When was the last time you changed your drumheads? While the material of the drum shell and the quality of the hardware is important to the sound quality of the drum, nothing contributes more to a good sound than the drumhead. Drums in the band room are often neglected – snare drums with broken or missing snare strands, torn resonant (bottom or snare-side) heads, and batter (top) heads that look to be several years old. We also find timpani with holes in the heads (especially near the bearing edges) or heads that are so old they will no longer counter the spring tension of the counterspring resulting in pedals that won’t stay in place. The life expectancy of a drumhead is about the same as a quality oboe or bassoon reed. Once the plastic starts to stretch or get dented, torn or punctured the head is no longer producing a quality sound. Think about it this way – you probably wouldn’t allow your woodwind players to play on a reed that is a year or two old with cracks or chips in it!
Remember that in addition to woodwind and brass service we are also proud to offer repair and maintenance work on all percussion instruments! Let us know if you have any questions!
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