building another keller kit...need/want opinions

JAKD-UP

Member
So I've been looking at getting another kit already made. Looked at the ddrum dominator series since the sizes are exactly what I have now. But once I thought about it I realized I could build another keller shell kit like my current one for alot cheaper. Looking into the same set up (1 rack tom, 2 floors and kick) but got questions on sizes and plys.
My current set up is:
26x16 8 ply kick maple
14x14 6ply rack tom maple
16x16 6 ply FT maple
18x18 6 ply FT maple
Music is mostly rock/hard rock/metal
So my questions are:
Ply's:
If I were to go 8 ply on all the drums what exactly would that do?

Size's:
If I were to change it up a bit and go 14x12, 16x14, 18x16 what kinda of sound would that give me?

Wood:
With sizes this big would it be a wise idea to go with Birch instead of Maple this time around?
thanks in advance!
 
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the 8 ply shells will give you a little higher pitch and more focus. It won't be a huge difference though, because the 8 ply shells aren't that much thicker than the 6 ply kellers. You'll also get more shell stability, and maybe a tad shorter sustain.

The shallower sizes will give you quicker response, and less boom.

I dunno about the birch, as I've never tried the birch shells, but you can never go wrong with maple. It might be cool for something different, though.
 
the 8 ply shells will give you a little higher pitch and more focus. It won't be a huge difference though, because the 8 ply shells aren't that much thicker than the 6 ply kellers. You'll also get more shell stability, and maybe a tad shorter sustain.

The shallower sizes will give you quicker response, and less boom.

I dunno about the birch, as I've never tried the birch shells, but you can never go wrong with maple. It might be cool for something different, though.

Thanks for you opinions! Yeah I think maybe I should just stick with 6 ply shells for the toms since it wouldn't be that much of a difference. By "quicker response" what exactly do you mean? I just thought about Birch to have something different like you said. The kit I owned previously was a Tama Starclassic Performer in birch and I thought it sounded perfect.
 
Finding Keller birch shells is difficult (and expensive) though, despite being a cheaper wood... it's just not commonly and widely available.

And awesome sizes, I might need to steal them one day :p
 
Finding Keller birch shells is difficult (and expensive) though, despite being a cheaper wood... it's just not commonly and widely available.

And awesome sizes, I might need to steal them one day :p

lol I need to post some pics of my kit on here but I always forget about it. If birch isn't to outrageous then I think I'm gonna try it. If it's crazy expensive I will probably stick with maple. You would think since birch isn't used that often then it would be cheaper. But we live ina crazy world so it's all backwards.
 
Thanks for you opinions! Yeah I think maybe I should just stick with 6 ply shells for the toms since it wouldn't be that much of a difference. By "quicker response" what exactly do you mean? I just thought about Birch to have something different like you said. The kit I owned previously was a Tama Starclassic Performer in birch and I thought it sounded perfect.


Well, just compare the rack tom you have right now to the floor tom, which is way deeper, and that's the difference I'm talking about, although no where near as extreme. Quicker response to me means you'll get a resonant note a bit faster when you hit the drum with shallower sizes; where as with the deeper ones you'll get more of a delay and longer muddier sound.

As for the birch shells being more expensive, it's due to the lower demand, thus lower supply. Since they're not cranking out as many birch shells, they're probably gonna be more of a special order thing since the lower demand doesn't warrant keeping a lot of stock around. With the maple shells there's a ton of stock sitting around in several different places, so the ones you get may actually be pretty old. BTW, Aitwood is the best and cheapest place to get birch shells. Actually, they're the only place I know of that has Keller birch shells. And by looking at their prices, the birch shells aren't that much more expensive than the maple.
 
Thanks for that! I checked into that site and your right...not THAT much more expensive. Decision decisions!
 
So I've been looking at getting another kit already made. Looked at the ddrum dominator series since the sizes are exactly what I have now. But once I thought about it I realized I could build another keller shell kit like my current one for alot cheaper. Looking into the same set up (1 rack tom, 2 floors and kick) but got questions on sizes and plys.
My current set up is:
26x16 8 ply kick maple
14x14 6ply rack tom maple
16x16 6 ply FT maple
18x18 6 ply FT maple
Music is mostly rock/hard rock/metal
So my questions are:
Ply's:
If I were to go 8 ply on all the drums what exactly would that do?

Size's:
If I were to change it up a bit and go 14x12, 16x14, 18x16 what kinda of sound would that give me?

Wood:
With sizes this big would it be a wise idea to go with Birch instead of Maple this time around?
thanks in advance!

I wouldn't go for the square sizes , I've had some square toms and I don't like how they sound and are harder to tune but it's all a matter of taste.
my recomendation : 14x11 , 16x13 , 18x15 ,
all 6 ply becuse 6 ply sound fuller , and with more bottom
 
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