Studio Drumkit poll Birch or Maple?

[chetatkinsdiet]

you're right...I'm just getting way too old and getting my decades mixed up.

m

[Royster]

IMO (and had many pro kits as a pro drummer), get a good shell thats round with good bearing edges and head to suit the music/studio/mics and you can pull ANY SOUND! As long as you have a good drummer behind it of course

I challenge anyone tell by listening to a live kit miced up or recorded and tell me what wood it is.

A recent event with Kenny Aronoff playing a drum clinic made a comment " this kit I am using is a great birch kit" then looked down and noticed the supplied kits badge was actullay MAPLE!!

Anyway as long as its ya DW cant go wrong.

[Jax]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

To me..it's more about the player/performance/room tho..
I've heard killer players make less than stellar kits sound great..
..and crappy players make tha fancy pants Porkpie,DW stuff sound friggin horrible.

i have soo much drum stuff now..its just stupid..[Can you say garage sale?!]

Yeah, PM me when that happens. I'll drive down the coast. No kidding.

[Nu-tra]

I like the sound of birch but maple seems to be the more popular wood. I like the volume and fatness of birch...

[JohnnyTooLoud]

Hey Seti - how are you? Been following your studio thread - looks great!

As for drums - I am a fan of Birch. Whenever I was recording a kit that I really liked the sound of it always turned out to be birch. They just sound the way I want drums to sound like.

Not better than maple though - it is a personal thing.

--Giovanni

[warhead]

Birch always seems more of a pre-EQ'd kind of sound with a better attack and less midrange info. Maple however has a bit more of a "full" sound to it...and overall lately have become more of a maple with coated heads guy.

Fat.

War

[cajonezzz]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

I can't really vote for Birch or Maple or whatever..
although earlier maple/mahogany/poplar combo tubs seem to have an attack vs warmth factor not found in the newer all maple stuff.
Good sounds can come from everything from junky old pawnshop stuff to high end boutique crap..
old 40's WFL to 60;s ludwig Gretsch,big floppy Rogers bass drums,thin dry Premiers,etc..
70's gretsch.. Jasper's![KILLER!!}
Hell...Ive gotten cool sounds form early 80's thick powertom luddies..
80's gretsch [agian.. Great shit!]
Sometimes..with the right player.. even the vista lites and ludwig stainless are just the ticket.
50 dollar pawn snares to expensive Craviotto, Tama Bell brass,Dunnett stuff..
Blah,Blah,etc..

To me..it's more about the player/performance/room tho..
I've heard killer players make less than stellar kits sound great..
..and crappy players make tha fancy pants Porkpie,DW stuff sound friggin horrible.

i have soo much drum stuff now..its just stupid..[Can you say garage sale?!]
To me, every drum has a use..this week a cheapo 75 buck ludwig acrolite beat out the fancy $$ stuff..
it sounded right for that particular player/track..
lot's of times i'll use a hodge podge of different drums to make one cool frankenstien tracking kit.
last weekend i used a 60's Gretsch 12" tom [coated ambassador] ..
then a thinner 70's gretsch 14" tom[coated Emperor]
a late sixties 16" 3 ply maple floor..[Emperor]
..A 24" DW kick[double sided Clear Ambasadors]
sounded great..the band was happy

roundbadge actually was reading my mind when he posted this. ( I'd really love to hear some stuff your playing on btw RB! )

There just ain't any "best".

I cut "cardboard box" for brushes on an alt country album not too long ago.
it killed all the other options, tons of "thud", a nice brush tone that sat in the track.

they are all good! ( finding a part and a feel are way more important. )

That being said. I'd kill to find an early 80s birch recording custom in traditional deapths, that didn't cost a fortune. I love the way those birch drums record.

[Bang]

Its hard to generalize, but if I had to, maple is brighter, birch is tad darker, thats what I hear from my Pearl birch and maple masters.

[Stixxs]

Originally Posted by Royster

IMO (and had many pro kits as a pro drummer), get a good shell thats round with good bearing edges and head to suit the music/studio/mics and you can pull ANY SOUND! As long as you have a good drummer behind it of course

I challenge anyone tell by listening to a live kit miced up or recorded and tell me what wood it is.

A recent event with Kenny Aronoff playing a drum clinic made a comment " this kit I am using is a great birch kit" then looked down and noticed the supplied kits badge was actullay MAPLE!!

Anyway as long as its ya DW cant go wrong.

Wouldn't be Tony Jr. visiting us here would it ???

If so fellaz... I'd take his word!

[pan60]

i wonder about some of the woods i see being used on some of the newer kits like Bubinga, ( just an example ).

