Not wishing to contribute to further derail Karl, but I don't get how used heads should affect the outcome. They take a bit more tension distance, but that's in the vertical plane if the lugs are lined up to the hoop holes correctly. Please enlighten me
Sure
I looked at my stuff last night.
Here's a run down. All drums have 2.3's:
6.5 CM, Bow ties -- NO angled rods.
8x14 Maple with Mach Lugs -- NO angled rods.
Bronze BB IMP lugs- 2 or 3
slightly angled rods--heads are almost 5 years on this drum (not used much, only recording/home, no gigs), and have been on and off a couple times. When I say "slightly", it's nothing like we've seen in pics.
2 Brass BB's IMP lugs--one had No angled rods, other one (used more) had 2 small angled, one just a tiny angle. Heads have been on and off on these drums too.
The Brass BB's used to have Tubes, and they never got rod splay with Tubes.
5x14 Acro Bow Ties NO angled rods.
6.5 Brass Edition IMP lugs --Quick look, 2 or 3
slightly angled rods, rest were fine.
"
New!" 6.5 Acro Classic Bow Ties, new heads, no rod splay.
LOVE IT BTW.
"
New!" 6.5 Acro LTD Bow Ties--looked, no splay, but not tuned up either--it's in the box for now
The Bow Tie lugs are actually
really straight on the wood and Acros.
The Hammered 402-- I can see a little on
a few rods, but not all of them.
This is the only one with any actual visible angle. I also just threw on an OLLLD Remo CS Black dot (so old it has the small logo!).
This head has been on and off several drums over a long time (I guess I'm cheap haha!)
Bottom is pretty straight on all rods, but no, not perfect.
I don't use this drum much, but I probably could put new heads on it since they have been on so long. I can see how the rods act then.
When I use
new heads, I make sure it's all lined up, and I finger tighten. Then I use a key, cross pattern tensioning (sometimes with 2 keys).
Maybe that explains why I don't get all the rods going in angled, I don't know.
After a while, the film isn't going to be evenly tensioned because I like to play around with sounds the drum will make, so, if the head is taken off for some reason, when it's put back on, it's not going to sit like it did originally. It might tune back up and sound good though.
A stretched head is gonna pull rods here and there if it's put back on too.
That CS BD head on the Hammered 402
has been on several drums (metal, wood, a FT at one point) like I said too...I need to buy a new one
I'm not being a fanboy, I don't owe Ludwig anything, & I don't like everything they make. I'm just not bothered if this splay thing happens.
I see 402's at the shop, and I CAN say, when I initially set them up,
mine don't look
anything like the angled rods I've seen on some drums on shelves or in pics.
The formula for making the Ludwig shell works, and the whole drum itself
sounds great, so if it doesn't look
exactly all perfect, I don't care.
I asked before, for the people really bothered by this, "do people PLAY the thing, or do they JUST LOOK at it?"
Does someone buy and instrument for the sound it makes or not?
Things not working properly is one thing, but a rod here and there that isn't perfectly straight is not a deal breaker IMO.
If, over the years, hoops, heads etc...have changed slightly, and Ludwig's shells
haven't, to redo the lugs now to compensate would take new tooling, which means investing BIG BUCKS, using up existing stock, etc...
SELMER isn't going to do it. Maybe the crew over at Ludwig might like to do it, but can't? Who knows?
We know that the drum sells tons of units every year, people love the sound, the drum functions as it should, and it has a unique sound (that other companies try to copy) the way it is, so, right or wrong, Selmer isn't going to change it.
The "problem"
is resolved by the gaskets they put on now.
EVERY maker uses gaskets on every lug, and no one complains about it .......
BUT, on a 402 (BB, or whatever)...people don't like the sound with the gaskets on the shell haha!.... what's the answer?
Take the gaskets off a DW, Tama or Pearl snare, and see what it does. That would be a good experiment, but I don't have any of their stuff.
FTR, other than my Hammered 402 drum, I'm not all that big a fan of the 402 (or 400), but, I like the sound when other people play it.
I like the sound of this new 6.5 Acro a lot more than the 402.
Sorry for the book-----------