Jeff from JCCabinets will probably have more detail than I will, but the fact is, stain will highlight any plug or patch. The fact that fillers say that they are "stainable" doesn't mean that they will stain the same as the surrounding wood - They won't. If you were to make plugs that perfectly matched the holes (and the plugs were made showing the side of the grain, not end grain like on dowels), you will still likely see little circles where the glue line is.

This is why most people don't stain the wood of unwrapped, refinished drums. They simply put on a topcoat of polyurethane or lacquer so they don't highlight imperfections with stain. and a low-sheen or matte finish will help to further mask the imperfections.

One other option is to stain it very very dark. This would help hide repairs and such.

I hope this helps.

Josh

Thanks man! I’m not super worried about a few imperfect spots here and there. Still mulling it over too. I’m still leaning toward wrapping. I’ll see how it looks after it drys. The small spot I did stain that has putty in it isnt too terribly obvious.

If you are happy with the results, that’s all that matters. Sorry if I put a negative spin on my reply. They are your drums. Do what makes you happy!

You know, since there only a few small holes to worry about, you could get those magic markers for wood touch-ups. They really work pretty well for small things like holes. Find the color that matches the stain, color the putty before you stain, then if needed go over them after the staining.

Sounds like a cheesy fix, but it works!