I couldn't afford to buy my Vistalite kit, so I traded a guitar for it.

The keystone shells are 3 plies of maple with one ply of oak on either side, so they sound rich and punchy. I really like them.

I cant think clear thoughts enough in order to answer with that black reso head on there. Sorry.

-Adam

Oak?

Are you sure?

Congrats with your Vistalites.

Jon

Me neither. That was my next question: what to use?

As far as the Keystones, yes they have maple & oak. Look them up on Ludwig's site.

Here's how I solved the identical problem on all of my vintage Ludwig tone controls made with round felt pads and round external tension knobs:

1) Use high grade clear epoxy of the type requiring a mixing of resin and bonder for the best result. Plan a time when each drum being repaired can set overnight before further playing. High grade Super Glue can also work and will set quicker, but bonding quality can vary because of their limited shelf life. I recommend the old fashioned mix up glue for permanent results.

2) Gather a small batch of Q-tips together just in case you need to clean up an unintended drip of glue. Some 91% alcohol always good to have just in case something needs a quick wipe off. Wear gloves.

3) Mix up a small patch of epoxy on a piece of disposable cardboard. Stir until thick. Use edge of small pocket knife blade or something similar to apply the glue. If using Super Glue you will simply apply drops from the applicator.

4) Remove bottom heads from snare and toms and lay on secure surface batter head side down. Keep the intact head well tensioned.

5) Ensure all screws & lock nuts fastening the tone control to shell are intact and firm. Reduce the tension on the tone control by turning the knob counterclockwise so that the felt pad backs away from the head. The offending mechanisms usually "rattle" where the round felt's backing plate is pinned through to the end of the lever.

6) Apply a small amount of epoxy to the area where lever and pad make contact. Not too much and not too little. You want to lay down just a small blob.

7) When satisfied, tighten the tone control tension knob to press the felt pad up into the head quite firmly. Not so much that you break off the pad, but tightly so that you see the felt pad pressing up and into the underside of the the batter head. Clean up any excess glue if necessary.

8) Leave the drum overnight on a table top or area batter head side down.

9) Return 8-12 hrs. later. Slowly back off the tone control knob tension. Reassemble bottom head.

10) It's done. No more tone control rattle. You can now use the tone control in the on or off position without any rattle.

Or... you can wind a six inch piece of string around the post and done! Your way is more permanent, but it's like going from New York to Boston via Los Angeles. Cooked Egg

Purdie..

your piece of string thing is just brilliant.. Gotta ask, did you spend some time with the boy scouts??

Cheers

> did you spend some time with the boy scouts??

Not long enough! lol

John

Use something clear on the front. Clear Remo Emperor (or Ambassador) would probably be fine. I have a clear vista kit as well. Shamed to say I havent really played it yet. It has 22 bass, 12, 13, and 20 inch floor tom...yes, not a typo.. 20"floor tom. The original head that is on the floor doesnt sound very good. I see that Remo is offering a 20" Pinstripe head again starting this month I believe.

Congrats on the purchase and enjoy playing those bad boys! I'm filling in for a blues/classic rock band on the 20th of next month. Going to be an outside festival gig in the afternoon. Thinking of getting mine up and running and using them! The Band

Hello again,

I got the opportunity to play them for the first time last night. First impressions were not promising, to say the least. The tuning is absolutely wretched!

The kick drum sounds like a cardboard box. I think it's biggest issue may be that someone cut a hole in the resonator head for recording. I notice the reso head shakes a lot when I hit the drum. I'm going to replace it and see if that fills out the sound. It just doesn't have any bass to it. All I get is a thin, hollow thud, no OOMPH. The batter head is an Evans EMAD with a black dot in the middle. There is a small, thin piece of foam haphazardly placed inside the drum which probably isn't doing much.

The floor toms sound like rubbermaid garbage cans..lol. I think they are just tuned down too low, so there's no real pitch or stick response. The heads feel very loose. All the toms have Evans EC2 edge control heads, with those aluminum rings around the edges. Any thoughts on those heads? On a few toms, you can see a little crease on the head, right by the seam of the shell. It almost looks like the head was tweaked at that point, as if it's being tugged. I'm concerned about this. Is this a sign of a problem with the shell? The 12" tom sounds fine, and is the only drum I'm happy with.

The snare is so bright and shrill I can't stand it and set it aside. I'll use my Slingerland aluminum, which is much warmer. I'm trying not to judge it too harshly right now, as the snare wires are rigged, as I mentioned earlier. It has a Remo white ambassador batter head on it, and a clear resonator head, which appears to be tuned pretty high. The drum just seems to sound very harsh, with not even the slightest bit of full range warmth. It's like listening to a stereo where the woofers are blown and you're only hearing the tweeters.

So, all in all, not a good start. I'm really very new to drum ownership, and this set has me WAY in over my head. I really don't know where to start. I'd love to have someone else look at these who is more familiar with drums and Vistalites than I am.

Kinda bummed...