Members OuttaTime Posted August 29, 2007 Members Share Posted August 29, 2007 Hey all! New here to the forum so this is my first post. I have a Mapex Pro M Studio kit, that I just purchased all new Evans EC1 tom heads for. In hearing many great reviews, I also puchased a DrumDial to aid me in tuning. Here's my issue. I chose the 10" tom first to do the head swap on. I went through all the proper steps, finger tightening, then seating the head with pressure from my palm while altenating the lug sequence, bla bla bla. As I bring the head up to tension, now using the DDial, going around and trying to bring all the lugs to about 74(on the batter) I have one lug that constantly increases to about 80 or so, and have to continue to loosen it. Now the closest I can get it is about 75 and thats with absoultley no tension on that lug at all!! I could take it(the lug)out for that matter. Now, I have removed the head 3 times and tried to re-tune, but end up with the same issue. The drum doesnt sound bad, but this cant be right. Another thing I noticed is that when I run my finger around the bearing edge of the head, while tuned, I can feel what seems like small ripples in the head. The head is pretty tight, and if I tried to tighten the head more, wouldnt I need to bring the dial all the way around 74 again??? Any suggestions, advice, comments would be great...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wellhungarian Posted August 29, 2007 Members Share Posted August 29, 2007 As far as the head wrinkling. It could be too loose at that particular area, you want to get all the wrinkles out before tuning it. Or, the problem with a drum dial is we tend to overcrank our drums trying to reach that magic number and with a thin head, we can end up overstretching them. In that case, it's time for a new head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FitchFY Posted August 29, 2007 Members Share Posted August 29, 2007 A worse-case scenario is that your shell on the drum might be perfectly round or the bearing edge can be off, but I wouldn't expect that at all. Drum Dials are good as a reference guide, but tuning by hand and ear is the only way to truly make the drum sing with it's own pitch. I'd forget the dial and make it sound/feel good by hand and ear first. Another possibility is that you ended up with a bad head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gcdrummer Posted August 29, 2007 Members Share Posted August 29, 2007 Check the lug across from the problem lug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ermghoti II Posted August 29, 2007 Members Share Posted August 29, 2007 You may be trying to tune up too quickly. Turn each lug no more than 1/4, and then move to the opposite lug, then rotate in a star-like pattern. On six lugs, i go 1-3-5-2-4-6, on eight 1-5-7-3-8-4-2-6 etc. If you tune up each adjacent lug to tension, you will end up with the head suspended by the rim; you could take the lug out completely, and the head would still be too high at that point. Die cast rims amplify the effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drumtechdad Posted August 29, 2007 Members Share Posted August 29, 2007 Check the lug across from the problem lug. Bingo. I'd go ahead and loosen it (the opposite lug) even if it puts you below the drum dial average. If you loosen that one you may find you can put some tension on the problem one. This happens with the drum dial all the time. If you tune a head by the DD and one lug reads high even though it's loose, try tapping the head in front of each tension rod. Nine times out of ten that too-loose one will sound lower than the others, so tighten it until it matches them in pitch--and forget about what the DD tells you. Sounds like a funky hoop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OuttaTime Posted August 31, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 31, 2007 Okay, apparently I have no idea as to what the hell Im doing!! I moved on last night and decided to swap the head on the 12" tom. I then attempted to tune it, using the tip and suggestions you all have posted here, and ended up with the same results as the 10":mad:!! I can no longer blame material items(shell's, heads and tuners) on my lack of knowledge and experience. Im considering giving up the instrument altogether and picking up a tamborine for cheap!! Could one of you fine, outstanding members, talk to me as if I was 4 yrs old, and explain to me in a way a 4 yr old would understand, step by step, a proven way, how to tune these F*#K@N drums, with pictures drawn in crayon, on construction paper with stars and stickers of pretty shiny things to hold my attention just long enough, so that maybe, just maybe I might actually get something out of it........ Thanks in advance. Now,... where did I put those pills??!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FitchFY Posted August 31, 2007 Members Share Posted August 31, 2007 Dude. Get a beer, then drink it. Preferably while watching football. Afterwards, go back, take a deep breath, take the head off, and start again following Ermghoti's suggestions. Go slow. Drum tuning takes YEARS to get good at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mickey66 Posted September 1, 2007 Members Share Posted September 1, 2007 ONE THING NO ONE I BELIEVE HAS COVERED THAT WILL MESS UP A DRUM-DIAL BIG TIME....WHAT SURFACE IS THE DRUM ON? IT MUST BE LEVEL OR YOUR READINGS WILL BE OFF....SAMETHING HAPPENED TO ME THE FIRST TIME I USED THIS PRODUCT....IT'S A GREAT TOOL FOR TUNING AT HOME BUT NOT AT A GIG....TOO SLOW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marko46 Posted September 1, 2007 Members Share Posted September 1, 2007 I use a DD. Follow what the others have said, they're all good points. Here's what I've learned in regards to my DD. It does not have any magical powers what so ever. All it will do is get you in the general ballpark. Finish tuning each drum "the old fashioned way", by ear. I've had the vary same issue happen to me with the lugs. I really don't know why it happens, but if your following the "guide" that comes w/ the DD, it may not work for you set of drums. It didn't mine. After I found a setting that worked and I didn't have the issue w/ the lugs and I liked the tone and pitch of each drum, I wrote them down to reference. Good luck, and like Fitch said, have a beer, watch a game, have a couple more. Then give it another shot. You'll figure it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OuttaTime Posted September 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 4, 2007 Thanks guys, for all the support and suggestions. During band practice Saturday, it suddenly occcured to me that even though the drums do sound pretty good that maybe, just maybe I dont have the heads tight enough. Much like what Wellhung had mentioned. But I was just in such denial. And now that I found those pills, I am in a much better state of mind. Talk to ya'll soon and Thanks again. P.S. Football, no... Hockey? Hell yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mraia Posted September 4, 2007 Members Share Posted September 4, 2007 A worse-case scenario is that your shell on the drum might be perfectly round or the bearing edge can be off, but I wouldn't expect that at all. Drum Dials are good as a reference guide, but tuning by hand and ear is the only way to truly make the drum sing with it's own pitch. I'd forget the dial and make it sound/feel good by hand and ear first. Another possibility is that you ended up with a bad head. But really, isnt bad head still pretty good? Wait... are we talking about the same thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OuttaTime Posted September 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 4, 2007 But really, isnt bad head still pretty good? Wait... are we talking about the same thing? Oh yeah! until you get your "drum stick" splintered..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.