The advice about tuning to the resonant note is sound but once you put the head and hoops and screws on, the over and undertones that can accompany those parts can become dominant. Always a fine tuning to accomodate the completeness of the package is required and then again and again, until it feels right.. Each drum you play will become a unique system and tuning will end up being second nature until you change heads and then it starts over but will take less time.

There will always be a debate about the character of bass drums. It revolves around boom or thud.I don't think setting a hard and fast rule about having damping rings makes sense because not all drummers want that degree of damping and some drums don't need it. If one wants an open toned drum, stay away from heavy,double, or heads with damping rings.

I'm a big fan of having mufflers on all heads, except of course the snare side.. Nothing will give you more latitude of sound and control over the sound of your drums. Up until about 1970, most well made drums came with at least one muffler but that design parameter quickly diminished until most drums came out with no mufflers..... Now, I think the original idea was to save money and offer a muffler as an option but there evolved this myth, that mufflers were bad in a drum , that they rattled or produced unwanted overtones and by the 90's, scores of used drums had them removed-----and there developed a vogue , in rock at least, for big open toned unrefined drumming, a la, John Bonham.

I have spent a considerable amount of time and effort , finding original mufflers and putting them back in drums. They become beautiful flexible musical instruments again. A little mechanical tightening and some heavy grease and the supposed tonal defects are what they are----a myth.

Trixon was unique, in that, up until the late 60's ,each drum had two mufflers and almost every bass drum came out with a huge rectangular muffler inside the front head and an adjustable strap muffler(so-called Pratt muffler) on the batter head and snares had an adjustable under the batter head and a flip on as well(i think some Ludwigs were that way too).You can use any head you want on a Trixon bass drum; you could probably use a yard litter bag and you could quickly tweak it to give a deep thud, that will flatten the carpet, a light boom ,a resonant boom or knock the curtains off the windows if you like.By adjusting the mufflers and the degree of openness of the beater stroke, you can attain boomy or thuddy notes with the same tuning. Trixon bass drums are the ultimate in kit bass drums, I have found non to equal them ---perhaps a Gretsch fitted also with a Pratt muffler can but unmuffled drums are totally coloured by the head and tuning, singly muffled drums less so. Heads with damping rings , really shouldn't exist. They came into being because the drums they were being fitted on were inadequate. It's a little like using a bent nail to keep a door closed because the latch is broken.

That said, I have recommended them as a remedial measure-----better than a blanket , I guess.

Thanks kellyj, Fortissimo, and calfskin. Kelly I know you are a great fan of late and Fortissimo, you are in a part of the world is a short on most every type of drum but MIJ. Calfskin, sir, you seem to have come about a bit to see that there are those of us whom, for various reasons, choose MIJ over American, and in addition to them. I make no bones about it, mine are purely economical. However, when you look at the relative costs, especially when you repair/restore kits and donate them to kids who would otherwise not be able to continue their drumming career, it makes for a great first kit, when properly repaired and restored.

Many of you started on these drums and, since you were ignorant as how to refine them 30-40 years ago, you got a bad taste for them. I understand that position. However, when these drums are properly set up by someone that turn them 100% around, they are an amazing value.

After Jonnistix told me how to fix an Apollo, I now believe the following:

1) the old Stencil kits were just unrefined

2) the old stencil kits are not horrible

3) the old Stencils actually are nice kits once you mess with them!

I think going over the edges and sealing the interiors does a world of good on ANY low end kit, but it makes an old MIJ kit into a tone monster.

Bravo jonnistix and your disciple bunnyman too for seeing the inherent "good" in what was otherwise deemed unacceptable.

kellyj

You know, I didn't say anything either because I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. But I'm glad someone else beat me to the response.

I'm thinking about doing the interior shell coating like Jonnistix recommended to help them resonate a little nicer. And I totally use the built in mufflers!

Guys, Guys,

Jonnistix, can you point me back to your shell

"sealer" thread?

You know its fascinating to see how modern Japanese drum building techniques fall short of the optimum just as they did in the 60's.

I recently acquired an earlier Japanese built (2007), high-end Tama Starclassic kit with matching snare. Upon inspection of the snare's 6-ply birch shell, there is no snare bed? This, a higher end drum still needing some refinement as alluded too earlier. Once the beds are cut it will be an excellent drum. Comments?

Here is my 12" 1969 Pearl "Bollero" tom after the hyper-tune with a light sanding and 3 coats of Tung oil to seal the mahogany. It sings beautifully now with single ply heads! The 10 lug snare that came with this kit has the warm woody tone I'm looking for in church band. Because its a 10 lug it tune up really fine.

I gave it the same sealer treatment as the toms. It is now my player snare on a weekly basis and I leave it in the hall all set up.

I could not do that with my Craviotto limited! Thanks for MIJ goodness.

