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Cutting a drum down ( make shorter)

Started by Ddub, February 10, 2008, 12:14 PM

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Ddub

   I have a bass drum that is 22 x 20 and I am thinking about shortening it to be 22 x 18 or 17.  Is this possible to do without messing up the finish on the drum that is a black to silver sparkle fade lacquer finish.  How do I go about doing this procedure and what is needed to do the job. 

Thanks

Todd Norris

I'm curious why...  But to answer your question, that is a dicey proposition.  There's no telling what the wrap might do when being cut.  You might need to be prepared to replace the wrap if something happens.  It might also damage the shell itself if the wrap does anything weird.  Remember that you'd also need to recut the bearing edge after the cut so you'd need a router or similar machine to do the edge.  You might consider taking it to a local drum builder to modify for you. 

Ddub

The drum is not a wrap it is a hand applied finish,  well maybe I would be better off having a new cutom maple bass drum made and have an additon to my kit.  I can get a custom with high quality paint job for $350.00 from a drum maker in Jacksonville Florida.  Jackson drums. 

Louis Russell

Don't forget about the lugs!  you will have to redrill for them and that will leave the old holes unless you cut it down past the old ones. 

Todd Norris

Sorry, missed the little word "lacquer". 

Yeah, depending on your needs and finances, it might be cost effective to just get a 2nd drum and not risk screwing up the original. 

Louis Russell

Quote from: Drum4JC on February 10, 2008, 08:50 PMand not risk screwing up the original. 

Well, IF you have a good table saw, and IF you use a fine tooth laminate blade, and IF you are experienced, and IF you build a tall rip fence the actual cutting is not that difficult.  Lots of IFs I know.  I would wrap the area to be cut with self sticking shelving paper.  This will prevent scratches as you rotate the shell and also prevent chipping.  Once you have the shell cut down the bearing edges can be cut with a router and router table.  If you decide to do it I can go into more detail on the actual cutting.  You may want to hit the pawn shops and buy a junk tom shell for practice. 

Chip Donaho

Quote from: Drum4JC on February 10, 2008, 02:23 PM
I'm curious why... 
Me too....What's your reasoning behind this decision? You may ending up destroying the value of a perfectly good set. Just seems rather odd to me.  :o

George


I'm getting curious, too.
Why? Wouldn't it be easier to get another drum in the desired size? I think sawing off part of it would kill it...


diddle

Quote from: George on February 14, 2008, 05:40 PM
Wouldn't it be easier to get another drum in the desired size?

and possibly cheaper, too...

Ddub

  The drum I wanted to cut down 20 x 22 was too long to fit into any storage that I have inside.  So it has been sittying in the corner of my dinning room in a case. 

   A new Mapex Saturn BD 18 x 22 will cost me $740  I got the whole kit for about $1,900.  However, I recently purchased a Yamaha Oak Custom set and sold the Saturn kit.  So I no longer need to reduce its size.

   Another reason for making it shorter is the band I play in is loud and I have not miced my kit yet and was spending a lot of energy playing that large BD loud.  More air to move.  Leg would get sore the next day and I'm not getting any Yonger.   ;D

Mister Acrolite

With it being a lacquered shell in a fade finish, I think you run a serious risk of ruining the drum. Remember, the fade is done proportionate to the depth of the shell, and if you cut off one end of it, that means you're chopping off one end of the fade, so it's likely to make the finish look "out of balance" in comparison to the other drums.

Another alternative would be to cut off equal amounts from both sides, but then you're looking at redrilling ALL the lugs, and cutting new bearing edges for both sides, etc.

And in doing so, you're pretty much destroying any resale value.

Also, I don't think you'll find your leg is less tired from playing a shorter bass drum. Frankly, the bigger shell will be louder, so if anything, you'll have to play even harder to compensate for the smaller shell depth. I've played 22's in all depths from 14 to 24, and they don't feel much different. There's a bigger change in feel when you go to a larger diameter, but not so much with a larger depth. For example, I find a 26" bass drum is harder work to play than a 22".  But I played twin 22x22 bass drums for years, and never found them harder to play than normal 22's.