[arizonadrum]

Originally Posted by Bishbashbosh

And mahogany Ludwigs

i second that. for a big rock sound, 60's ludwig with mahogany shells are fantastic.

[pan60]

i am restoring a very nice WFL now~
MOP over a mahogany shell.
it was sad when i got it but i am just about finished.
when it's all over i will post some pic's of it.

[Coldbricks]

for lack of many better ways to descibe this, maple sounds more organic and classic, and birch sounds more modern. I like them both a lot.

In my opinion, it comes down to this:

Birch has a better low end and high end sound, but maple carries better and is 'punchier'.

Hence, birch is used in the studio a lot

[pan60]

after the WFL snare ( mahogany shell ) i am looking to put a vintage kit together ~

[Grumblefoot]

Most recorded drums Yamaha Recording Customs (Birch Shells).

Any high level kit can be made to sound good, just not as good as a high level birch kit IMO.

[drumzealot]

This is probably more info than you want…
While some brands/models are know for being quite good, I would recommend learning what design options are associated with certain sounds and then decide what to buy. I’ve played student model kits that sounded way better than more expensive drums.

What factors determine the sound of a drum? I have found the following to be (listed in order of importance):
1. roundness of the shell
2. depth of shell
3. Thickness of the shell
4. type of head
5. wood type
6. mounting mechanism
7. type of rim
8. edge profile
Most hardwoods sound fairly similar. Maple and birch sound very similar. Maple has a flatter frequency response and birch scoops out some of the mids, which is why birch is commonly referred to as a “naturally EQed” wood. But these differences are slight. Only a well trained ear could tell the difference with all other factors being equal. The difference is this:
Maple is more complex and punchy
Birch provides a cleaner, more “pure” tone
Some people claim that birch is either brighter or darker than maple. But the fact is birch simply has less mids. The two woods are virtually equal in both low and high frequency response and the mid scoop is not very pronounced.

The design options listed above affect the sound in the following manner
1. roundness of the shell: ability to tune, achieve a clean/pure note. A drum that is not round is pretty much done and needs to be replaced.
2. depth of shell: more wood results in shorter resonance. Deep shelled toms are commonly referred to as “power” toms and are popular in heavy rock (especially in the 80’s) where the emphasis is on sharp attack and a short, punchy, deep tone. While this sound may be achieved with regular-depth shells (using thicker heads and or muffling) the more resonant sound of regular toms is difficult to achieve with power toms. Regular depth shells are more sensitive and have a more open/resonant sound and boast a wider tuning range. This is why the vast majority of jazz drummers do not use power toms. Jazz calls for higher tunings, and very responsive toms that sing at the slightest touch. Power toms sound great when tuned low and hit with greater velocity.
3. Thickness of the shell: as thickness increases so does the drum’s volume. By contrast, there is an inverse relationship between thickness and resonance, but this is slight. A thicker shell can resonate quite freely. The depth of a shell has a more pronounced affect on resonance.
4. type of head: more material = shorter sound. Single ply heads offer more diverse options. If you are looking for a resonant, open sound then go for single ply. If you want the resonance to be shorter then go for double ply heads.
5. wood type: Oregon Drum - Wood Properties Database
6. mounting mechanism: A poorly mounted drum will sound like poop. Learning to mount drums well is as much a science as it is an art. The easiest way to mount a tom well is to use Rimms style mounts. Floor toms tend to sound better using legs rather than a hanging mechanism.
7. type of rim: the weight and hardness of the rim will affect the clarity of gauks (aka rim shots) and the drum’s resonance. For a shorter dry sound use larger wood hoops or metal die-cast hoops. Die cast hoops also facilitate loud and well-articulated gauks and cross sticking. Flanged hoops tend to be lighter and allow the drum to sound more open.
8. bearing edge profile:
Cutting Bearing Edges
There is a positive relationship between the sharpness of an edge profile and the drums articulation, sensitivity and resonance. As the edge becomes more rounded more energy is transferred from the head to the shell. Modern drums tend to have sharper edges and more round edges tend to facilitate a “vintage” sound. Drums with rounder edges have a less pronounced attack, project and resonate a bit less.

You can learn a ton about drums and make an informed decision from a book called The Drum Handbook by Geoff Nicholls.

[BradD]

I feel like I have the best of both worlds with my new kit. Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute kick with Birch Custom Absolute toms.

[andygomez]

After buying my first Birch kit I have really enjoyed recording it. The sustain is shorter and you get a little more attack out of it I feel. for me this is nice for recording the toms done muddy up and cut through clearer. I like em tight as they say.
Ive put those new Evancs EC2 heads on them and single ply clears on the bottom.
The EC2s are amazing on them.