I quite like these old MIJ kits too...mostly because they have funky wraps and they're cheap to buy. It's a fun project to try and get a good sound out of them. You're probably getting them sounding better because you are putting in the care and attention to bearing edges etc they never had when new.

I'm not sure about this idea about the wood plies in any drum ageing or "curing" over time and sounding better.

I guess that flies in the face of what most vintage owners believe but hey, I'm prepared to debate the physics.

I make stave shell drum shells professionally, so it always makes me smile when I hear people talking about the nuances in sound of various ply shells...they're a wood veneer, with layers most of the time only .6mm thick with a layer of glue in between each...how much tone can that impart to a drum shell really? The tone is probably coming just as much from the glue as well ! Tap a piece of 6mm plywood...then tap a piece of solid wood...which has a more lively tone? If you want tone that reflects the type of timber the drum is made from...play solid timber drum shells!

When you think about the process in taking thin veneers of wood and glueing them in a circle under pressure in a mould (essentially making plywood which is very stable material) how much change could they go through?

I guess, having said we know they were using cheap thicker veneers that may not have been kiln dried so some changes might take place. I know looking at a lot of these shells the seams have opened up over time with shrinkage.

I have a mould, so I've just made a 14" x 14" ply shell floor tom in Luan veneer which I plan to wrap and put alongside an old Pearl 60's kit missing it's original drum. I'll let you know if it sounds as good (or as bad ha haha ) as the other drums!

Cheers

Jim

My father was a woodworker for many years.I have done some myself.As far as I can see once the wood has cured it is cured.It can still absorb a certain amount of moisture and can dry back out.But,I believe ,once it has cured that's it.The sound is the sound in 1966 and 2006.Jim

There's no debating that "once the wood is cured it is cured", the question is how long does that process takes. You say your father is a woodworker, so am I, for nearly fourty years now. I've learned from experience now that it's not immediate and that it takes a lot more than a few months or even a few years. I see this all the time just cutting firewood. Each spring a tree in my backyard gets overgrown and I have to cut a few limbs off. If I try to burn them right away, they won't even ignite. If I wait until winter, they still will barely ignite. But if I wait until next season, they will burn well. But that tree is far different from Luan or Mahogany. It's nowhere near as oily for one thing.

There are vast differences between different types of wood. Mahogany is a fairly oily wood, and everyone knows that mahogany guitars built during the 1950's and 60's sound much different and better today than when they were new. Conventional wisdom is that this is largely due to the oils in the wood slowly drying out over time. Luan is a much more oily wood than mahogany, by what magic would it be that this wood somehow managed not to change in character over time even more dramatically than mahogany?

Additionally, absorbing moisture and drying out has nothing to do with curing. That's just water. The oils on the other hand, once evaporated NEVER are replenished. That is fundamentally different than merely absorbing moisture and drying out. Furthermore, as woods age, they change chemically. The pores tighted up and the wood generally becomes harder and more resonant. Any experienced woodwoorker would tell you that. I'd be shocked if your father were not aware of that, even if you are not. The curing process is far more complex than your statement would suppose. These drums most emphatically do NOT sound the same today than they did in the 1960's, or the 1970's. I am old enough to have owned these drums when they were new more than four decades ago.

I can tell you unequivocally just from personal experience, that they sound much different now than when they were new. My only question is how long does it take for that transformation to take place. I believe it's at least 10 years, and maybe a lot longer. I want to hear from others who have actually noticed that transition as I have.

I think the sound differences are from the micro splintering that happens over time. What was once solid is now more acoustic from being "semisolid".

My beech Phonics are micro splintering but only the inner ply and they are nine plies.

Just my theory.

How long does it take to cure ? ...Is that with or without a kiln?

MutantMosart-Don`t think you`ll ever get a definitive answer on your thread as no one really knows the time frame from one year to thirty years for that perfect cure and i`m sure we`ll all debate this one-good question and wish i knew the answer.

Wayne

As far as I can tell, you posted a question about which you already had an opinion, which seemingly cannot be challenged. That's internet forums I suppose. $00.02

Wood definitely get`s harder through heat and time. 100 year old roof rafters are F`n impossible to nail. But you will find even those dryrot and splinter throughout.

I noticed it with mine. they are C-toms up top and when I was re-finishing them with beeswax, I slightly sanded them first and the dust was collecting in the tiny splits so I was like What the F` ?