Making My Own Drum Kit

Sup guys. I need to know what are some cheap but great sounding wood for my drum kit, what are some good brands of cymbals and drumheads, and how should i go about beginning the process of making drum shells?

And is 7A a good size for sticks

Check out ghostnote.net, which is the drum makers forum. Tons of info and help there by guys who build drums.

You can buy lots of ply shells out there - Keller is the most popular. Steam bent shells are popular as well as stave and segmented constructions. If you wanted to do a true solid construction - you'd have to do that yourself, I don't think anybody sells the shells for that. The most popular woods are maple, mahogany, and birch. Ghostnote is fantastic for learning. For cymbals and heads, read up on this forum. Really, you can't say which brand is better over another for cymbals and heads - it's all preference. Go to a store and hit some cymbals, that's by far the best way to learn. To learn about head choice - that's just trial and error. Use your ears and have fun.

Are you "That Guy" who shouts Freebird at gigs?

Hah! I'm usually that guy.

ThatDrummerGuy said:

Sup guys. I need to know what are some cheap but great sounding wood for my drum kit, what are some good brands of cymbals and drumheads, and how should i go about beginning the process of making drum shells?

And is 7A a good size for sticks

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Cymbals, heads, and sticks are a very personal choice. You have lots of brands, and within those brands you have lots of different models. Which ones are best for you is up to you. It's like food: no one can tell you what your favorite foods are but you and only you. Some guys prefer Zildjian, some prefer Sabian, some prefer Meinl, some prefer Turkish, some prefer Istanbul, some prefer Paiste (Pie-ee-stee, not "paste-ee"), and some prefer Wuhan, especially for chinas. Again, it's like food: no one can tell you what you like or what you will like.

The same is true for drumheads. There's Remo, Evans, Aquarain, Attack, and maybe one or two others (like Bear, I think). For sure, Remo, Evans, and Aquarian are the most popular and Attack is up there as well. You almost have to try each brand to see which one you like the most because they're all a little bit different, even when comparing the same type of head such as a 10-mil clear single-ply. All of these brands have a 10-mil clear single-ply, but they're all slightly different (very slightly - some guys might say they're all identical, but others will notice subtle differences that they appreciate). The 10-mil single-ply head is just one example when comparing the brands.

As for sticks, the size of the stick depends on you and it depends on the style of music and whether that stick works for you and for that style. The best thing to do is just go out with a practice pad and try a bunch of different sticks. Also, I recommend researching which sticks are typically best suited for the style you're playing and also whether your drums are miked or not. Realistically, it would be good to be able to play with any stick because it's all about finding the right tool for the job. So, if you find that a 7A is good for you and for what you're playing, then go for it - but stay open to all of the sticks on the market because you never know when those 7As would be either too much or not enough in future situations, including future songs by the same band that you're in now (and if you're not in a band, then let's pretend you are for the sake of the discussion). You just never know, and so it's good to be prepared, having maybe a handful of different stick types that you like, or even just 2-3.

So in other words, there are no definitive answers because it depends. It always depends.

I would do plenty of research before asking others what you will like. That being said I would suggest if you do build your own kit to go with thinner shells. Thin shelled toms and maybe medium shelled bass drum will give you a nice resonant kit. To be honest if you are going this route to save money you likely wont. But if its to teach yourself then by all means you will learn a lot along the way.

Manny

I think that every drummer should build one snare drum, simply for the fact that you learn so much about the instrument that way. It forces you to consider all that goes into forming the sound, and helps you see how each part is dependent on another.

ThatDrummerGuy said:

Sup guys. I need to know what are some cheap but great sounding wood for my drum kit, what are some good brands of cymbals and drumheads, and how should i go about beginning the process of making drum shells?

And is 7A a good size for sticks

Click to expand...

Wood? making shells? is this a real post?

That's what I first thought.Making your own drum shells is a skilled and involved process,not to mention expensive upon initial start up.

It's also not practical if you're only going to build a single kit.Lots of large drum companys ,buy their shells from shell builders,so that should give you a clue into how difficult it is to do right.

Only two Major American drums makers,produce their own wooden ply shells.

Buying shells,putting a finish on them,and then adding hardware may seem like it's a cheaper way to go,untill you start to add up the total cost.Even using cheap 5 dollar generic lugs, will cost you around 300 bucks for a four piece drum set,and that's not including rims,tension rods,floor tom legs and brackets,tom brackets,mounting hardware,bass drums spurs and snare drum strainer and butt plate .

You'll also need good tools,knowledge of measuring,layout an finishing skills.

Like I've said before,if it were that cheap and easy,...........EVERYBODY would be doing it.

Do some research and price checking first.

Steve B

Piecing together a kit is something I'd only do if I had some very specific requirements that couldn't be found in what's already available. Not likely.
Too much time, effort, headaches and expense involved otherwise.
I agree with mandrew though, that doing one drum would be good just for the experience.

The Old Hyde said:

Wood? making shells? is this a real post?

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Why not give him the benefit of the doubt and simply explain how difficult and involved it is to actually make a drum shell? When you don't know something, you're going to ask seemingly dumb questions sooner or later!