Let’s go to the big Kabloey drum factory (The name doesn’t matter). What do we see?
Someone is making a snare drum. He’s got all the special gear for it. As a matter of fact, this factory has a department that makes just snares. Day after day, poof! snares! 150 per week.
Further along, we arrived in the bass drum area of the plant. They deal with bigger forms, bigger equipment. Different people too.
Same for the toms. Different people, different department.
Now, you might say, that’s for the assembly lines. That doesn’t mean it is the shells themselves. Those are made from one wood and one wood only (For example: Maple or birch). That wood will have a certain grade like A++. One wood of A++ grade. All is good?
To be seen!
They laminate. They all do.
Actually, most of them do not even make their own shells. They order them from someone who makes nothing but that: wood shells.
Where is the wood of those shells coming from? Who cares? The maple is graded, it’s the best of the maple. It will sound good. You can mix and match all these different ply of maple, the blend will have basically the same properties. It could be 30 different trees in that drum kit. Dizzying numbers. But it will sound good.
Will it though? What do tuners say about the mass market kits?
Wait!
Next blog.