Yes, please experiment with that! Of course, I don't have a band saw in my shop... but, maybe someday!

Bill

Thanks, Bill.

BTW, what length of tension rods do you use for the 5 1/2" tall shells? I'm getting close to the point where I'm going to need some. I could wait to measure after I get the lugs on, but I'd like to have them on hand.

-Tim

Why did we not take 2 and 1/4" off each end again ?

Less work. You only have to move one re-ring, the badge/vent hole/muffer and drill the bottom lug holes. The strainer/butt-end/snare beds can stay.

-Tim

How are you gonna keep the lugs centered ? Does the math work with the hole spaceing ?

It`s obvious that we can`t cut corners on a drum,..generally bad things happen, and ??

The extra work is not a big deal,..I`d rather do the bed,strainer and butt end than move the badge, vent hole and muffler !!

I`m not familiar with the layout of the drum trim,...but could you have done it without moveing the badge and vent by takeing even off each end, because that`s the way to go !!

On MOST of the marchers I have cut down to this size, the vent hole is positioned above the throw-off. That means it's out of position as far as a Jazz Festival is concerned anyway. Same with the position of the internal tone control. So those have to be drilled correctly anyway.

And, not to argue with Tim, but I don't see it as a "less work" issue. Cutting from the top down preserves the original snare beds.

Also, hoping not to offend anyone, but Ludwig drums from the 60s/70s (of which I am most accustomed to working with) were far from perfect. I've found the distance from bearing edge to the closest lug hole could be off as much as 1/8 of an inch! Also, wooden snare drums, though listed in the catalogs as 5x14s were usually 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 inches deep! So, the cut-downs I have done with 10x14 marchers are based upon the best cut that leaves the old "bottom" hole as the new "top" hole and new "bottom" holes are what gets drilled. In other words, I don't just arbitrarily cut the drum down to 5 1/2 inches -- I cut it down to what will make the lugs holes the most "evenly" spaced.

I hope that made sense... :)

Bill

Are you guys using the old marching shells because of the shell material? Why not buy a new Keller shell to make your repro jazz-fest? I know its a stupid question but then again I am,,

Jeff,

I've been using the old marchers primarily because I had so many of them laying around. Another vintage drum friend of mine sent me an article out of an old magazine that detailed the cut-down process, and wow! I had a lot of stock to do that with!

Now, there was also a time when I seemed to have plenty of old Pearl FG shells that I could experiment and build with. And, counting the current project, 3 so far... but now I'm just about out of those shells, too.

So, I said all of that to say this: I'm thinking that there may be a time when I buy new shells for at least some of what I'm doing...

Bill

No problem, Bill. :)

The reason I see it as less work was because the whole bottom half of the drum (bearing edge, strainer holes, butt-end holes, re-ring and one half of each lug hole) stays in place. If you kept the center mounted lug holes and cut 2 1/4" from the top and bottom, you would have to remove both re-rings, drill new strainer/butt-end holes and the vent hole center is 3 3/16" from the top of the marching snare bearing edge. After you cut the top, there would be a hole really close to the top bearing edge that you would have to plug. Removing the re-rings is not a quick and easy task either.

Jeff,

That's a very good question, Jeff. Using old marching snares/toms from the 60's is great, because of the cost. I got my complete drum with eight bowtie lugs, P-83 strainer, butt-end and top/bottom rims for only $60. The wrap was in very good condition before my screw-up, so I might decide to re-wrap, if my repairs don't workout. Otherwise, the only additional cost I would have would be shorter tension rods. So for around $80 and my labor, I will have a Ludwig Keystone badged Jazzfest replica. In fact, since the Ludwig marching snares used the same 3-ply shells as the Jazzfest snares the replica could technically be considered a Jazzfest, because everything on the drum is going to be factory Ludwig. Even though I don't plan on selling this drum, I have decided to mark/brand it as a replica to avoid any future confusion. Using a new Keller shell might not get you that Jazzfest sound either (3-ply Ludwig vs. 5 or 6-ply Keller).

Hope this helps.

-Tim

Tim,

That's why I call my drums "reproductions."

And yes, when you look at it the way you just described, you've got a good deal!

Bill