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Hey everybody! I'd like some input on something. I recently got a smokin deal on a 98 dw craviotto (300) however it may be out of round and/or untrue. I'm trying figure out which. The first thing that alerted me to it was it's nasty, heinous sound. So I took off the top hoop(which is where the ring seemed to be coming from) and laid it on a piece of glass on a stone table and it did have a wobble at about 15 degrees offset from the strainer. That was the only angle it wobbled. So I'm trying to figure out is that untrue or out of round? I think if it's an untrue issue I can have the bearing edges redone(something I was going to do anyway) and salvage the drum but if it's out of round(something I thought that was not a problem with modern solid shells) I think I'd want my money back which I'm pretty sure I can get. So, opinions?

I desperately wanted a solid shell so I jumped at the opportunity to get one for 300 bucks...

If you can spin a drum head on it smoothly, it's round. Sounds to me like the edge needs work.

considering the cost of those, I'd contact the drum maker.

gretsch-o-rama wrote:So I took off the top hoop(which is where the ring seemed to be coming from) and laid it on a piece of glass on a stone table and it did have a wobble at about 15 degrees offset from the strainer. That was the only angle it wobbled.

a wobble on flat glass is all you needed to see. the drum is severely warped. put a light in the drum and look around the edges will give you a better idea of where and how.

other then that, take it to a good drum shop and see what they can do about it. out of round, your out of luck, warped laterally and it might be fixable. but...


imo id just return it and keep looking for a another one. theres tons of solid shell snares out now.

Measure upper and bottom diameter of your shell from lugs to lugs and look if there's a big gap variation in diameter, if yes, it's out of round

How is buying a drum that is out of round and sounds heinous for 300 dollars a good deal?

gretsch-o-rama wrote:Hey everybody! I'd like some input on something. I recently got a smokin deal on a 98 dw craviotto (300) however it may be out of round and/or untrue. I'm trying figure out which. The first thing that alerted me to it was it's nasty, heinous sound. So I took off the top hoop(which is where the ring seemed to be coming from) and laid it on a piece of glass on a stone table and it did have a wobble at about 15 degrees offset from the strainer. That was the only angle it wobbled. So I'm trying to figure out is that untrue or out of round? I think if it's an untrue issue I can have the bearing edges redone(something I was going to do anyway) and salvage the drum but if it's out of round(something I thought that was not a problem with modern solid shells) I think I'd want my money back which I'm pretty sure I can get. So, opinions?

I desperately wanted a solid shell so I jumped at the opportunity to get one for 300 bucks...

FYI, Yamaha's toloerance for roundness is 1/16 inch. So, if you measure the drum from edge to edge across each pair of lugs and there's more than 1/16 inch difference between between the edges adjacent to any two pair of lugs, then it's outside of Yamaha's tolerances, for what it's worth.

Having said that, IMO, if you can fit a new head on it without having to force it on, it should be fine. No drum is perfectly round, certainly not a solid wood drum.

OTOH, the fact that it wobbles on a glass top indicates that the bearing edge(s) is/are not on a flat plane which could DEFINITELY cause (and is much more likely to cause), the nasty twang you're describing.

Any good drum builder can easily solve that problem by sanding the edges on a sanding table and then re-cutting the edges to your specifications.

Thanks guys! Yeah I have Steve Nelson of Nelson Drumcraft do my edge work and I was going to put 30's on it anyway. A coated ambassador fits just fine and spins easily enough...now if I could just get a hold of Steve. Helloooo STEVE?! lol btw, ignore the troll

true enough out of flat is easy to fix. out of round and you got a problem. it can be out of round and a head still spin on it fyi.