What are lug gaskets?

Gaskets are pieces of plastic, rubber, leather or felt that come in variable sizes and go in between your hardware and your shell itself. But although almost everyone uses them, there is no unanimous answer as to what their actual purpose is, as different drummers or drum builders will tell you different things. So let’s take a deep dive into the world of the gasket :-)

Why are lug gaskets needed in drums?

Whether or not gaskets make an actual difference sound-wise or any other way is up for discussion. Some people are convinced it doesn’t make any difference at all, others - like us - believe lug gaskets make all the difference. To make your research a bit easier, we’ve listed the four main reasons you’ll find for the use of lug gaskets on drums.

Protecting the shell

The most common explanation for the use of lug gaskets is that they protect your drum shell from pressure damage by the lugs. Some people say that this only makes sense on wood or metal drum shells though, as wrapped shells don’t need this kind of protection. Accurate as it may be, this explanation is still debated a lot, with people questioning the use of this protection, as the shell in these places isn’t visible to the eye anyway.

Spacer

The use of gaskets as spacers is much less debated as they help to solve a problem called lug splay. Lug splay means that the tension rods that go through the hoop angle out from the vertical position. Gaskets help offset lugs from the shell to keep these tension rods straight.

Avoid muffled sound

A more contested argument is that when the lug is screwed too tight to the shell, this gives off a muffled sound. Gaskets are supposed to prevent that. Others however state that the same effect can be achieved by simply tuning the instrument. We believe that, while the effect is indeed minor, a trained ear will be able to hear it. This isn’t all too relevant when performing live in a band, but when recording in a studio such minor changes can make all the difference.

Vibration insulation

Some even doubt gaskets actually benefit the sound, as many are convinced that a drum needs to vibrate as a whole, so different parts shouldn’t be isolated. We do not agree with this. When a lug is attached to the drum shell, it tends to resonate with it, causing annoying overtones. Overtones mess with the natural sound of the drum, which is why you should avoid them. This is where gaskets come in: they act as a barrier between the shell and the lug to avoid contact between them.

Our own experience with lug gaskets

At Taran, we like to use leather lug gaskets to protect our beautiful wooden shells and as an improvement to the sound.

Why leather ones? Apart from providing an aesthetically more pleasing look, they simply provide a better sound as compared to, for example, plastic gaskets. One reason for this is that combining a soft material with a hard one makes for better insulation, as the soft material is more porous and absorbs the vibrations of the hard material, rather than vibrating with it. On top of that, plastic gaskets can cause a rattling noise when the lug gets a bit loose, a nuisance you’ll never encounter with leather ones.

Curious to find out more about the different parts that go into a drum? Read our blogs on different drum parts here on our website.

To find out more about different wood types, read our piece on how the wood type influences the sound of your drum.

To learn more about lug types, read our piece on how different lug types make for a different drum sound.

Ready to fall in love with our drums? Have a look at our dedicated pages.

Check our snare drums

What lug gaskets do for the sound of your drum