Tuning problem on toms. loose tension rod but drum dial displays overtension

dpk204

Senior Member
I just bought the heads for the used Pearl Session Custom kit I purchased a few weeks ago. I started to tune the 10" tom. I put an Evans G2 on top and as I tuned it to 76 on the dial. One rod is reading 79 and when I get that rod down to 76, it is loose and wobbling. I seated the head before I continued tuning. It's the rod right next to one of the optimount lugs. Pitch actually seems fine from rod to rod. Am I doing something wrong? Bearing edge problem?
 
That happens sometimes.
Try turning the hoop 180 degrees and then tune the drum again.
If the problem stays at the same lug then it is probably a minor problem with the drum.
If the problem moves to the lug where you moved the hoop to it is probably a minor problem with the hoop.

Being that it isn't that far off you can simply tune it out.
Tighten the looser tension rod and get the pitch to sound like the other ones by ear.
Also as the head gets played and it seats onto the drum it will compensate over time.
I have a few drums that are like this.
 
I almost forgot, This also happens with two ply heads sometimes.
The bottom ply and the top ply are a bit out of sort with each other.
Try tuning the drum to about 85 on the dial. Play the drum for a while and then tune to a looser tension of about 76.
I also like to tune my 10 inch tom at about 76.
Remember, always fine tune by ear. The Dial will only take you so far by way of tuning.
 
I finished tuning. The problem rods barely have tension. The tune at each rod on the toms are uniform though. I should note these are superhoops and not the regular steel hoops.
 
OK, so the same lugs still have the same problem with loose tension.
Now I want you to try turning the head 180 degrees.
Let me know what happens.
 
Before you start taking hoops and heads off, check the tension rod opposite the problem one, by ear. You'll often find that it is too high (despite what the DD tells you) and if you bring this one down you'll be able to bring the loose one up.

This happens with drum dials. It's a mystery.
 
drumtechdad, You have mentioned this before and I have tried loosening the opposing rod.
It helped a slight bit but the problem was still there.
On the few drums that I own that have this problem, I have concluded that it is the drum itself that has a minor flaw.
I find that two ply heads seem to amplify the problem for some strange reason.

The funny thing is that the kits that I own that have drums that do not have this problem are the cheapest ones!
My Tama Stagestar and my Pearl Rhythm Traveler tune perfectly with the drum Dial.
My ddrum maple kit has a few toms that have this problem and my antique Gretsch kit also has a few drums that have problems with certain lugs.
 
Last edited:
drumtechdad, you are correct, the opposite rod is indeed higher in pitch and when I tune it lower, the problem rod can get tuned higher.

bobdadruma, I agree with you, my export tuned just fine with the dial. this maple kit is giving me some trouble with the dial. tomorrow, I am going to re-do everything by ear.

I placed each shell on a flat surface and the edges look uniform to me. I don't know if it is a hoop problem or if it is indeed the 2 ply head.

I am beginning to lose my faith in the drumdial. It seems that tuning by ear might actually be faster. I guess the drumdial is only useful when you want to swap heads.
 
When I owned a DrumDial, for actually one full week, this was a major and frequent problem. I had a lot of drums to re-head and was looking for a better, quicker solution. It never turned out to be anything but frustration for me and my girlfriend. We could do the job quicker and much more precise by just using our ears. It just takes practice, but benefits come in droves. Get someone who knows the in and out of tuning to personally instruct you. If this is not a probability, just take one drum, may be your 12" tom and everyday take the tension rods loose and tune it back to where you like it. Do this with just the batter head, when you start to get the hang of it do both the batter and the resonant heads until you know exactly what to listen for and can feel what very minute turns of the key does to the pitch of the drum. Practice does make perfect.

Dennis
 
I have found thee drum Dials or Tenstion Watches a complete waste of time...........

Take time out and sit down with your drums and even youtube tuning, Dave Weckyl does a good tutorial etc and you wont use one of the things..............I've used them but not for very long.........

You'll never beat your ear at the end of the day..........
 
Before you start taking hoops and heads off, check the tension rod opposite the problem one, by ear. You'll often find that it is too high (despite what the DD tells you) and if you bring this one down you'll be able to bring the loose one up.

