, not for gigs/studio etc. thanks for the reply

[thesilentnoise]

i own a gretsch catalina jazz.

and altholugh the wood its made out of isnt the best i have to say it sounds pretty good.
for the price i think it is an excellent set of drums.

i use them for giging and practicing so if youre just going to use them for practice id say go ahead.

[sXeDanimalsXe]

I do like those drums. If you tune them high enough and go for that "bop" sound any wood sounds ok. I think its a cool kit... yeah.. there are nicer kits but I can't think of any major brand that makes a maple kit in those sizes around that price...

[Skitch]

These are actually pretty good drum kits, especially for the price. However, in a pop music setting (anything other than jazz) the 18" bass drum has punch but not a lot of presence; low end is something that is really there or it isn’t. The Mahogany shell is regaining some popularity as even DW is getting in on the Mahogany act with their DW Classic line of drums utilizing Poplar-mahogany shells.


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

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[DamoSyzygy]

It doesnt matter all that much. Dont be fooled by the advertising. Go up to each kit and check the mounting systems and versatility of the hardware. THAT is whats most important, as its hardware that will start failing you first.

Companies trying to trick you in believing that one kind of wood produces significantly more lows, mids, or highs than another kind of wood is just bogus marketing.

You want extra depth? Buy bigger drums, use single ply heads and tune them low - Thats 95% of your sound, right there.

[RobertM]

Damo's got a very good point. I was just looking into a Pearl Masterworks snare today with either maple/mahogany or all mahogany makeup. I asked a friend of mine who works in drum retail and plays professionally what the difference would be sonically in a hybrid shell drum, and the example I asked him about was maple/birch. He said it's mainly marketing. He argued that there is a sonic difference in a birch/maple snare versus a solely maple snare, but he thinks it is minimal--that is, you would need the ears of Superman to hear the difference in most cases.

I've usually noticed what makes the most difference in sound is the obvious: head choice and tuning. With those two factors, you can easily confuse a 6 ply snare for a 16 ply snare, or a maple for a birch.

[RicardoG]

thanks for the replies! I'll take that in consideration, for sure :) I found a store that sells the catalina for 600€ hardware included (usually it's that price for the shells only). thanks !