The ECONOMY of DIY Electronic Drums

[tcraw1010]

After my recent visit to AIT this past week, the cost-saving benefits of creating one's own DIY drums (acoustic or electronic) was never more evident.

For example, I purchased a 12" x 14" Keller all-maple VSS shell for approximately $50.00. I then had them cut the shell down to 6.5" and 5.5" sections. Wha-la ... TWO quality maple snare shells for, respectively, $25.00 each.

Okay, let's assume that one would like to build his own VDrum-esque DIY electronic kit. Using the same methodology as described above, one could purchase, let's say, a 24" x 12" all-maple (or hell, even a lesser wood ... doesn't really matter all that much (since the drum will be electronic)) shell for, let's say, $60.00 (per AIT's current price list). Cut that bad-boy down to six 4" sections and . . . BAM . . . you have yourself SIX e-drum shells at approximately $10.00 each. (Or, if you would so prefer, four 6" sections for approximately $15.00 each).

Factoring in the cost for the hardware you would want, the mesh heads, and the electronic equipment you would need (the cost of which is much lower than you would think), one could construct a virtual V-Drum equivalent, dual zone, eDrum for UNDER $100.00. (Compare that to the going retail/discounted price of a Roland PD-12 pad at $395.00 -ROLAND PD-12 V-DRUM (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=perc/s=electric/search/detail/base_pid/441937/) . . . even on eBay they are more.)


Granted, the most significant cost will be the drum module itself - not much can be done about that (unless one of you is a DIY electronic engineering whiz-kid).



Nevertheless, my friends . . . the cost-saving possibilities are endless !!!




TOM

[JLee]

Tom

Incidentally, since it seems like you have some experience here, what do you think would be the minimum depth you would want for a project like this. Would it be just deep enough to allow the mounting of the lugs and tom bracket? Or do you need a certain amount of clearance between the bridge that houses the Piezo (or similar trigger) and the mesh head? I currently have 4" deep shells, but have noticed that Rolands and others are a little less deep. Other than weight and portability, is there any other reason for this?

[tcraw1010]

I would think that you wouldn't want to go much shorter than 3" shell depth. Although, I will say that the pads from PinTech and DDrum seem to be quite a bit thinner ... but I believe it is because their sensors are more internally integrated than a Roland VDrum or one of the new Yamaha eDrums.


There is, of course, also the issue of aesthetics . . . how do you want your eDrums to look? For me, I plan to construct mine with tom sizes similar to the blue kit in the lower right corner of this pic --> EXAMPLE (http://www.drumstudiobonn.de/Homepage-Bilder/DW-Sets2.gif)

Or perhaps even similar to these sizes . . .
http://www.peelerdrumcenter.com/IMAGES/SnareDrumDWWorkshopWildLoudLime10.JPG


And lest we not forget . . . .

http://www.riksmusic.com/hart/hart_pics/hprotoms+bl.jpg


I also plan on building one or two 6" or 8" x 20" e-bass drums. My only problem there will be obtaining mesh heads for a 20" e-bass drum ... Although I think I recall hearing that Hart Dynamics offers mesh heads in that size.



I think the bottom line, and beauty, to any DIY custom drum building is doing it exactly the way YOU want to do them. :)



TOM

[drummerdan]

My only problem there will be obtaining mesh heads for a 20" e-bass drum ... Although I think I recall hearing that Hart Dynamics offers mesh heads in that size.


I think the bottom line to any DIY custom drum building is doing it exactly the way YOU want to do them. :)



TOM


Tom,

I've done quite a bit of research on this and a great site to visit is www.drumbalya.com

Here's a direct link to a Peace 20" mesh head you were wondering about. http://shop.drumbalaya.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.197/it.A/id.492/.f

Here's a direct link to a Pintech 20" mesh head
http://shop.drumbalaya.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.194/it.A/id.487/.f

Here's a direct link to a Hart 20" mesh head (1 ply)
http://shop.drumbalaya.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.356/it.A/id.881/.f

Here's a direct link to a Triggerhead 20" mesh head:
http://shop.drumbalaya.com/app/site/site.nl/site.ACCT97787/mode.items/sc.2/category.195/it.A/id.878/.f

I hopes this accomplishes what you are looking for. Also, here's a helpful link of mesh head comparisons: http://www.drumbalaya.com/mesh_heads.asp

Keep me informed as to your progress. I am planning to start on the finish aspect of my edrum (6"x10") snare, using a dual trigger system. I'm going to do a Tung oil and lacquer, starting tonight.

