I'm thinking of getting a new kit and I'm interested in looking for something different. Can anyone here give me their opinions on Oak drums. How do they sound? Do they sound more like maple or birch. Are they easily tuned, more tone, more attack. Please advise?
Supposedly they are loud...but are they?
Oak? In a word:
yes!
I've been playing Oak Customs for a few years now and I think they're fantastic. It's very difficult to
talk about drum sounds, but I'll give it a go.
In regard to the Maple/Birch comparison. You aren't going to get that big, long, wet (drum porn anyone?) rumble of maple out of an oak drum. They don't speak as well in the lower register and they die away more quickly than maple. However, you are going to get more sustain of the fundamental pitch than with birch, which to my ears has always sounded slightly choked.
My oak drums resolve to a clear fundamental pitch very quickly. So when you hit them you hear their "note" almost immediately, which leads to the description of them being "bright" and having a lot of "attack". The advantage is that you get very clear "notes" out of the drums. This is why many jazz drummers (incl. Jeff Ballard) like them. With single-ply heads on them, they speak crisply and clearly. Two-ply heads will roll off some of the attack leaving a punchy sound that is great in pop and rock settings, especially live.
There are two sides to the volume issue. On the one hand, if you leather them, the drums really speak out. However, the other side of this is that because the drums speak clearly and quickly, you don't have to hit them as hard to get a full sound. Even at lower volumes, you get a clear fundamental.
All of this is really subjective, and the best thing to do is to go hear a few sets of oak drums both in the store, and if possible in gigging situations. In my case, I've used mine with great results in theatre pits, in rock bands, and in big band and jazz. One thing I would consider when buying them is size. If you want a big, deep floor tom sound, for example, don't expect the 14" to tune down the way a maple drum would. Go for the 16" (either in 14" or 16" depth) as the drums don't like slack tuning the way maple does, in my experience.
