Zack from Minnesota asks about basic drum care. Drew from Sioux Falls asks about where to find a cheap drum kit and Steven from Tennessee asks about improving double bass drum speed and avoiding denting drum heads.
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Zack from Minnesota asks about basic drum care. Drew from Sioux Falls asks about where to find a cheap drum kit and Steven from Tennessee asks about improving double bass drum speed and avoiding denting drum heads.
Download this video
Drum care
Hi,
I listened to this podcast with interest. My drums are 40 years old (Ludwig 4 piece) and I have a chrome/brass snare. I completely tore down the kit polished it and rebuilt it. There was a lot of dust and tarnish on all of the metal pieces. I also put a touch of white grease on each of the threads for the tensioners and thumb screws. I have plastic laminate over the wood on my toms and base; a common finish back then. For these I used auto polish. Also I polished the cymbals (Hagarty Brass polish works well and I tried many different polishes). A BRASS wire brush can help clean up areas of high build up without scratching the cymbal. Work the brush WITH the grooves in the cymbal. Polish with a soft terry cloth. It can be hard work, but worth it I think. The kit looks almost new now.
I have a classic "Speed King" kicker. The grease in it was so old that it crystalized. I also rebuilt it. Greasing the bearings every 2-5 years might be a good idea.
Doing a drum overhaul every once in a while might keep your drums looking good and working well a long time. Not waiting 40 years to do it might make it easier as well ;o)
Thanks for your great service.
Kip
Re: Drum care
Kip - thanks for the tips and info on your overhaul. I've either never owned a kit long enough for the metal to tarnish or maybe it's because I keep them in a humidity-controlled environment most of the time. Thanks again for the tips! Good stuff to keep in mind as the kit ages.
God bless!
Darren
Denting Heads
A couple of extra thoughts on head dents:
1) If the angle of your sticks hitting the heads is too extreme, then your drumheads will dent almost instantly, especially with the "teardrop" or more pointy tips. Try to position the drums so that your sticks hit as parallel to the head as possible. This also maximizes your sound with as little effort as possible.
2) If your grip is too tight, the stick can't bounce off the drumhead easily and the heads will dent much faster. The energy wants to come out as sound vibrations, but when the head can't vibrate because the stick pressed into the head too long, all that force goes to the material where the stick made contact and ultimately dents the head.
Your heads should last you for a good bit of time, forcing your decision to buy new heads to be about tone rather than the damage you've done to the heads you have.