ddmay2011v3qxp_Layout 1 4/04/11 9:59 AM Page 50
--DIY--
Making our own head: marking carefully, threading the hose and the finished product.
I t ’s t u f f , b u t i t ’s a ls o to ugh goi ng COST-CONSCIOUS E-DRUMMERS have for some time been making their own mesh heads and the materials of choice to date have been insect screentype products. An enthusiast recently added a Kevlar-type cloth to the mix, launching a website to sell the Tuff Mesh material. According to the website, “Tuff Mesh is a space-age material designed to stand the test of time! It is an extremely tough, resilient and durable dyneema product that won’t stretch!” The fabric is sold unmounted and it’s up to buyers to find their own way of attaching it to a hoop. The product’s strength is its biggest weakness, and buyers have found it difficult to mount using traditional methods like gluing or sewing. So the seller came up with a “very easy” installation method. The method requires the insertion of tubing into holes or slits in the fabric. To test the mesh head alternative, I worked with Rob Duggan, an experienced DIYer with lots of trade skills. Rob had previously tried to follow the installation directions on a 20” bass drum, only to find it impossible to create enough tension using the 50
tube method. However, in the process, he did discover an easier method for making the holes required to thread the hose through the fabric. As I documented the process, Rob measured, marked and prepared the fabric for a 12” head, following the instructions closely. It would be fair to say that this was not a simple process, and even armed with the experience of a trial run, it took around 50 minutes from laying a hoop on the fabric to pulling the completed head onto the shell. The construction is actually quite complicated because the position of the tubing will determine the fit on the shell – and, in turn, the maximum tension that is possible. In our case, Rob’s measurements were fairly accurate, but even then, the head needed to be tightened very hard to sit evenly on the shell, and the finished product has the hoop much lower than any of our bought heads. This experience is not uncommon, and a number of DIYers report similarly high head positions. However, a few millimeters the other way, and the opposite could be true – the heads would sit too low on the drum. This may be a cause for concern. www.digitaldrummermag.com