dgatwood
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Here's the review I just sent to Musician's Friend (but which they probably won't publish since it is a bit negative):
While you CAN mount it the way they tell you to mount it, you do NOT want to do so. There are several reasons for this. First, hanging the drum from the rim will make it go out of tune slightly. Second, it is impossible to tune it with the rubber mounts stuck down over the top lugs. Third, it sounds awful because the mount itself ends up vibrating against the rim, resulting in a nasty buzz at about 100 Hz and harmonics thereof. Fourth, it's hard to get it to stay securely. The first few times you try it, the drum WILL fall off on you. You have been warned.
The way the mount "works" is this: you basically hang the drum from four rubber grommets. The edge of the rim hooks under the lip of these pieces of rubber and the rim hangs there underneath the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket also rests against the side, and those rubber grommets also press against the side of the drum.
The problem is that because of the way it mounts, the rim naturally tends to vibrate up against the metal mount, causing the entire mounting bracket to then vibrate sympathetically in a very nasty way, hence the approx. 100 Hz buzz.
To fix this problem, first remove the bottom head (or the top; it doesn't really matter). Next, dismantle the mounting bracket by removing the three screws that hold the mount to the plate. You will find a small, thin plate between the main plate and the mount. The next step is to reshape this slightly so that its curvature roughly matches that of the shell of the drum.
To do this, take a screwdriver (or rolling pin, or whatever...) and place it flat on a hard surface. Place the curved piece on top of it, and press down on both edges to make it a bit more curved than it was originally. It shouldn't take a lot to make it pretty close to the curvature of the shell.
Next, using double-stick tape, fasten that plate temporarily to the outside of the drum. The end with two screw holes should be towards the top of the drum; the end with one screw hole should be towards the bottom.
Next, use liquid paper to mark where the three holes should be. Allow to dry for a minute or so. Remove the plate and drill the three holes through the shell so that they are just large enough for the posts on the mount to slip into them but are still relatively snug. You should drill them somewhat smaller to begin with, then measure them against the actual posts so that you can adjust the holes if needed. (You WILL end up adjusting them unless you own a drill press, and maybe even then....)
Shove the mount into place. Drill the holes a little bigger if necessary to get it all the way in place. Now remove the mount and take the center (hole cut out) piece of self-stick felt and remove the backing. Tape the edges of this so that the felt covers the large hole in the mount, with the sticky side towards the drum. Replace the mount and press the self-stick felt down with your finger to secure it to the surface of the drum.
Clean any residual liquid paper from the thin metal place using rubbing alcohol (isopropanol) or similar. Put that plate on the inside of the shell, and run the original mounting screws through that plate, through the shell, and into the mount. Tighten them securely. Reattach the bottom (or top) head.
Once you have made this change, this drum will sound a thousand times better.
While you CAN mount it the way they tell you to mount it, you do NOT want to do so. There are several reasons for this. First, hanging the drum from the rim will make it go out of tune slightly. Second, it is impossible to tune it with the rubber mounts stuck down over the top lugs. Third, it sounds awful because the mount itself ends up vibrating against the rim, resulting in a nasty buzz at about 100 Hz and harmonics thereof. Fourth, it's hard to get it to stay securely. The first few times you try it, the drum WILL fall off on you. You have been warned.
The way the mount "works" is this: you basically hang the drum from four rubber grommets. The edge of the rim hooks under the lip of these pieces of rubber and the rim hangs there underneath the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket also rests against the side, and those rubber grommets also press against the side of the drum.
The problem is that because of the way it mounts, the rim naturally tends to vibrate up against the metal mount, causing the entire mounting bracket to then vibrate sympathetically in a very nasty way, hence the approx. 100 Hz buzz.
To fix this problem, first remove the bottom head (or the top; it doesn't really matter). Next, dismantle the mounting bracket by removing the three screws that hold the mount to the plate. You will find a small, thin plate between the main plate and the mount. The next step is to reshape this slightly so that its curvature roughly matches that of the shell of the drum.
To do this, take a screwdriver (or rolling pin, or whatever...) and place it flat on a hard surface. Place the curved piece on top of it, and press down on both edges to make it a bit more curved than it was originally. It shouldn't take a lot to make it pretty close to the curvature of the shell.
Next, using double-stick tape, fasten that plate temporarily to the outside of the drum. The end with two screw holes should be towards the top of the drum; the end with one screw hole should be towards the bottom.
Next, use liquid paper to mark where the three holes should be. Allow to dry for a minute or so. Remove the plate and drill the three holes through the shell so that they are just large enough for the posts on the mount to slip into them but are still relatively snug. You should drill them somewhat smaller to begin with, then measure them against the actual posts so that you can adjust the holes if needed. (You WILL end up adjusting them unless you own a drill press, and maybe even then....)
Shove the mount into place. Drill the holes a little bigger if necessary to get it all the way in place. Now remove the mount and take the center (hole cut out) piece of self-stick felt and remove the backing. Tape the edges of this so that the felt covers the large hole in the mount, with the sticky side towards the drum. Replace the mount and press the self-stick felt down with your finger to secure it to the surface of the drum.
Clean any residual liquid paper from the thin metal place using rubbing alcohol (isopropanol) or similar. Put that plate on the inside of the shell, and run the original mounting screws through that plate, through the shell, and into the mount. Tighten them securely. Reattach the bottom (or top) head.
Once you have made this change, this drum will sound a thousand times better.
