Help! Bearing Edges on Maple Custom Absolutes

[YamahaPlayer]

"Also, the kick sounds much better in front than from behind the kit and that's what counts I guess. It seems like some kits are like this (had Sonor Designers once, the kick sounded plastic from behind but oh so sweet out in front)..."

That is a good point. What the drums sound like out front is often VERY different then from the drivers seat.

OP- Have you heard your kit from the audience perspective? It might sound a lot different then you think.

[Joe Nocella]

Since you say you live on the East Coast, I figured that I would suggest a great edging source.

Precision Drums in NY State (about 1.5 hours north of NYC) has always done all my edges and drum work. They are the best on the East Coast (as far as I am concerned.) They will do EXACTLY what you want done, will give you great advice regarding sound of different edges, get the job done when they say they are going to, and do it VERY reasonably.

I am in NJ about 2 hours away from them, so I drive my stuff up. That way you don't have to worry about "Beavis the UPS guy" throwing your shells around. Nor do you have to pay to have stuff packed well, or save boxes around the house to ship your shells. In fact I believe, if you let Gary know ahead of time (make an appt) they will do them in one day. So you can hand deliver your stuff, go get something to eat, kill some time and do whatever, come back at days end and take your drums home. (Don't quote me on this though, I don't know if he does that for everyone.) But that way there is no packing, no shipping, no risk. It's WELL worth the trip. But if you aren't close, most people ship their jobs in.

They have done A LOT of work for me on my Gretsch's, Yamaha's, and my snares, and do EXCELLENT, SECOND TO NONE type work, I have NEVER been disappointed in any of their work, or in any of my dealings with them. I even let all of my drum friends know when I am going up so I can hand deliver their stuff that needs work as well (can you tell, I REALLY don't trust UPS!)

And NO I don't work for them!!!! I just believe in good old fashioned quality American craftsmanship, pride in your work, and spreading the good reputation of someone I deal with.

Good luck,
Mark

PS. When I have been on the West Coast and needed some work done, Chris Heuer (in Glendale) has done some GREAT work for me as well.

Mark,

At your recommendation I had the edges recut on my 2010 Pearl Masters Maple MCX toms by Precision Drum Co. in Pleasant Valley, NY. First off, let me say that Gary came in on his day off to accommodate my schedule. Very nice guy.

Second, he put my drums on a granite block which was flat to within .001" It was shocking to me just how imperfect the drums were. I mean this is a mid/high-end range kit. This inspection proved to me that about zero attention was paid to cutting a quality edge. The drum rocked back and forth on the granite. Shining a light into the shell exposed all the flaws that were making these drums a frustration to tune.

Within a half hour, Gary had all my toms recut. He recommended putting a double 45 router cut on the edge. This would move the edge over slightly and allow for the head to make contact with the shell on the flat part of the head and not the curved collar. What a difference all of this made!!!

End result: My drums now sing!!! The head is completely married to the edge, allowing the head and shell to resonate together. Tuning is now a breeze.

Conclusion: If you are even slightly concerned about the condition of your edges. Bring them to someone who is qualified and can show you what can be improved upon. I can speak first hand that Gary at Precision, knows his stuff, does top-notch work, and is passionate about drums and committed to quality.

Highly recommend!!!!

-Joe

[nomsgmusic]

You are very welcome Joe!!!!! While I will not aim the edge complaints that I have had in the past to any specific company, I will just say that Joe's experience is very common. You would be amazed how many GREAT (mass produced) drum sets have HORRIBLE edges. MANY pros even have to have "their" kits edges occasionally redone. But as Joe said, it completely brings them back to life. Anyone who "poo poo's" that idea, just doesn't know what he is talking about, or has had bad work done in the past. As with the big companies, I'm sure there are also some independent craftsmen that also do awful edges as well. It is an artform, NOT a skill!!!!

So many guys hear their set sound change over time (wear and tear on the edges, they do dull, like a knife that is used a lot) or maybe they didn't like the sound to start with..... (a completely different question. WHY buy them!) But anyway, EDGES!!!!!! I can't say it enough!

As to Gary and Precision, I'm glad you had a good experience, and it was worth the trip and the $$$. I'm sure you had apprehensions since "my" recommendation just came from some "name on a screen." They are great guys, and truly what craftsmanship and service is all about!!!!

I always tell people that while I was there once having some work done, someone called to inquire about having their edges done (on a complete set, a pretty big $$$ job) and after a few pointed questions Gary told the customer (in this economy mind you) that it was his professional opinion that the drums did NOT need new edges!!!! He proceeded to say that he would do them "if the customer insisted," but that edges did not sound like the problem. That kind of honesty, these days, (as well as great work) goes a LOOOONG way with me!

Anyway Joe, glad you are happy, and the "new old tubs" are singing. We should do a NJ HOD hang at some point, let's not let all those "West Coast dudes" have all the fun! As I said recently elsewhere, "How bad can NJ be? We have a town called Bonhamtown, and a town named Ringoes!

