31 Days to Better Sounding Drums: Bearing Edges [Part 4 of 31]

by Travis Whitmore on 07/04/2011 · 2 comments

Drum Shell Bearing Edge

One of the most misunderstood and often underrated aspects of great sounding drums is the bearing edge. Quite frankly, it’s one of the more boring topics of drum construction, yet one of the most critical. Every aspect of your drums tone, tuning, warmth and projection is largely influenced by the bearing edges. And they’re literally overlooked as they are never seen! Typically, we just replace the drum heads quick, tune the drum up and go. Yesterday, I discussed taking inventory of your drum situation and getting into a habit of cleaning the drums. The next time you pull those heads and rims off of the shell, take a good hard look at the bearing edges. Let’s take a quick look at why the condition and characteristics of the shell edges are important:

Without going into a ton of detail, the bearing edge is the point where the drum head touches the shell. If you aren’t happy with the tone you’re getting from your shells, no head in the world will change that if your bearing edge is compromised. There are basically three types of bearing edges:

  • 30 Degree
  • 2-Way 45 Degree
  • Rounded

The sharper the edge, the more precise and “adjustable” the tuning will be. The drum will tend to resonant more and have a broader frequency range when the head is free to vibrate along a very narrow, sharp point. On the other hand, the more rounded edge will give the shell more low end thud and attack. Obviously, there’s not necessarily a wrong or right answer here as everyone has different tastes in what kind of sound they’re going for. The point, however, is to make sure the edges are in tact. In other words, you want the edges to be free of chips, dings and any kind of damage. The shell should be perfectly round and very even all the way around. If there is any inconsistency whatsoever, you’re going to have trouble.

What To Do

If you do find issues with your edges, first determine how bad it is. If it’s minor flaws, try using a Scotchbrite pad or fine sand paper along the bearing edge. Take it easy here as you don’t want to make it worse. Try simply allowing for the edge to be nice and even all the way around. If you’ve uncovered a major flaw, consider making an appointment with a drum shop to re-cut your edges. Believe me, it’ll be worth the time and money.

More reading: Check out Matt McGlynn’s post over at RecordingHacks.com about testing your own bearing edges.

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Tagged as: 31 Days to Better Sounding Drums

  • matthew mcglynn

    Travis, I agree that a dinged bearing edge can kill a drum. If you have a tom that’s hard to tune, chances are the edge isn’t right.

    But I disagree about what to do. I wouldn’t attempt self-repair of a bad bearing edge on a drum I expect to keep. Minor imperfections can significantly wreck a drum’s ability to tune up and sound good. Unless you’re talking about a throwaway kit, leave the edge repairs to professionals.

    On a related note, I bought a (new) kit that had bad edges a few years ago. It was a frustrating experience, but it taught me a lot, including a way to diagnose out-of-true bearing edges.
    http://recordinghacks.com/2009/08/22/how-to-test-drum-bearing-edges/

    On another related note, I sent all the toms from my live kit to a drum builder a few years  back, to have the edges refreshed. When the drums came back, they *sang*.

  • http://twitter.com/travisWhitmore Travis Whitmore

    Hey Matt..  Thanks for reading! I checked out your post as well, very good points there. As to the repair, the point I wanted to make here is to only tackle the edge if it’s a very minor issue or even just ridding any small debris that has collected. I agree 100% with you with making an appointment with a drum builder… Definitely a wise choice.