Hello-new poster here. Got interested in cocktail drums by running across the S.S. Catalina on the Internet.. The ship had a dance floor and the band, "Ginger and the Shipmates," used a set. It was a long time ago!
I want to build a basic set-found out about Keller shells and so on. 2 questions: Is it the diameter or depth of the shell that sets the pitch? And does birch produce a fuller or deeper sound than maple?
Thanks for any light you can shed. I'm enjoying reading through the posts here.
Newbie question
The toughest part of any building is the decision of size as well as thickness , edges, etc, etc. I own the Club Jorden kit 15" diameter, as well as built a keller 16" x 22 deep. They both have their positives but I find the Club Jorden to have a little more bottom end. If I was to build again I would definately look into the mahogany shells from keller, that is if they build them that deep. I would also stick to a 15" dimeter shell. It just feels better to me. The pitch of your shell will totally change when stuffing the bottom end for less resonance. So I don't think you really need to worry as much about that aspect. I prefer Birch over Maple but I've heard and played big deep sounding kits from both. Soooooo long story short welcome to buiding your own custom kit.
Dinkus
Dinkus
I've heard descriptons of character of birch to be somewhat softer and with extended lows and highs compared to maple being louder and full with a natural frequency response. I've owned and played birch and maple kits and they are different, but ply, edges and tuning contribute endless variables to the comparisons....so I don't think its that cut and dry.
I went with a 6ply maple shell when I built my cocktail kit. My goals were to achieve good projection, resonance and punch for mostly acoustic settings. Also I wanted to have minimal shlepping weight for sheer portability. I also went smaller (14x24) than larger shell also for portability and I liked the idea of a smaller shell. I probably would have liked a 15 or 16 inch diameter drum, but I've found solutions in the challenges of tuning a 14" diameter shell that work for me and sound cool.
To your question of pitch, generally you'll find that a larger diameter shell (and therefore its head) will be able to achieve a lower discernable fundamental pitch. But as Dinkus notes, tuning and muffling play a big part. I agree. Plan to spend some time on tuning and $ on heads to tweak your sound.
Hope this is helpful - good luck
I went with a 6ply maple shell when I built my cocktail kit. My goals were to achieve good projection, resonance and punch for mostly acoustic settings. Also I wanted to have minimal shlepping weight for sheer portability. I also went smaller (14x24) than larger shell also for portability and I liked the idea of a smaller shell. I probably would have liked a 15 or 16 inch diameter drum, but I've found solutions in the challenges of tuning a 14" diameter shell that work for me and sound cool.
To your question of pitch, generally you'll find that a larger diameter shell (and therefore its head) will be able to achieve a lower discernable fundamental pitch. But as Dinkus notes, tuning and muffling play a big part. I agree. Plan to spend some time on tuning and $ on heads to tweak your sound.
Hope this is helpful - good luck
Newbie questions
Many thanks for the information - I've decided what to do, to start: a 14 x 24 maple drum with a foor pedal and single cymbal. Sounds close to anything like a basic setup, so I'll start with that. Plus it might be more resellable later. I'm going to experiment a lot, which seems to be the way to get the desired result on these.
It's neat to find a full scale revival that respects culural history. Plus it's flat-out cool!
Thanks again
It's neat to find a full scale revival that respects culural history. Plus it's flat-out cool!
Thanks again
I wonder about birch, actually--my cocktail was a maple/poplar/mahogany blend, and I can't help but wonder if birch would have given it more "punch". Normally, I hate punchiness, but I think it would have been desirable in the cocktail set, since the tunings ended up needing to be punchy to sound like drums and the drum didn't naturally want punch. Birch gives a mid-range boost from what I've heard, and I think that's the ideal for a cocktail. I get the idea of the low-end boost from mahogany, but I'm not sure the drums produce true low end, and I think volume might matter more than low end, as the drums are naturally quiet. Also, birch should help the snare "cut".
Interesting-definitely makes me think. I've heard from a drummer friend who likes birch more than anything. Since a birch shell is only $20 more it might be worth a try. I may try to see if I can find a store that has examples of both - only one store in this town and nothing else within 40 miles. Thanks again.
robertm
Check this out: http://www.pearldrum.com/masterworks.asp
The section on this page titled 'wood and thickness options' contains a brief but good description of shell materials and addresses some of the questions you had.
Hope it helps with your decision.
Check this out: http://www.pearldrum.com/masterworks.asp
The section on this page titled 'wood and thickness options' contains a brief but good description of shell materials and addresses some of the questions you had.
Hope it helps with your decision.
Drum shell info
This is quite helpful - thank you. Explains the popularity of maple for not only cocktail but other drums as well.
Decided to go with a cheap floor tom, then if I can learn decent cocktail drumming get a good shell. Use the tom hardware, if it's decent quality, and build a real drum.
Decided to go with a cheap floor tom, then if I can learn decent cocktail drumming get a good shell. Use the tom hardware, if it's decent quality, and build a real drum.
It may be good economic sense to just build a good drum to start with. I gotta admit, the 14x24 drums look really cool on stage. And of course that's my objective: to actually play somewhere beside the bedroom!
Found a site, drumfoundry.com, that has some interesting aids for drum builders. I'm definitely interested now!
Found a site, drumfoundry.com, that has some interesting aids for drum builders. I'm definitely interested now!