top of page

Drum Shells: Get to know drum's materials and how they affect their sound

A shell is a cylindrical object made of wood or metal. It is what defines the shape of each of the drum. Depending on the size, material, and shape of the shell, the sound of the drum can suffer a significant change. They are the backbone of the instrument.

Woods

Woods

Since the beginning of drums history, their shells have always come from wood. And yes, they are still the most common shells. That is why there is an enormous variety of different wood types and combinations. But here we'll show you the just the best woods.

Maple Drums

Maple shells are the most common woods used in drum sets. They have a great quality and consistency. If a drum is made of maple, it is most likely a good product.

​

In musical terms, the maple offers a wide range of possibilities so it can be used for a lot, a lot of styles. Usually, it offers:

​

  • A balanced and warm tone 

  • Equally high and middle notes

  • Clear Sound

  • Large Range Tuning

  • Great for live and studio

  • Awesome resonance and response

Oak Drums

Oakwood is pretty strong. That is why Oak drum shells require a little more work than the others. However, it is a pretty good wood for a drum.


For music, the oak has pretty solid acoustic properties. It offers:

​

  • Warm but strong sound

  • Good projection

  • Great durability

  • Good midrange

Birch Drums

Birch is a very popular wood. It has a very enjoyable sound and a great price range in the market. Additionally, because birch is a very common wood, these drums are easy to find.​


From a musical perspective it offers:

​

  • Awesome bright and cutting sound

  • Loud and Crispy Sound

  • Exalting Highs

  • Good Low sounds

  • Aggressive tone

Mahogany Drums

Like maple and birch, the Mahogany is a very popular drum material. It has a great history as an instrument material. 

 

Nowadays you will find two types of mahogany. The African (excellent quality) and the Lauan/Philippine (Just an impostor). So, if you are planning to but a Mahogany drum set makes sure it is AFRICAN. Musically it offers:

​

  • Great deep & rich Low end/tone

  • Less projection (that maple and birch)

  • Warm tone

  • Good resonance

  • Good punch sound

​

Bubinga Drums

Besides being beautiful for your eyes, the Bubinga drums offers a very interesting and unique sound. This wood is a little denser (harder) than maple or birch, and because of that, in musical terms it offers:

​

  • Great Attack and powerful resonance

  • Rich lower end

  • Similar and defined high and low ends

  • Clear Tone

  • Great punch sound

Metals

Metals

Besides wood, metal is a popular material for drums. It offers, but are not limited to, an excellent high pitch, bright and cutting sound, plus great volume and projection. If you are a rock or metal fan, these drums can show you a whole new world. Usually, when we talk about metal as a material, it is related to snare drums. Although there are complete metal drum sets.

Steel Drums

Steel is a very, very common material for snare drums, almost every major drum brand has one of these. That means that you can find multiple qualities when talking about steel, it could be used from cheap to absolutely expensive drums.

​

  • Cutting tone

  • Very bright sound

  • Great Projection

  • Perfect for high tones

  • Long sustain

  • Resonance perfect for rim shots

Brass Drums

Brass is a very common material for metal drum shells. It is like the birch or maple of metal, simply the standard drum metal shell. So yeah, if a company has metal drums they have at least one brass product. Have you heard of the Black Beauty? It is a Brass drum.

​

  • Warm sound

  • Great Sustain

  • Good resonance

  • Some crispiness

  • Very versatile​

Bronze Drums

Different from the brass, steel, and aluminum, the bronze has a really warm sound (for a metallic shell). The market has different bronze variation when creating the shell, but they usually share similar characteristics. Some of these variations can be very expensive, but its ok, you can find great deals. Musically they offer:

​

  • Very warm Sound (for a metal)

  • Long sustain

  • Great middle and low ends (and a great tuning range)

  • Great resonance and response

  • Great for studio

Aluminum Drums

The aluminum is a great material for Drums, especially for snare drums. They are a little softer than other metals, plus have a very recognizable sound. If you like 70s rock, probably you have heard a guy named John Bonham, well, he used aluminum snares that sounded great. So musically it has:

​

  • Crispy sound

  • Softer than other metal shells

  • Dry sound

  • Less sustain (when compared to other snares)

  • Great for studio recording

Other Materials

Other Materials

There is a lot of different materials used for the construction of new drum types, like plastics and fibers. But here we will only talk about two common and famous materials non-metals, non-woods, that are used for the creation of our lovely instrument.

Fiberglass Drums

Yes, it sounds weird for a new drummer, but it turns out that the fiberglass can be an interesting material for the drums construction. These drums have a strong resistance and are very light-weight, plus are usually thin.
Now, in music it has:

​

  • Open sound

  • ​Good attack

  • Good resonance

  • Warm sound

  • Extremely versatile

Acrylic Drums

The acrylic is one of the most fun drum material and a must-try. If you are a Zeppelin fan, you probably know the power and uniqueness of the acrylic, and if you are not, prepare to be delighted. The acrylic is different, for your eyes and ears, and musically it offers:

​

  • Powerful and awesome punch/attack

  • A lot of volume/projection

  • Great middle ends

  • Incredible for Live Performance

bottom of page