Paging TommyP.......

1966DRUMMER!...

You are "kind of" correct with regard to wood/plies excepting the fact that there were only a few different shell configurations regarding the Rogers wood Dynasonic. With that said, what we need to know is WHAT ERA is the set that you want the clone to match? Once we know that, we can proceed. With the exception of the XP8 shells, you won't be able to get exactly the same configuration as an early or mid 60's wood Dynasonic, especially in the actual "ply thickness" department, but you can get super close, give or take a ply. I have seen and played a few "clones" that were spectacular in sound and aesthetic's, although a close examination did reveal that it was a copy. I want to mention that in the case of both these cloned wood Dynasonics, neither owner was attempting to fool anyone!... they like you wanted a wood Dynasonic to match their set and didn't want to pay the BIG price of an original. Soooo.... what era are your drums?

Tommyp

Thanks for the reply. I'm trying to match my Cleveland/Dayton era kit. The floor tom is very late Cleveland and the bass & tom tom are very early Dayton. The Dayton drums have flat grey interiors & the large washers and are otherwise identical to the Clevelands. Your right, I'm not trying to fool anyone just trying to get the wooden Dynasonic experience without dropping a couple of mortgage payments. I'm also interested in suggestions on glass or glitter wraps and from who. It's a red sparkle kit. And lastly, are they 5 or 5.5 inch shells? Any help is much appreciated.

1966DRUMMER!...

The Rogers Dynasonic is a 5X14... there was also a 6 1/2X14 available, but the 5X14 was the most common size for this drum. Cleveland/Dayton... okay, now we know that you are going to replicate a 5 ply maple/poplar shell with 5 ply maple reinforcing rings. The inner maple ply is "clear lacquered", not stained. Over time the original lacquer "ambered" on the wood Dynasonics giving them a very warm hue to the wood. Should you wish to go the full route you could stain the inner maple ply to mimic the "amber" color of an original Dynasonic... but that is completely a personal and/or aesthetic decision. It will have no effect on the actual sound of the drum. I'm not totally certain that a 5 ply w/5 ply rings shell is available, but again, you can get close enough with what is currently available today.

There are many companies offering Red Sparkle and/or glass glitter wraps today... and ... most all of them purchase from the exact same manufacturer/distributor! That said... ALL of them will send you a sample piece of what they have available at your request. Best thing to do is match up some samples to your drums... pick the closest one... or it may even match exactly. You won't suffer the problems with fade/yellowing that one has with WMP for example. I suspect you'll get a very nice match.

Tommyp

Thanks for the info, any idea on bearing edges, a typical 45 degree or ?

1966DRUMMER!...

I have an interview with Joe Thompson in one of my older magazines, and I recall him saying that what he was after on the wood Dynasonic, was a very THIN bearing edge. Joe believed that the bearing edge was EVERYTHING... or at least much more important than the amount of plies, within reason of course! He wanted as little wood contacting the head as possible for the MOST in response/sensitivity. So with that said... yes, the edge that Rogers cut on the wood Dynasonic snare drums is indeed a SHARP 45 degree, as Joe Thompson called it.

Tommyp

1/16th bearing edge, .004 in depth. You would need to profile an actual snare to accurately mimic this.

A potential important factor (depends who is doing the build) as well in replication are the large round slotted head screws that were used to build the Dynas. One of the first things that caught my eye when I found a WMP'66 Cleveland Dyna was the nice frosting and character that the slotted screws and washers had aquired. Patina on screws some will say, ""not a factor". However, depending on what your goals are for replicating, the screws could be a big part as well.

Sorry my pic is out of focus but I think you can see what I'm referencing. You can see the orange/amber tone of the wood that TommyP refers to, plys, the bearing edge and the screws which are so much of the character of the drum.

-kellyj