Hy

is there a script logo on it? If yes, check if this one is nailed properly to the Drum. I had that problem a short time ago with a Trixon Set! I was searching over and over the whole drum, took it apart found nothing, til i saw the Logo was rattling the whole time:-)

Just a guess...you never know!

Best regards

Christian

On the outtakes of So What, off Kind of Blue, the engineer was giving Miles grief about the snares rattling in the opening where it's just piano & bass. Miles Davis said, "All that is part of it". It's part of the sound of vintage drums to me.

However, could be something in your room that's rattling. I searched for about 15 min for a rattle one day, only to find it was the light fixture above the kit. Sometimes the snares rattle on my stack in the corner of the room. Move the drum to a different room & see what you get. Could even go outside if you live in a quiet place (won't be quiet for long, huh?).

Tell your recording engineer the same thing Miles said. They won't hear it the mix anyway.

You may also want to check that your bearing edges are flat. You would take the heads off and place on a flat surface and then use a flashlight to check for any light peaking through. Had rattle on an old Leedy tom and it also drove me crazy. Turned out the bearing edge was no longer flat and it was rattling against the head.

And to also add.........the foot of the spring inside the lug normally has a small piece of felt at the bottom. With drums these old things get changed/swapped out. The felt pad is maybe 1/4" and will add a small amount of tension to the spring and insert inside the lug. If that's missing the spring may be a bit loose making it rattle? Just a though if none of the above hits the problem. BTW we all like pictures so please post some of your drums!!

I will go explore the stuff you guys mentioned. I definitely carried it around the house into different rooms, and the rattle is within the tom. The floor tom is quiet enough for me now, but the 13" tom rattles like crazy. What about packing them though, is it possible to pack them too tight or can i wad a lot of cotton in there?

Actually I feel that packing lugs with cotton wool accellerates rust. A small piece of foam on the spring area should be enough. Might be another issue.

I just made a discovery. I found that all but 2 lugs were packed on the 13 tom, so i packed those. Also, they were pretty corroded inside. Some more than others. And, I found that the top screw to the lugs (red screw with a crown like washer, then a bigger washer) was not making full contact when fully tight. So the washer was free to roll on maybe 7/23 of the lugs. So I added a washer, and buzz is gone! Now to examine the other toms....

Be careful tightening those things. You will break the tabs on those B&B lugs.

I was getting a buzzing sound once...

After examining everything....found out my grommets were loose....

Tighten them up and all was well again..