Tuning toms is a pain in the ass.

breeeeza

breeeeza

Senior MemBREH
I have had new heads for about 2 weeks and when i initially tuned them i thought they sounded good but i think they must have gone out of tune cause they sound like crap now and a week ago i tried re tuning them but i couldnt. I have tightened them all up now and left them cracking untill tomoro when i will try the method from 'the tuning bible' and before i try this does anyone know of a better way because i have tried several differnt methods with these heads allready and im thinking it may be too late to salvage them but i deffinatly cant afford any more yet. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
 
Drums are just like guitars. You have to tune them all the time.

What heads do you have?
What are your drums made out of?
What type of music do you play?

The tuning bible method works well. Just take your time.

Most of the time, you get the attack from the top head and the 'note' from the bottom.
 
Farview said it. Tune them often. The top head for attack and feel and the bottom more for resonance and tone. The drums sound differently out front than they do from the drummers perspective. Don't look at it as a chore but rather as simply part of being a drummer and producing a good sound.
 
Farview said:
Drums are just like guitars. You have to tune them all the time.

What heads do you have?
What are your drums made out of?
What type of music do you play?

The tuning bible method works well. Just take your time.

Most of the time, you get the attack from the top head and the 'note' from the bottom.
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Pinstripes, its only a stage custom but i know they can sound pretty good and 'metal' but not limited to it allthough i love the deep fat tone, such as the one the drummer in all shall perish has. I got 10, 12, 13 and 16" toms now, the 10" is new.
 
I guess it's like Farview said, drum heads are like guitar strings: when they are new you're gonna have to tune them more often, it will get less as they get older!
 
+1 to the "you gotta tune em regularly" stuff above. you just can't expect something under tension that you're whacking hard with sticks to stay under that same amount of tension over time.

i tweak the tuning of all of my drums before every recording session.

i've found that this is one of the places where a Drum Dial can come in handy. once you put new heads on and get everything tuned to your liking, use the dial to take measurements of the drums. then when it's time to retune the drums, use the measurements to get you back in the ballpark.

this is one of the reasons why it's usually easier to play a 4-piece kit rather than an 8 or 10 piece. :-D


cheers,
wade
 
Benyah said:
when they are new you're gonna have to tune them more often, it will get less as they get older!
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i disagree with this statement. in my 20-odd years of drumming, i've found that older heads need tuning more often b/c they don't hold tune very well anymore. they're on their way towards being dead and worn out. and new heads hold their tune better (provided you've properly seated them, have good bearing edges on the drum, etc).


cheers,
wade
 
aidan_m said:
And don't forget the resonant (bottom) heads also need regular replacing..
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I write the date I install it on the head. I then replace it a year after that date. You don't need to replace it more often than that.

I replace my top heads at least once a month, but I use Evans, which you don't need to tune up alot (to make it "crack")when you install it. The reason is because of the locking collar and glue type.

BTW... My family is from Cork, I'm the second born outside, my dad was conceived in Ireland, born in Iowa in the States. I'm going back this summer for the first time.
 
breeeeza said:
Pinstripes, its only a stage custom but i know they can sound pretty good and 'metal' but not limited to it allthough i love the deep fat tone, such as the one the drummer in all shall perish has. I got 10, 12, 13 and 16" toms now, the 10" is new.
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I tune pinstripes low. This will get that metal sound (attack and boom). Tune the top head so it is barely tight, just enough to get the wrinkles out. Tune the bottom head low as well, tune it to the pitch of the shell. (knock on the shell and listen to it, tune the bottom head to that pitch)
 
breeeeza said:
Pinstripes, its only a stage custom but i know they can sound pretty good and 'metal' but not limited to it allthough i love the deep fat tone, such as the one the drummer in all shall perish has. I got 10, 12, 13 and 16" toms now, the 10" is new.
Click to expand...


i just have to say, the all shall perish drummer is incredible, my band played with them about 7 months ago at a venue in miami, and it was one of my favorite shows. my drummer is always playign there stuff.

thats all i really had to say haha. i dont know too much about tunning, except i would agree with what that guy above me said that drums are like guitars, and always need to be tunned.

when my drummer doesnt tune for a week or so, it definately is noticable, esspecially since we play very fast, technical metal
 
If they are propperly seated like someone mentioned earlier then you shouldn't have the problem you are having. They are like guitar strings in the sense that the older they get the harder they are to tune. When you put them on do you tighten them finger tight? Then tune them the rest of the way with the key? Don't forget to tighten them like you do when tightening lugs on a tire. If you have the top loser then the bottom you with get a quicker decay. If you have the top tighter then the bottom you will get more decay. If you want more attack losen one lug a quarter to a half turn.
:)
 
i finally did it and they sound amazing (for a stage custom) now. I diddnt use just one method it was sort of a mix between two but it took 2 days and i stabbed a hole in one head and had to replace it. I cant remember how many turns on each or whatever but i did crank all the heads up to abou 2 turns and finger tight and left it over night to get the heads strached and seated, aswell as pushing on them before. Cheers for the help :D
 
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