Head Doesn't Fit Tom

First of all, I apologize if this problem has already been remedied in other threads, but I did briefly search to no avail.

I bought Aquarian Super 2's with Studio-X ring heads for my toms. My 16" and 10" fit, but the 12" won't sit on the drum properly. My kit is the ddrum Reflex, of which the 12" tom has about a millimeter thick plastic wrap that overlaps for about 1.5" along the circumference of the drum. The head fits in the hoop just fine, but I can't get the head to properly sit on the drum without warping the head's film (which obviously isn't a proper sit). I used a measuring tape to test the roundness of both the head and the shell, and both seem to be fine.

Assuming I have no money and cannot buy new drumheads, are there any options to get this head to fit on the drum?

Did the old head fit the same? Measure the drum, it should be 1/8" undersized - 11 7/8". If that's not the problem, Aquarian has some of the best customer service you can get, call them up and tell them your problem if the store you bought it from won't take it back.

While you have the drum apart, take it to the store and find one that fits. The store should have no issue taking it back.

Thanks very much, guys. Before I read these, I actually resolved the problem by switching the side of the drum that the batter and resonant heads were sitting on. It's still a snug fit, but the head doesn't warp this way, and I got it sounding pretty good. I guess that's strike one for ddrum, although Aquarian is known for their thick collars.

jodgey4 said:

Did the old head fit the same? Measure the drum, it should be 1/8" undersized - 11 7/8". If that's not the problem, Aquarian has some of the best customer service you can get, call them up and tell them your problem if the store you bought it from won't take it back.

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I measured the 10" and 12" toms, and I discovered something strange: the 10" is definitely 1/8" short, but the 12" is no more than a 1/16" shorter. Another thing I noticed when the drum was apart is that the 12" batter head was shy of 12". Maybe I can still call Aquarian and find out whether or not this is a defect.

GRUNTERSDAD said:

While you have the drum apart, take it to the store and find one that fits. The store should have no issue taking it back.

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I bought these heads back in December from Musician's Friend, so this wouldn't have worked. I'll certainly do this next time, and hopefully I won't have to switch head types, because I really like them.

Glad you resolved it. I had a similar problem with the aluminum ring being too big and the rim would not fit over it. I put new EC2 clears on my kit yesterday all good exept the 10. There was a 4" spot that would bubble up and NOT tighten. I removed and turned it 90 degrees, same bubble. This was the first Evans head I've seen that bad. Exchanged it for a new one this morning and it was perfect. I don't mind saving a buck online but I don't bother buying heads for this same reason, if you get a bad one you are stuck with it.

So in your case, it actually was the head, huh? I guess mine was a defect then. I mean, I'm sure the wrap didn't help, but heads shouldn't be that tight. This brings me to wonder if heads that are too tight on a drum can warp a shell over time... scary thought.

I haven't experienced a warped drum before but I imagine they probably could over time and change in temperature if your drums are exposed to such environments (i.e. uninsulated garages). If my memory is correct, I saw a post where the isolation mounts were too small causing pressure on each side of the shell that caused the tom to warp. Nothing more frustrating than having a stubborn tom that wont tune without pulling a few teeth.

HAHA! What a big suprise!! My heads don't fit either. Tell DDrum you want your money back! They seriously are ruining themselves. Poor poor design and manufacturing. Let me guess... The stock heads fit...?

Here is what I had to do to make my Evans heads fit on my DDrums Dios.

1. Place the head on the bearing edge and centre it as much as possible.
2. Place the counter hoop over the head and put all the tension rods in finger tight.
3. Put you finger in the centre and put a little bit of pressure on it.
4. Begin to tighten the rods 1/8 turn at a time, keeping pressure on the centre of the head (this just centres the head - Its not a "seating process)
5. Check to make sure the the head is touching the bearing edge all the way around. If it doesn't touch in one particular place, loosen the opposite tension rod and tension the problematic side.
6. Keep pushing in the centre to ensure the head in centred.
7. Once you have brought it up to pitch, you can begin to focus on tuning.

DDrum have messed up big time across their range.

Hope this helps.......

DDrum sounds like an accident looking for a place to happen.

Dennis

So all ddrums have this problem with drumheads? Why don't they just make their shells the right size like everyone else?! Do you other ddrum owners have wraps on your kits too? Because I feel like the heads would fit better without the wrap for mine.

And yes, the stock heads fit perfectly, with unrealistically thin collars.

Typo said:

So all ddrums have this problem with drumheads? Why don't they just make their shells the right size like everyone else?! Do you other ddrum owners have wraps on your kits too? Because I feel like the heads would fit better without the wrap for mine.

And yes, the stock heads fit perfectly, with unrealistically thin collars.

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Since they changed manufacturers, they have had this issue. I have brought it to their attantion, whether they take my advice or not, that an different issue all together!

Some are sprayed such as the Dominion, Dios, Diatribe etc but the reflex is a wrap. I think they have oversized the shells for some reason... You could always get your bearing edges recut. You should not have to do that - but what else you gonna do. You could call DDrum and demand a new shell. Also, if you tell them that the heads don't fit, maybe they will start to listen!

Im not slandering DDrum - My user name has DDrum in it... Ive sworn for them for so long. The Dios M is my 3rd consecutive DDrum kit. Ive been with them for 7 years... Ive had enough... Im switching to DW.

My tom rack tom heads fit fine, the kick drum is the problem for me. Check them for roundness and let me know. I though this was the problem initially... but now this post has just confirmed that the design is dodgy. Do you have problems with getting your tension rods to go into the lugs die to not enough play in the counter hoops?

By the way, wrap or painted... aftermarket heads should fit! No other drum manufacturer has this problem...

No, the tension rods are fine, and when I measured for roundness on the 12", it was perfect. I think they're just making their shells too big.

What brand of heads do you use?

Typo said:

No, the tension rods are fine, and when I measured for roundness on the 12", it was perfect. I think they're just making their shells too big.

What brand of heads do you use?

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Evans. To be precise - EC2s over EC Reso's and EMAD2 / EMAD Reso.

I think they make their shells to big too...

I might then try Remo the next head change. I use them for snare heads and the hoops seem a bit thinner.

Alot of this has to do with the head collars as pointed out in an earlier post... I had the same experience with Aquarian heads and a Gretsch Cat jazz... I can't say for sure that this is the issue across the board,.. I will see what happens when my Reflex is delivered next week. I have a set of Classic clears (Aquarian) waiting.

You could try using a sharp utility knife to trim the wrap at the overlap where it sits under the head collar.

Soupy said:

You could try using a sharp utility knife to trim the wrap at the overlap where it sits under the head collar.

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Wow. It's really weird that you suggest this, because this is exactly the first thing I tried on the first day I got the drums. It probably wasn't the best idea because now the warranty is likely voided. It helped a bit, but still very snug. Remo's work, and I'll be trying Evans soon.

By the way, pearlygates, be sure to let me know if your Aquarians fit.

Typo said:

Wow. It's really weird that you suggest this, because this is exactly the first thing I tried on the first day I got the drums. It probably wasn't the best idea because now the warranty is likely voided. It helped a bit, but still very snug. Remo's work, and I'll be trying Evans soon.

By the way, pearlygates, be sure to let me know if your Aquarians fit.

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Will do mate.. like I said, I have experienced this issue when trying to fit Aquarians on a Gretsch Cat Jazz. I will be putting up a thread when my kit gets here.

I have heard about this ddrum problem from several threads here on this forum.
I guess that I got lucky, I bought 4 ddrum Duo Fade Maple Blue To Black toms at different times and from different vendors on eBay over a period of two years.

All 4 of my drums are fine.