WOODS & CHARACTERISTICS
The tonal characteristics of woods as presented in bibliography and ascertained by us.
- White Oak: Crystal clear sound, aggressive, with volume and very short sustain, splitted between low and high frequencies. A symbol of strength and endurance, oak pays back its chooser guaranteed. It has excellent behavior at any tuning with unbelievable crack and exceptional depth as well.
By far the most difficult wood to work with.
- Hard Maple: The most widely used wood for quality drums globally. Suitable for all kinds of music – depending on tuning. Full bodied and milder sound, probably the sweetest of them all. In more dynamic drumming though, it changes its style
offering intense emotions. Main emphasis on low frequencies. Great color, close to white.
- Black Cherry: Regarded as the «Rolls Royce» of woods with characteristic orange/pink like color that deepens with time, cherry despite her bright character brings out a dramatic or dark element even when played high. Warm, serious, very clear and a bit dry sound, ideal for jazz music. Drums made of cherry wood remain pretty rare.
- Black Walnut: A luxury, aristocratic wood of fantastic looks and acoustic qualities. Produces a robust and imposing sound with volume, perfectly balanced. Finds its best at low and medium tunings, though preserving its special attack. To my ears this is the most “earthy” sound of all woods presented here. With time its color sweetens up and becomes honey like.
- African Bubinga: A precious tropical wood of exceptional beauty, particularly heavy and dense. Her processing is painful however the result is worth every effort. With deep and dark timbre, great sensitivity and an aggressive temperament, the power and energy she produces and returns to her player with every stroke are indescribable. Bubinga tends to form a special category of her own.
Wood is the DNA of the instrument, no matter how important a role other factors play in its sound, it is what will give it its character.