This happens with drum dials. It's a mystery.

Its got nothing to do with a drum dial. Gatzen speaks of this phenomenon in some of his vids and he doesn't use them
 
Its got nothing to do with a drum dial. Gatzen speaks of this phenomenon in some of his vids and he doesn't use them

I've adopted--which is to say, stolen outright--Gatzen's method of tapping at opposing tension rods across the head when doing lug-to-lug tuning, instead of going around the drum as I used to.

What a revelation. Kinda wish I knew that 40 years ago, but there you go.
 
Unless you have perfect pitch memory you will have a hard time getting your drum back to the same sound when a new head is applied without a drum dial. I tune to get a good sound all the way around the toms and minimize snare resonance. Doing that takes a lot of time. to repeate it would be hell without a drum dial. Having said that it is not the end all and be all. I have had problems like you discussed. The dial gets you close if not very close and the ears go from there.

While I don't doubt there are great tuners buy ear I would bet that the tunings are not reapeatable and snare buzz abounds for most ear tuners.
 
Something that hasn't been mentioned which I found through my own trial and error concerning the drum dial...

When you have one rod that feels way loose for the tension reading, it's almost a sure bet that the opposing tension rod feels over tight by the same degree even though it reads the same tension. There's a relationship with each lug's opposing lug. You have to loosen the opposite tight rod and tighten the problem loose rod. What's really happening is the counter hoop is not parallel to the bearing edge on that particular plane between the 2 lugs.
Like drumtechdad, I used to promote going around the drum very slowly lug by lug. Now I use 2 keys and still go around the drum, 2 opposing lugs at a time though. The key is, the hoop has to be parallel to the bearing edge on the "plane" you're tuning. One side can't be "higher", they have to be even. After I understood that, the drum dial became easier to use.
 
i've come across that before, usually if i take the hoop loose again and do it again it equals out. i can't swear it always the opposing lugs cuz i've had it happen with the lugs on either side of it as well but yeah in my experience it's always been becuase another lug is over tightened. another one i've seen happen to me is the drum dial always reads the same tension yet you can keep tightening and hear the tone go up but the dial never changes, mostly on my snare reso. again i take it loose and try again and it usually fixes the problem.
 
1.) Put the drumdial away or sell it on ebay.

2.) Detune the whole drum and put the head on the drum with the logo where where you want it to be. I like it even with the mounting hardware.

3.) Evenly tune the drum up to a very high tuning and let it sit there for a few minutes, then put the drum on the ground and with your palm press firmly down on the head. You want a lot of pressure, but not so much that you actually break anything. Drums are pretty strong and you will find that you can tune them quite high.

What this is doing is mating the bearing edge to the head so that the head adopts the profile of the edge. Also known as 'seating the head'.

4. Evenly detune the drum all the way until the tension rods are loose.

5.) Finger tighten all the rods back into the lugs.

6.) With a drumkey, turn the first rod one full turn and then go to the opposite rod and do one full turn then move to the rod right next to the first one you did. Repeat this until you have 2 full turns of each rod and then do 1/2 turns for each. 2 1/2 turns should get you a good even low tuning. 3.5 turns should be medium tuning.

As with everything in drumming, practice makes perfect and you would be very wise to spend a good amount of practice time just fooling around with different tunings.

Good luck!
 
Crazy8's, I am going to do what you say. I just want to add that the drumhead fits quite snug inside of the hoop. with my old 1.6mm hoops, the hoop would just sit over the head. With these 2.3mm hoops, they grip the drumhead very snug. I have a little force to pop the head out of the hoop.
 
I had the same problem with die cast hoops, so I wonder if that is the issue here. I used a drum dial for years and found it to be a great tool for even tuning. The day I bought my superstar with the die cast rims the drum dial became basically useless. One lug would be completely loose and the dial would read that lug as over tight. I have since ditched the drum dial and have gone to just tuning by ear. What a revelation it has been.
 
I finished tuning the drums by ear. The loose rod is not an issue anymore. Each drum appears to be in tune with itself. Now my issue is getting the correct sound.

Can you use a drumdial in the center of the head to get an "overall" reading or is this not a good idea?
 
Back
Top