Hi guys, this is gonna be a long-winded explanation/question, but I hope some of you have the time and patience to stick with me through it....and provide some guidance.
My go-to gigging kit is a 1966 Ludwig "Hollywood" (12,13,16,22) 3 ply with re-rings. Bearing edges have been nicely recut by Bentley's in Fresno, CA. I tune the toms using a tune-bot. G2 16", B3 13", and D3 12". F3 or F#3 on Jazzfest and Supraphonic. I play them pretty much wide open, with just a touch of the factory-installed felt mufflers under the batter heads.
I have always had issues with the 12" buzzing, but since I started using an overhead mic and in-ears, the buzzing has become downright annoying. Today I tried swapping snare drums and tuning up and down of both the snares and the 12" tom. No luck on reducing the buzzing.
I then removed the Aquarian "classic clear" reso head of the tom, but the buzzing remained with the batter head. I then removed the batter head and was reminded that this drum is slightly out of round. The Aquarian "texture coated" batter head fits down OK and seats on the shell, but it takes some effort to rotate it on the shell.
- Could this out-of-round condition be a factor in causing the snare buzz?
2. Could a "classic fit" batter head possibly lessen the buzz?
3. Has anyone ever tried to balance the out-of-round uneven head tension by reducing tension on the rods nearest the "bulge" in the shell? Is that even possible?
Any other ideas? Thanks in advance for any recommendations/guidance anyone may provide.
Regards, Marty B