Does DW re cut drums?

Timmy_G

Senior Member
8 years ago I ordered a collector's series kit. However I made the bad decision to have the bass drum 22" x 20" deep. I want it 16" deep. I keep reading every pro says don't cut them but what If I have DW do it themselves?
 
Me thinks this would be a very expansive endeavor. I for one have a 22x20 "cannon kick" like you do and love it.
If you have the cash, go for it, but if not, learn to love what you have.
 
Existing Lug positioning will very much dictate the maximum depth you can cut it down to without refinishing the drum. Any independent drum company with a solid reputation for such work will be able to do it for you. Put up a picture of your drum, & give us a measurement from the batter side bearing edge to the far side of the batter side lug. I can advise you further from there.

There's absolutely no reason why a deep drum can't be cut down, so long as it's done correctly, to a sensible / useable depth, & with due sensitivity to maintaining the aesthetic.
 
How the hell do u tune a 22 x 20 kick? I've gotten better sounds from my tama rockstar and pearl export kick drums. it's too boomy for me I can get it in good tune. Help!
 
How the hell do u tune a 22 x 20 kick? I've gotten better sounds from my tama rockstar and pearl export kick drums. it's too boomy for me I can get it in good tune. Help!
An increase in depth, beyond a certain point, increases the amount of overtones - both ones you want, & ones you don't want. It effectively takes the drum's delivery further away from the fundamental. The "boom" you refer to is partly the resulting overtone soup. There's nothing wrong with deep drums, they can sound great, but it's all about controlling those overtones. A shallower drum will deliver a higher ratio of fundamental to overtones. That gives it a clearer sound & greater tonal definition.

The big marketing hype that promotes deeper drums as automatically delivering more low frequencies, by virtue of their increased depth alone, is pure BS. Don't get me wrong, harmonious overtones are a good thing, They flesh out / thicken the tonal delivery. Think of them as offering a similar effect to applying chorus to a bass guitar, but it's all about balance. Too much overtones & you get mud. Too little & it all starts to sound like a sine wave.
 
The only "hard" part about the surgery will be putting in new re-rings. I'm sure DW can do it, but they will probably charge a premium for it.

That's what I was thinking. They are going to have to remove the finish (assuming DW has a clear finish inside), install new re-rings, refinish, and then recut the bearing edges. That could get pricy.
 
They will do it.
I contacted DW a few years ago about working on a drum and was quoted $100 per hour labor charges.
Email them and ask for a quote.
 
...(assuming DW has a clear finish inside)...

DW generally does not finish the insides of their shells unless you specifically request them to do so. Even then, its typically a dye to color the wood to match the exterior, but they don't do any sort of sealing to the wood (shellac, lacquer/poly/nitro) to their toms or bass drums . They have interior lacquering as an option on snare drums to add a bit more brightness to them, but that's the only drum I know they do this to.
 
How the hell do u tune a 22 x 20 kick? I've gotten better sounds from my tama rockstar and pearl export kick drums. it's too boomy for me I can get it in good tune. Help!

You are probably not using thick enough heads, or aren’t putting enough muffling on the heads. Just a guess.
 
DW generally does not finish the insides of their shells unless you specifically request them to do so. Even then, its typically a dye to color the wood to match the exterior, but they don't do any sort of sealing to the wood (shellac, lacquer/poly/nitro) to their toms or bass drums . They have interior lacquering as an option on snare drums to add a bit more brightness to them, but that's the only drum I know they do this to.

Good to know. That would help keep the re-cut price down somewhat. There's a lot of labor and time involved in stripping and refinishing.
 
You could also get in touch with Precision Drum to see if they can work with it.

Be sure to mention re-rings if it has them.
 
Thanks everyone.


I use superkick 2 on the beater side and Evans 3 something on reso, 5 inch port hole
 
I would think it would be a hell of a lot easier, and more cost effective for DW to just take the hardware off your drum and put it on a new shell?
 
Thanks everyone.


I use superkick 2 on the beater side and Evans 3 something on reso, 5 inch port hole

You're good to go then. I have the EMAD 2 batter, the logo reso with a KickPort and no muffling and it booms like Bonham.
Tuning is tricky, but once you get it right, it's gold!
 
If it were me, I'd definitely put an Emad on the batter and try to muffle that reso.
 
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