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Drums for metal: Maple or Birch?


barneyc4

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Maple. They have a punch and depth that is unsurpassed for metal. Listen to the drums on our myspace...you tell me if they sound good.

 

It depends on the kit itself. As a general guideline, maple is probably your safest bet.

 

However, a well-tuned birch kit will sound far better than a badly-tuned maple kit any day. So knowing how to setup/tune drums properly is more important than the type of wood used.

 

There are other things to consider as well, like shell thickness and shell depth. You'll probably get a better metal sound out of a birch kit with thinner and deeper shells (rather than a maple kit with thick, shallow shells).

 

Re-enforced shells will make a difference as well. I don't think many drum companies make them any more. But some still do. They tend to raise the effective pitch of the shells also.

 

The kind of drumheads will also make a big difference. Not only in the top head, but the bottom head as well. And there are a lot of different types of drumheads available.

 

And let's not forget about drumsticks. A 2B stick on birch will faire better for metal than a 7A stick on maple.

 

 

 

That said, here are the general guidelines to the different woods:

 

Birch has a higher pitch and tighter tone to them. Birch also has a faster attack and a faster decay. Maple produces a nice, well-rounded, raw tone with a slower attack and slower decay.

 

 

I probably confused you more. But the answer is... there is no definite answer. :D Just using your ears and experimenting with different things on different sets is going to be the best thing you can do.

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However, a well-tuned birch kit will sound far better than a badly-tuned maple kit any day. So knowing how to setup/tune drums properly is more important than the type of wood used.

 

 

All very good points that you have made, but this one stands out the best to me! A well tuned total POS with new heads is going to sound better than a Pearl Master Custom that isn't!

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Would well tuned kits of each result in maple being the brighter sounding? If so then birch if wants less treble top to their sound which could give nicer sound in mix (less dominant, more balanced) sound in some band situations.

 

 

Birch is brighter and has more overtones. Maple has more low-end to it.

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Maple. They have a punch and depth that is unsurpassed for metal. Listen to the drums on our myspace...you tell me if they sound good.

 

 

man, they sound great!

 

I guess i'll be getting that PDP maple kit then instead of the birch.

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man, they sound great!


I guess i'll be getting that PDP maple kit then instead of the birch.

 

 

That is a really cool drum sound for metal. But really, it has little to do with the type of wood.

 

Not trying to burst your bubble. And I'm not saying you shouldn't choose maple. I'm just saying that you can't assume your drums will sound like that just because they're maple.

 

That drum sound has way more to do with the recording/mastering techniques used.

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That is a really cool drum sound for metal. But really, it has little to do with the type of wood.


Not trying to burst your bubble. And I'm not saying you shouldn't choose maple. I'm just saying that you can't assume your drums will sound like that just because they're maple.


That drum sound has way more to do with the recording/mastering techniques used.

 

 

I know, I just want to make a wiser purchase.

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