by Bongo Boy » Wed Mar 06, 2002 6:17 am
Manufacturer's claims are always interesting and sometimes even amusing. According to the web site, these drums "project better" because the shell is made from a single piece of wood, and also for that reason are less likely to crack due to impact. While the first claim may be true, I can't imagine an experienced wood craftsman making the second claim--I've seldom seen a glued joint that wasn't stronger than the adjacent wood.
If they do indeed project better I wonder if it could be because of the shape of the shell itself, or because the inside surface of the shell is smoothly curved (as opposed to at least some staved drums which are not).
I like the way they do the rims--again, this design should be quite a bit stiffer than the traditional rim, even for the same weight of materials. But don't the tuning lugs look small and difficult to access with a wrench?
Living as I do in an extremely arid location, I would not trust this shell design to survive two or three winters without cracking--that's what would worry me the most. While maple does well here, other hardwoods such as oak and cherry in large pieces don't. Veneers and laminates have a far higher survival rate. Just my $0.02 USD worth, if that.
Edited By Bongo Boy on Mar. 05 2002 at 23:22