Hope all is well,
Mark

[Chuck Lacy]

Does anyone know of a place in the Chicago land area where I can get my edges re cut?

[Joe Nocella]

You can always fedex your drums. I know Precision and Pork Pie do it.

[Old Pit Guy]

It's not terribly difficult if you don't want or need a complete re-cut. To square them up, all you need is a table w/a flat surface with sandpaper affixed to the top. You can fabricate the table from wood or buy the granite mentioned above. Two flat surfaces is best, one for sanding and one for checking level flatness. The flashlight in a dark room trick is good, or paper under the edges ... whichever.

Once you've flattened down the sharp edge, you're left with a flattened caret ^ top (apex). On some snare drums you could leave it this way and be fine if the original edge was rounded-over nearer to the middle of the shell than to the edge, and the flat area is no greater than one ply in width. Try that, you may like it. Great way to tame ringy wood snares.

The key is to get the shell's edge flat and true. Once you've done that by spinning the shell against the sanding table, you gently sand down the apex on one or both sides to round the flat edge you made in step one. But you don't touch the flat part -- just gently sand up to the edge of the flattened apex. Best to experiment on an old snare drum. On drums with no outside round over and with sharp edges (Sonor comes to mind), the best you can do is flatten and true, then gently hand sand the angle back as sharp as you want it.

It is time consuming, but if you're handy it's well worth it in money saved.

[nomsgmusic]

Old Pit Guy,

I'll say this as politely as I can. Sorry, but I could not disagree more!!!!!! Yes (we) people can learn to do anything (in time,) but I would NEVER suggest to anyone to do their own edges. It is an ARTFORM, not a simple skill that you can learn from an elementary explanation on line and from buying a few tools. I can appreciate your advice to practice on cheaper drums, but how many Pearl Export sets or Jet snares would someone have to "alter" before they were really good at doing edges?

I changed a head gasket on my car ONCE (How hard can that be? Right? Buy a Chilton guide and go, right?) It took me 5 times as long, and more blood, sweat, and tears, than I could have ever been prepared for. If I would have had the right tools, and the experience, (and some wisdom) it would have gone better. I accomplished the task, but I would still never do THAT again, or recommend it to anyone. I don't care how much $$$ I'd save. When someone has done something HUNDREDS of times, there is a skill set gained.

When working with wood, once you make a mistake, it's hard (impossible) to go back, and for the sake of uniformity, you have to go further, and further... A few "mistakes" and you are left with too little space between the edge and the lug spacing. Time to re-drill the shell and move the lugs back. Your 8x12 tom is now a 6.5x12 tom.

When a craftsman has been taught to do something, practiced, and developed it to an art form, it is a little insulting to suggest that you could just do it yourself. No offense intended, just an extreme difference of opinion. I own a piano, and can play few tunes, scales, etc. But I AM NOT A PIANIST!!!!!! Dig?

Chuck Lacy,
Strip the hardware and heads off of the shells, call and TALK to a craftsman, and pack the shells inside of each other and inside your BD case (well packed,) and ship your valuable drums to a PRO. Ask around to the Chicago professional drummers, and get some names of someone locally, and go to someone with a good reputation in doing specifically THIS type of work.

Good luck,
MSG

[Chuck Lacy]

Thanks nomsmusic. I know a few places I know of already, just wondering if there was a consensus #1 spot or a good testimonial.

[Old Pit Guy]

Totally understand where you're coming from, no problem. I'm going by my own experience here, so ...

I used to take bad drums down to Pro Drum, and when the edges were off or gouged that's pretty much what one of the guys did. I watched the process enough times to realize it wasn't rocket science to rehab a drum edge. Again, not re-cutting new edges, but resurfacing existing edges by flattening them square and hand shaping them. It's, as I said, time consuming and best if you're handy -- that's tongue in cheek for having a degree of skill and common sense. For instance, having another drum next to you while you're shaping one as a guide to how the edge should look. Or high res pictures. And taking off only a fraction at a time, checking level, and taking off more (or not) based on that. I'm talking about taking off just enough for a true, flat surface --not very much at all in most cases. It may be just a few spins on the table. It's like the guy who sends his Macbook off for a $1000 repair vs someone very careful who buys the parts and tools, closes up in a room for an entire day (or weekend) and does it himself with success. Or not. Risk it or pay. Up to each person.

I did forget the OP is talking about a high-end set of drums, so I'm more with you to suggest sending them off if new edges are the cure. I do think tuning them up is a better bet, if doable. I've tweaked a couple of lackluster Yamaha toms this way and they're fine. It's usually just a bad section or a gouge (could just hand sand that it a little) etc.

Probably best they're sent off, but I'd look hard for someone locally to do it first.

[Julián Fernández]

I kind of agree, Mark. But comparing the ability to re do drum edges to the time it takes to be a pianist is way off.
I don´t think there´s nothing wrong trying to do your own edges, that´s how most guys that are good at it began...
I really don´t care that much about it to spend time doing it... If my drums doesn´t sound pleasant to my ears, I just sold them and move on...