-kellyj

Not to be forgotten are the superb drums made in Europe. Just because Americans don't know anything outside their own borders----only the 4 or 5 brands made in house and the inexpensive stuff force fed to them by the orient---- it doesn't mean that the 6 or so makers in Britain , the 7 makers in Germany, several in Holland,France and Italy, not to diminish others, I don't know about, don't exist. If I can defend the earlier offending post a bit. Thousands of drummers, the world over watched their prized makers go down the tubes, because America----the biggest and most dominant economy in the world took advantage bigtime, of cheap crap from the orient. There is no more Trixon, there is no more Tromsa, there is no more Asba, there is no more Ajax, there is no more, Autocrat, there is no more Hayman, there is no more,Meazzi and I know all of a sudden your hearts will break,---- alas there is no more Rogers!( I don't know whether you have noticed or not , there also is no more Ludwig or Slingerland and Gretsch is teetering------and ta da-----the grand reason????? because of America's collective O.C.D. about nuking Japan! Drummers on this forum don't forever want to hear about how the drums made when they were teenagers in their own bailliewick are right up there with some piece of **** ,made out of raped natural resources, half a world away and shipped to a consumer stroking nation that only cared about how much stuff they could compile cheap. The current economy tells the story----it wasn't and isn't a good plan! So, fix up the MIJ,MIT,MIC,MIM(made on the moon) drums and in all sincerity have the greatest amount of fun and by all means pass them on to whoever, disadvantaged kids ,especially and for that Jonnistix I commend you but as I appealed to the forum about at least six months ago: Separate the European drums from the oriental stuff----for goodness sakes there isn't just U.S.A. drums and the collective mediocrity of others! I'm sure Karl Heinz Weimer or Albert Della Porta or Johannes Link or Sattler or Fiorello Zanchi would be totally pleased-----WOW!! I'm right in there with MIJ ===My lifes work has been rubber stamped by the U.S.A, I make drums as good as the best that Sears Roebuck can sell! Holy S**t, I can retire now but thank goodness I couldn't compete because I made the mistake of thinking that well made drums were worth something.------------------ for goodness sake have some self respect, people ::::: tell the webnaster to develop a European drum section, separate from Mij. ---that will help cut down on the waste of gasoline.

I think that there is a misperception that some people on this forum have about us MIJ enthousiasts. I don't recall anyone here saying "Go out and buy a NEW Chinese drum set - go to Guitar Center and buy a Sound Percussion, or Legion, or Mapex, or etc, etc. We can really stick it to whatever is left of the American (or European) musical instrument industry..." No one in our small community wants to see the continued death of American, or European, drum manufacturers. However, this is a vintage drum forum, and whatever your opinion of them may be, drums made in Japan from the early 60s-mid 70s are part of the drum history that we discuss on this forum. If you don't care for them, that is fine - there are many other wonderful brands to choose from, from Ludwig to Trixon, from Rogers to Roxy, in this day of the internet, you can search and shop to your heart's content.

But the fact remains that the Japanese import drums of the classic rock'n'roll era are ubiquitous and useable - yes, just a useable as a Rogers or Slingerland set - and are part of drum history. Whatever their cultural, political, or economical implications may be, they have a place at the table. If you don't have an appreciation for them, fine, but respectfully leave those of us who would like to discuss them in peace.

I don't think anyone here would argue that there are/were great drum makers in Europe and else where. German Sonors are quality-wise, at the top. Premiers are are a work of art. No one is arguing against that.

Simply put the largest market is/was North America with its wealth, once proud manufacturing ability and technological brilliance, and innovation, hence the popularity of American drums. Vintage American drums are popular the world over as are Sonor, Premier, Trixon and other companies because of innovation and quality.

Nice rant Calfskin! Too bad the cheap labor was once in Japan and now resides in Asia. True our collective greed fuels supposed "junk" production of material at low wages for the world's poor. Unfortunately, the world works that way. Solutions?

To the original poster:

I think that coated Emperors over a coated single ply head will get you a great sound. For the bass drum, I'd recommend going for a Remo PS3 on both sides or trying a felt strip on the reso head you have on there now. If that's still a bit too boomy for you try felt strips on both sides. There's no right or wrong, just use whatever method you find that works for your ear.

If the shells still aren't tuning up as easily as you would like, try smoothing the edges with 220 grit sandpaper. You dont have to dig in, dont try to change the contour of the edge, you just want to smooth them up a bit to cut down as much friction from the head as possible. After you've smoothed them a bit, try using a small bit of clear candle wax around the edges. Finally, when you're ready to screw the t-rods back in, lubricate them with a drop or so of 3 in 1 oil to ensure easy and uniform tuning.

I start with the reso side first, going slowly to make sure that the tension is even around the shell so when I have to do the fine tuning I'm already in the ballpark. Take your time and find a pitch or resonace you like, or what you might feel is the 'sweet spot' of each drum. Tune until both sides are at that pitch. Be patient, it can take a little while.

Last few tips: I like to tune the rack tom and the floor tom roughly a 4th apart. (Play a 'C' then the 'G' below it on a guitar or piano - that is the interval that I usually go for, but not necessarily those pitches.) And also, the Gibraltar floating floor tom feet are absoulutely essential for getting the best sound and most resonance out of your floor tom. They've been discussed in another thread recently and I couldn't agree more, they are hands down the best and cheapest upgrade to any drum set.

Hope this helps - good luck and have fun!