Dear Andy

Larry

"Uncle Larry"
You are always saying how a drum can be made to serve certain objectives.

Wouldn't it be really cool if you could build 2 sets out of the same batch of wood, using the wood from the same part of the log and all, and achieve very different tones from them with construction/bearing edges etc? Can that be done? If so, it would be a really cool addition to the Guru website.

BTW, if I haven't told you lately, the original snare drum I got from you just keeps sounding better and better. I love hearing it.
 
You are always saying how a drum can be made to serve certain objectives.

Wouldn't it be really cool if you could build 2 sets out of the same batch of wood, using the wood from the same part of the log and all, and achieve very different tones from them with construction/bearing edges etc? Can that be done?
That's fairly easy Larry. The reason we haven't done so, is that we consider all the elements to get the optimum result, & that includes wood species.

I'll give you a hypothetical example, one that everyone understands - maple. Let's say we want one kit that's more in the classic vibe. Shorter note, lower head sustain, less high overtones, plenty of bottom end, but still keeping that midrange presence. The other kit being bright, present, open, longer note, full overtones. We could construct the classic kit as a thin wall stave with integral rerings, half round over edges with generous radii, the brighter kit in a heavier (but still fairly thin) wall segmented design with sharper edges. There's some other augmentation tricks we could use too, but I won't divulge those here. So there you go. Fairly simple, & different enough so almost anyone would notice.

Wait a minute though, because if we really wanted to maximise those differences, we'd construct the classic kit in ash because it does low frequencies so much better than maple, & the brighter kit from purple heart because it does highs so much better than maple. Both those choices deliver a similar presence in the midrange too, so still encapsulate almost everything the player loves about maple, but with some added smile factor.

Bottom line is, yes we can do that, but we can do it so much better, so we do :)

BTW, if I haven't told you lately, the original snare drum I got from you just keeps sounding better and better. I love hearing it.
That's very cool to hear Larry. If something's still putting a smile on your face long after the honeymoon period, then we've done something right :) That shell is ageing, & will continue to improve year on year.
 
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