Drum Wrap Effect on Shell ..
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) I am happy to write it off as a non-issue.Is it just coincidence that 100% of my preffered drum sounds have come from wrapped shells?. They seem warmer and fuller. Lacquered tones seem brighter to me. When reading Inside Sonor in Modern Drummer decades ago it was the company's belief that anything you put around a shell from wraps to cement will cause it to sound better. I have to agree just from life experience.
PorkPieGuy
Platinum Member
Sparkle, glass glitter, and white marine pearl wraps make drums sound the best. All other finishes are an absolute detriment to the sound.
AudioWonderland
Silver Member
I would disagree that it is imperceptible. I had a wrapped CXR kit and a lacquered Concept Maple side by side for a while. With a well executed wrap its not a problem but it is different. I preferred the lacquer but I also prefer wide open drums tuned up higher than most. If you like 2 ply heads and lower tunings, then a wrap might even be preferrable to lacquer
I would agree heads are more impactful to the end result though
I-P
Silver Member
BobC
Silver Member
I have never been able to hear a difference if the wrap is properly applied and glued and not taped as Jammin' Sam recommends. I'm sorry to say, Sam is a nice guy, but he's all wrong about taping wrap on. That's what you find on cheap, low end sets. All my sets are wrapped. The two lacquer sets I had years ago got dinged up too easily. No way I'd buy another.
Utter nonsense. Naugahyde was the peak of drum wraps. The sheer power behind drums wrapped in naugahyde caused insurance companies to drop coverage on any drum manufacturer using it. The liability was too great. You can still find pictures of amateur drummers who didn't listen to the warnings on some of the internet gore sites. I shouldn't have brought it up because knuckle head who will diy a naugahyde wrap and end up on the Darwin Awards list.
I have three sets of original phenolic Pearl Presidents and a set of early 70s Pearl all fiberglass drums whose sound and 50+ year old TAPED wrap contradict your theory. I would speculate that there are more factors involved than just tape or glue when it comes to a proper wrap job. Just look at Ludwig's rivet period for evidence.
The pics are naugahyde, not the taped wrap Pearls.
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Watching this thread closely. I'm intrigued how some hear it while others do not. For (me) it's not night and day but it's there. It's subtle but that is what hits me. I'm on a hihat mission from God and driving myself half goofy. It's the subtleties that peak my interest or lull me to sleep.
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Stroman
Diamond Member
Like so many things, I would like to see (hear) an exact direct comparison.
Two well-constructed shells, exactly the same except for wrap. Same heads, same tuning, same mic position, same position within the room. I'd like a blind audio test and a comparison of the sonograph. Lol
And I'd like to see the same test across a range of samples, shell constructions, sizes, etc.
Only then could we determine exactly what difference the wrap makes.
For my own use, with ordinary ply shells, it makes no *practical* difference, but there may be an actual measurable difference.
Bo Eder
Platinum Member
I say non-issue. If the wrapped is installed really well, like how DW does their FinishPly, it’s really becomes another ply to the shell and just resonates along with it. I watched a guy re-wrap one of my drums with a roller press and that came out very well too, so I guess it depends on the craftsman. But DW does it in this machine and it comes out perfect every time.
Stroman
Diamond Member
Do you mean if you tap the shell itself?
I have one set that I stripped the wrap from and put an oil finish on. I didn't tap the shells themselves, but I can't hear any real difference in the reassembled kit.
That's why I say you'd have to run the same experiment on different shell constructions - maybe it does make more difference on a steambent?
I have one set that I stripped the wrap from and put an oil finish on. I didn't tap the shells themselves, but I can't hear any real difference in the reassembled kit.
That's why I say you'd have to run the same experiment on different shell constructions - maybe it does make more difference on a steambent?
dwsabianguy
Senior Member
My Gretsch are all lacquer and they sound humgongous. I have some wrapped Ludwig Standards that are very controlled. But there's a lot more at play than just a wrap on the shell - literally anything that can be different between those two kits, is.
However, I did have a glass glitter Pearl Masters Studio kit that was significantly more choked sounding than any lacquer-finish Masters Studio I've ever gotten my hands on. More choked than the lacquer-finished Tama Starclassic Performer I owned for a couple months, or the Yamaha Birch Absolutes I own now. So I am of the opinion that glass glitters muffle the shell enough to matter. Thinner wraps... totally fine with me.
However, I did have a glass glitter Pearl Masters Studio kit that was significantly more choked sounding than any lacquer-finish Masters Studio I've ever gotten my hands on. More choked than the lacquer-finished Tama Starclassic Performer I owned for a couple months, or the Yamaha Birch Absolutes I own now. So I am of the opinion that glass glitters muffle the shell enough to matter. Thinner wraps... totally fine with me.