Toms won't tune..out of round?

B

Bassdrummer

Senior Member
I think I'm screwed

Bought a used 01 classic maple Ludwig...love the BD and floor tom

Went to put new coated ambs on it, couldn't find a voice for the drum..no tone

changed heads thinking maybe the new head is bad..went back to Remo PStripe then tried clear ambs..same thing, could not get a decent tone out of it, drum wont sing

So I take the heads off and merasure the shell checking for flat spots etc. I notice the shell is about 3/16's off measuring lug to lug at different places. The BD and floor tom sounds great with the new heads. An friend and I (guy is 42 has been drumming for years so he knows his stuff) could not get the 13 trom to sound good at all. I also replaced the reso heads too, tried 3 differed batter heads.

So am I screwed? What else could it be? Does anyone fix drums that are out of round?
 
An out of round drum is not fixable. However, 3/16 of an inch is not much. Have you checked the hoop? I had a snare once that absolutely sounded like crap. After many hours of troubleshooting I found that the hoop was bent slightly and was putting uneven pressure on the head. I bent the hoop back into shape and it sounded great. Good luck.
 
Doug Masters said:
An out of round drum is not fixable. However, 3/16 of an inch is not much. Have you checked the hoop? I had a snare once that absolutely sounded like crap. After many hours of troubleshooting I found that the hoop was bent slightly and was putting uneven pressure on the head. I bent the hoop back into shape and it sounded great. Good luck.
Click to expand...


It has the Rims mounts on it, that could be putting pressure on it

The rim seemed fine...but i didnt look that close

What do you suggest?
 
Take the rims mount off and put it on different lugs if possible.
 
Try switching the top rim with the bottom. I also had a warped rim once and thats how I found it. Tune the reflex head with the top rim on it. (with no top head installed) Tap with the eraser end of a pencil around the perimeter while listening for the tone. If you can't tune it to sound equal then the rim may be warped. The reflex head is thin so it makes it easier to locate the problem area. When you have both heads off the drum gently roll the shell on a carpet while putting slight pressure on it. Listen for cracking sounds. This will be a "tell" for a weak or delaminated shell. A friend once dropped a drum down a flight os stairs. We couldn't see the crack but we could hear it when we rolled it. That drum would not ring well after he dropped it.
 
bobdadruma said:
A friend once dropped a drum down a flight os stairs..
Click to expand...

Oh man that just puts a bad image in my head. I can just picture a drum, bouncing down a flight of stairs, with 2 guys at the top with mouths agape, watching it happen while feeling so helpless and just KNOWING theres nothing that can be done. Oh the humanity!

Anyway, I was going to address the "flat spot" on your bearing edge, but it was already mentioned by Gyrefalcon and answered. BUT, are you absolutely sure its COMPLETELY flat all the way around? A 1/100 of an inch over a 1/2 inch of the diameter of the shell can make alot more of a difference than most would think. I m not saying in any way you re "most" people but how are you checking the trueness of your edge?

Have you tried switching rims yet? and still had this problem?
 
fat in the middle said:
Keep in mind that 13's and 15's are known to be more tricky to tune for some strange reason.
Click to expand...
I have also noticed that! I thought that it was just my imagination. I have 13" and 15" Toms that I no longer play because of that. I use 12" and 14" rack toms at this time.
 
crdirtRider856 said:
Oh man that just puts a bad image in my head. I can just picture a drum, bouncing down a flight of stairs, with 2 guys at the top with mouths agape, watching it happen while feeling so helpless and just KNOWING theres nothing that can be done. Oh the humanity!

Anyway, I was going to address the "flat spot" on your bearing edge, but it was already mentioned by Gyrefalcon and answered. BUT, are you absolutely sure its COMPLETELY flat all the way around? A 1/100 of an inch over a 1/2 inch of the diameter of the shell can make alot more of a difference than most would think. I m not saying in any way you re "most" people but how are you checking the trueness of your edge?

Have you tried switching rims yet? and still had this problem?
Click to expand...

I have not had a chance yet

So I should:

Change the rims
Re-check the bearing edge, it was a little nicked, not sure if it would not allow the drum to sing? Should I sand the rough spots?
Roll the shell on the ground and listen for cracks
 
Bassdrummer said:
It has the Rims mounts on it, that could be putting pressure on it

The rim seemed fine...but i didnt look that close

What do you suggest?
Click to expand...

Lay the hoop on a flat counter top. Make sure the hoop touches the counter all the way around. If if doesn't, bend the high side down with your hands slightly and recheck, etc..
 
Bassdrummer said:
I have not had a chance yet

So I should:

Change the rims
Re-check the bearing edge, it was a little nicked, not sure if it would not allow the drum to sing? Should I sand the rough spots?
Roll the shell on the ground and listen for cracks
Click to expand...

Yes but I wouldnt suggest sanding any part of the bearing edge. This will only take more of the edge away. Theres a few things you can do, but DO NOT sand the edge down. How much are you looking to put into this drum to make it sound right? Try these and use a flat surface to check the shell too. It may not be the edge. But this will narrow it down. : )
 
Sounds to me like the drumhead isnt able to sit flat. Was it a squeeze to get the head on that tom in particular?
 
crdirtRider856 said:
Yes but I wouldnt suggest sanding any part of the bearing edge. This will only take more of the edge away. Theres a few things you can do, but DO NOT sand the edge down. How much are you looking to put into this drum to make it sound right? Try these and use a flat surface to check the shell too. It may not be the edge. But this will narrow it down. : )
Click to expand...


How much?

Well less is more :)

But I wil do what I got to do to make it work
 
The easiest way to check shell- roundedness...............Better yet, the easiest way to see if your shell is round, is to place a cymbal on the head with the head and rim on the drum at the time. I dont know what sizes you have to work with, but a 14" hat cymbal should fit right in there. In other words, if the cymbal doesnt fit, its out of round.

When you put the cymbal on the head, it should have the exact same clearance all the way around. And fit right inside the rim.

If there is an open space along the edge of the cymbal and the rim that isnt equal, well...its not round, this will be a problem when trying to seat a new head. and in turn- make it hard to tune.

Try these and let us know what happens.
 
^ The better way is to measure with a ruler across the diameter, and then again around another 90 degrees, so as to be perpendicular to your last measurement.

The readings should be the same, but are always always not. Provided your measurements are within about 3mm of eachother, there shouldnt be cause for concern.
 
I measured lug to lug across the middle of the drum in order to find out it was a little off. I did this with all the lugs.
 
DamoSyzygy said:
^ The better way is to measure with a ruler across the diameter, and then again around another 90 degrees, so as to be perpendicular to your last measurement.

The readings should be the same, but are always always not. Provided your measurements are within about 3mm of eachother, there shouldnt be cause for concern.
Click to expand...

This is "better", but what if you cant find a tape measure, or ruler? LOL Or cant read!? Just kiddin, so you measured around at all the lugs, what did you get? I will say this though- 3mm can make a difference. This could be a flat spot, which would be considered "out of round". And what do you mean Damo, by- "readings should be the same, but are always always not"...? I cant seem to decipher this ; )...but even at 3mm off, this is not round, and could easily cause a problem with a perfectly round head. More so, the collar will be stressed out of its definition.As a round drum will find a tone at the right tension, and when pulled out of its desired tension's "sweet spot" could easily prevent a fine-tune.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top