Ply Shells vs. Solid & Stave Shells | Drum Nerd Lab 

I would even add: add heads, tuning and play them like drums. Then any difference between these three shells would probably be almost unnoticeable.

@@MadWinter889 But I prefer a basic, stripped down snare drum, with no head, hardware, or snares. Just a hollow piece of wood that I can tap with my fingers, like ^he did! 😁

Make a 13" drum that uses a 14" head. On guitars this gives all kinds of sustain. Has anyone done this thing besides the gong bass drums Tama did?

Pearl hat in den 70ern ein ganzes Set gebaut, bei dem die Felle 1 Zoll grösser waren als die Zargen. 15 zoll Tom mit 16 Zoll Fell, 14 Zoll Snare mit 15 Zoll Fell, etc. Dies wurde "Free Floating System" genannt. Interessante Idee, aber in der Praxis enttäuschend. Schlecht stimmbar, zudem empfand ich die Snare als monströs gross. Ich verkaufte das Set, behielt aber die Snare, entfernte die Kunststoffunterlegungen unter den Spannböckchen und montierte ein normales 14er Fell. Jetzt habe ich in meiner Sammlung eine wuchtige, laute Rock Snare.

Exactly what I was thinking...

You are confusing resonance with sustain- Rigid shells maximize sustain- the energy stays in the heads, and so they vibrate for longer. Resonance is when other parts of the drum get in on the vibration- creating a warmer, rounder tone. For max sustain, you want thick, heavy shells with sharp bearing edges. For max resonance, you want thin, low-mass shells and round edges.

@@IndependentDrumLab So is resonance the attenuation of certain frequencies coming out of the head as the energy from them is being transferred to the shell? Or is it the shell actually creating a tone that's contributing to the overall sound?

@@cartoune Resonance is when the entire drum is vibrating along with the heads, and contributing to the overall sound. A very resonant drum will have a full, round tone, with shorter sustain.

A resonant shell is absorbing more high frequencies, a stiffer shell is reflecting them, which result in a warmer sound.

Shell thickness plays no bearing on the drum sound at all. It is only the bearing edge, heads, drum depth, and venting. I can make a drum set out of concrete, tune it up, and you couldn't tell the difference between a maple shell if I told you to close your eyes and listen for the difference.

@@jross3680 make a video and prove it

1000 upvotes!@@ShawnxEdge

Probably pretty dead sounding, like acrylic!

Hendrix makes beautiful drums (and they are great people too BTW), although even their thin stave shells are still 50% thicker than our shells. I actually prefer the sound of their ply shells to their stave TBH.

Hendrix are good people…hahaha

Hum...I think you're about 50% correct in this statement. :-) teasing) some folks are into the tech and some not. different strokes for different folks

I totally agree, @derekmiller5085. Before I delved deeper into this, I was captivated by the 'science' too. In fact, I started making my own ply drums to replicate the masterworks kit I regretfully sold 18 years ago. I was entranced by the nuances of wood tones and shell thicknesses. But now, when I challenge my drummer friends to discern between different shells or identify birch from maple, none have been spot on without resorting to sheer guessing. The unique journey of a drummer revolves around discovering one's distinct sound. Despite all the marketing ploys, the allure of the perceived science behind drumming is what makes the journey so special. So indeed, I respect your comment very much. Different strokes for different folks!

Hello je suis d accord avec vous

I should add the snare wire bed depth...but I agree the shell is not the part that vibrates

Barely is, to me besides the logo in the back it's myth busting.

I agree but I think that's why he's not mentioning who made those other shells. Plus when you're racing giants I think a small challenger might try all the different tools available.

biased is a funny word for "experienced". I make drums any way I want- I choose this way because it sounds best to me after 20 years of building and trying everything.

Are the steam bent & stave shells made by INDE?

You’re with INDE, it’s obvious you would choose the only INDE product in the lineup. That’s the only reason I’m saying the judgment is biased.

@@frenchtickler2k11 I am not making any judgement here- just listen to the audio. The INDe shell resonates better. Because I designed it that way. I didn't make a video to "choose" my shell as superior. I designed the shells with a purpose, and here I am, showing that effect.

@@frenchtickler2k11 I made the stave (before I started INDe), the steambent is from a reputable builder.