Wooden hoops?

Joe P

Senior Member
Okay, so I've seen a lot of drums with wood hoops, but could someone explain to me exactly the difference between the wooden hoop and a metal hoop (whether it be die-cast or triple flanged)?
 
I wouldn't think they'd be as durable as metal... I mean, wouldn't they dent? And might they crack after hitting the same spot a couple (thousand) times for rimshots?
 
Wood hoops are not as durable as metal.. you can dent them, but you wont crack them if they are not abused. Die cast is easier to tune IMO and has more of a dry almost more precise sound, triple flanged is more of an open sound and dosent tune as well. I have never owned wood hoops.. so i cannot comment on how they sound.
 
If I'm not mistaken, I think they are mostly used to complement your snare depending on the material. If I had a maple snare, I would buy one for that.
 
Wood hoops are not as durable as metal.. you can dent them, but you wont crack them if they are not abused. Die cast is easier to tune IMO and has more of a dry almost more precise sound, triple flanged is more of an open sound and dosent tune as well. I have never owned wood hoops.. so i cannot comment on how they sound.


I can't state how they are different sound-wise either but with the advanced in technology and treatment of wood, the wood hoop is probably going to be fine in the dirability department. If you look at Johnny Craviotto for instance, he's building complete sets of drums from a single ply of wood. In the days of yore, this wouldn't hold up.


Mike

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

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
 
I've played a wood hooped birch snare for a little under two years now. A few points:

- First of all, the sound is warmer, rounder and overall "woodier" than its metal counterparts.
- They are almost as rigid as die-cast hoops, making tuning more even and stable.
- They are very durable. Countless rim-shots have left only cosmetic marks on the finish. No dents, no cracks, no splinters.
 
I play a 3 piece Yamaha Maple Custom kit with an Elvin Jones Sig snare (so, 4 drums) all with wood hoops on top and bottom. I've had the drums and the same hoops for 8 years. They are 19 ply.

I am by no means a "basher" but I do play hard/loud for extended periods of time, and as a whole - they have stood up, but:

I had to rotate the snare a bit because the first place I was hitting after 4-5 years started splintering at the hole where the tuning rod goes through. That is the only really vulnerable place on the hoops. The inside edges of those holes are a little rough, and after years of beating started chipping away. But not to the point of worrying about the structural integrity of the hoop...Also - a bit of denting there. I rotated the snare so I was hitting another spot on the hoop and it's been fine. I also have a few plies here and there that have a very small crack on the snare hoop.

The warmth and subtle (SUBTLE) muffling action going on with them totally matches the aesthetic of what my fiberskyns/reneissance (SP?) heads are doing.

You can hear my drums well recorded at my myspace page on two tracks: Set Closer and Improv I. www.myspace.com/colonelslastwaltz - the other stuff are little demos that are not that kit (one's a casio keyboard drum sound!) I think they sound great...but I'm biased. Those are my babies!
 
I had to rotate the snare a bit because the first place I was hitting after 4-5 years started splintering at the hole where the tuning rod goes through. That is the only really vulnerable place on the hoops. The inside edges of those holes are a little rough, and after years of beating started chipping away. But not to the point of worrying about the structural integrity of the hoop...Also - a bit of denting there. I rotated the snare so I was hitting another spot on the hoop and it's been fine. I also have a few plies here and there that have a very small crack on the snare hoop.


And nothing is going to last forever.


Mike

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

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
 
You can hear my drums well recorded at my myspace page on two tracks: Set Closer and Improv I. www.myspace.com/colonelslastwaltz - the other stuff are little demos that are not that kit (one's a casio keyboard drum sound!) I think they sound great...but I'm biased. Those are my babies!

woah your music really sounds like what you state it sounds like in the myspace profile.
incredibly accurate :0
 
I just put a pair on my DW 5x14 maple snare. I personally think it adds resonance and I love the way they feel. Rim shots are sweet also.

Exactly. I have maple hoops on my snare. Rim shots are ping-y-er, cross-sticks are phatter, and the overall sound of the drum is warmer, thicker and more resonant. Love 'em!

It is possible to dent or crack them, I don't recommend them for really heavy players. But if they're well-constructed and have a good layer of lacquer on them, they can take a pretty good beating.
 
i was just wondering, does anyone know any information on PDP woodhoops?
i know they're less expensive than Yamaha hoops and PDP's woodhoops are cheaper in price. But can someone give more information regarding how's the quality and is it really cheap to the extent that it would crack if I do a really hard rimshot? I play light in generally and in fact i rarely do very hard rimshots.

If possible i'd like to know if there's some info on the plies or the construction of the woodhoops as I was having some trouble finding information on them online.

Thanks for any info.
 
Okay, so I've seen a lot of drums with wood hoops, but could someone explain to me exactly the difference between the wooden hoop and a metal hoop (whether it be die-cast or triple flanged)?

Sure. Wood hoops are the current fad, or were for awhile. I challenge anyone to listen to a recording of a drum kit and be able to tell whether or not the snare has wood hoops.
I don't even think they look good. Just more nonsense to get you to spend your money.
 
Wood hoops are the current fad, or were for awhile. I challenge anyone to listen to a recording of a drum kit and be able to tell whether or not the snare has wood hoops.

I've been able to compare two identical kits; one of them is fitted with wood hoops and the other one with triple flanged steel hoops. Believe it or not, the difference in sound is quite drastic. The steel hooped tom-toms have a brighter attack and resonance, whereas their wood hooped counterparts exhibit darker, warmer, rounder and "woodier" tones. Mind you, neither one is better than the other -- they're just different sounds. Then again, a rim-shot sound on a wood hooped snare is something quite awesome...
 
I agree. There is a tonal difference. The rim shot/taps sound very different too.

But , the way they seem to be marketed, it does seem like the flavor of the month.
 
The way they seem to be marketed, it does seem like the flavor of the month.

I guess I've missed all the marketing, then. I'm yet to notice a single wood hoop ad -- not that it would have any effect on anything. I've been craving for a set of wood hooped drums ever since I got acquainted with Kumu drums...
 
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