How wood type influences the sound of your drum

What wood that sound like?

The exact sound that a drum produces is influenced by many factors, but a rather important one is the type of wood that is used for the drum shell. First of all, you need a tonewood. A tonewood is a wood type with tonal properties, which is a prerogative if you want your drum to produce a musical sound at all. Each tonewood has many different mechanical characteristics which all have an influence on how the wood reacts to treatment and environmental factors, such as temperature, and on the sound that your instrument produces. In terms of sound, density is a major factor to reckon with. Based on the density, tonewoods can be divided into two categories. 

Softwoods: These are the more porous kinds of timber which will give you a round and warmer sound. This is because the pores within the wood will allow the produced sound waves to resonate for a longer time.

Hardwoods: These types of wood are more dense and will produce a crisp and brighter sound, as the wood bounces the sound waves right back into the shell.

Types of wood that we love in drums

At Taran, all of our drums are made of hardwood. We have experience working with several wood types, but like all craftsmen, we have our favourites. In this section we’ll discuss some tonewoods that we regularly work with and what they do for the sound of your drum.

Mahogany, Walnut and Maple: a certain choice for a drum 

Mahogany is a classic in musical instrument building. It’s a type of wood that is a bit more dense and a sure pick when looking for warm tones and a great sustain. On top of that, the beautiful textures in the fibres can create very glamorous looks. A very fibre-y kind of wood is Walnut. Due to these long fibres, this type of timber comes with different sound properties than mahogany. It gives off a warm but fairly hard sound and is quite popular with rock drummers. 

The most popular choice of wood for drum shells however is Maple, as it is versatile and easy to work with. Moreover, depending on its origins, maple can be more solid or more porous, which means that it has a wide range and a resonant sound to offer. It comes with a great variation in specific wood patterns, such as flamed, quilted, curly or bird’s eye.

Exotic wood types that will spark life into your drum

Just like maple, Padauk is a material that is easy to work with and that will give you a different sound depending on whether the piece you’re working with originates from the core of the tree trunk, where the timber is more solid and less porous, or from the outer sides. Padauk is very popular with rock drummers, as it produces a warm and powerful sound and is very responsive. 

A very dense type of wood is Ovangkol. It has a higher density than for example mahogany, causing it to give off a higher pitched sound. It’s a very stable type of timber which makes it easy to work with. Excitingly, the way the final look turns out will only be clear when finishing up, as each layer of wood can look entirely different, making every new piece a pleasant surprise. Wenge has an even higher density and is ideal for a high-pitched sound with a clear attack. It produces a cool and unmistakably funky sound, making it fit material for pop or funk music. Zebrawood on the other hand is very soft and porous, providing a pretty warm sound. Contrary to zebrawood, Bubinga is rather solid with more closed up pores. This is why it produces a brighter sound, making it a popular choice among jazz drummers. 

Give your drum an exclusive touch

Bossé is a wood type that is very solid. It’s very exclusive and rather difficult to obtain, which is why it is mainly used for finishings. When polished, it has a shiny, pearl-like finish. Just like bossé, snakewood is very solid and extremely exclusive. It is mainly used for finishings, but can be employed in bigger projects as well. When polished, a pattern resembling snakeskin reveals itself. Also very dense, equally expensive and very hard to obtain is rosewood, which comes in many types, with some of them even illegal to be imported. 

More options to create sound drumming possibilities

As there are tons of wood species out there, the possibilities for looks and sound are endless. That’s why drums can be manufactured to match anyone’s tastes and needs. That being said, the material of the shell is not the only aspect that will decide on the sound of your drums. The hoop type or bearing edge shape have a big influence as well. Curious to find out more or looking for something special? Have a look around on our website or subscribe to our newsletter!

For more information on lug types, read our piece on how different lug types make for a different drum sound.

For more information on lug gaskets, read our piece on what lug gaskets do for the sound of your drum.