Single Ply Steam-Bent Shells
The tonal quality of steam-bent, single ply shells is unmatched if you ask us. That's why we've partnered exclusively with Cask; America's foremost manufacturer of steam-bent shells. While you can make a single ply shell from just about any species, we focus on species that look beautiful but also have great natural tone.
Our shells go through a multi-week process of applying many coats of tung oil to form a natural semi-gloss finish that doesn't fade or crack. After each shell is drilled, finished, and hardware is assembled, we perform a frequency/pitch test on the outer shell and bearing edge using a spectrum analyzer and label the inside of each drum with its fundamental frequency and note. You may choose to tune your drum with this in mind or not; as the drum will also sound great using many different tuning approaches. Our test and label is simply provided as a courtesy so you are aware of the frequency that the drum resonates the most.
Our brass hardware typically lowers the fundamental pitch of any given drum shell by ~50Hz which is why we perform a shell body and shell bearing edge frequency check only after all of the hardware is assembled onto the shell. This approach provides the most accurate reading of the drum's sound profile.
Versatile Snare Bed
We wanted a versatile snare bed that would enable articulate and dynamic sound across the full range of tension & position of the snare wires. To accomplish this, we worked directly with Cask in prototyping various shell thicknesses and snare bed cuts to ultimately result in what we think is the optimal snare bed.
Our bed is ~114.3mm across (~4.5 inches) and ~2.0mm deep (~.06 inch) at it's lowest point. A generous bed width combined with the more subtle and gradual cut in depth provides great articulation even up to 42 strand snare wires.
Measure Fundamental Frequency & Note
After each shell is drilled, finished, and hardware is assembled, we perform a frequency/pitch test on the drum using a spectrum analyzer and label the inside of each drum with its fundamental frequency and note. You may choose to tune your drum with this in mind or not; as the drum will also sound great using many different tuning approaches. Our test and label is simply provided as a courtesy so you are aware of the frequency that the drum resonates the most.
Our brass hardware typically lowers the fundamental pitch of any given drum shell by ~50Hz which is why we perform a shell body and shell bearing edge frequency check only after all of the hardware is assembled onto the shell. This approach provides the most accurate reading of the drum's sound profile.
The frequency of any drum shell will be slightly lower (~5Hz) where there are more hardware attached (besides the lugs) such as the throw off, butt plate, or air vent. We avoid these areas when performing our tests.