My dream e-kit is ease of functionality, portability and beauty.

[rhjanes]

why build it any thicker than needed for the sensors and such? That's why the V-drums, drumtech, rolands etc are as thin as they are. V-drums are about 2.5 inches. Pintech and harts are about 2. The rubber pads are about 1.5 to 2. Just enough to put in the electronics, pickup, 1/4 out, the wires, some padding(mesh head room) and that's it. Any more probably just drives up the cost.
Ray

[drummerdan]

why build it any thicker than needed for the sensors and such? That's why the V-drums, drumtech, rolands etc are as thin as they are. V-drums are about 2.5 inches. Pintech and harts are about 2. The rubber pads are about 1.5 to 2. Just enough to put in the electronics, pickup, 1/4 out, the wires, some padding(mesh head room) and that's it. Any more probably just drives up the cost.
Ray

You're absolutely right. The main reason (maybe the only reason) is how you want them to look. If you're going for the look of a "real" wood kit, then deeper shells would be what you want. But as for as sound or functionability, it doesn't really matter.

[rhjanes]

But one of the advantages of electronics is lightweight, quick tear down and assembly, smaller foot print etc....But then for cheap, just buy two beginner drum kits, rewrap them, put on new hardware, install all the triggers, stuff them with batting. You'd be done. You could even use the mylar heads. Look like real drums, have some acoustic nature to them, but be electronic and cheap.

[drummerdan]

But one of the advantages of electronics is lightweight, quick tear down and assembly, smaller foot print etc....But then for cheap, just buy two beginner drum kits, rewrap them, put on new hardware, install all the triggers, stuff them with batting. You'd be done. You could even use the mylar heads. Look like real drums, have some acoustic nature to them, but be electronic and cheap.

True, but you would have to agree that 5, 10" or even 12" shells that are 4 or 5 inches deep are substaintially less weight than the kit you are describing. And, if they are all finished nicely, double bonus.

[rhjanes]

oh...I get ya.....yeah.....part of the past 20 years of electronics has been that 'space age' factor.. they LOOK different. And yes, those Pintech meshers are heavy! Made out of some thick steel!!!

[tcraw1010]

You're absolutely right. The main reason (maybe the only reason) is how you want them to look. If you're going for the look of a "real" wood kit, then deeper shells would be what you want. But as for as sound or functionability, it doesn't really matter.

I guess it boils down to different strokes for different folks. Some people prefer the "portability" and ease of transport of the thinner pads/shells and don't care as much for the "appearance factor," while others want both the functionality and the aesthetic "show factor."


For example . . . although not playing electronic drums, John Blackwell's shallow-tom kit looks pretty sleek. Imagine those toms being eDrums . . .

http://www.johnblackwell.net/images/photos2k5/staplesout5_28463.jpg
http://www.johnblackwell.net/images/photos2k5/essencefest7_2_040014.jpg



TOM

[drummerdan]

oh...I get ya.....yeah.....part of the past 20 years of electronics has been that 'space age' factor.. they LOOK different.

I'm kind of a traditionalist with a twist. I dig the electronics but I want the beauty of the wood.

[JLee]

I guess another question to ask would be just how much depth you would need for the pickup etc..

When converting acoustic shells to an electronic use, are you using the adhesive triggers that mount on the drum head, or are you using a sort of bridge method where the pickup is suspended on a piece of metal or wood that spans the inside of the shell?

Not that I have the answers. In fact I am asking the questions because I myself have no idea. I would actually like to cut my 4" shells down a little bit as the kit is going to have to fold a little to make space in a fairly small room when it is not in use.

[drummerdan]

I guess another question to ask would be just how much depth you would need for the pickup etc..

When converting acoustic shells to an electronic use, are you using the adhesive triggers that mount on the drum head, or are you using a sort of bridge method where the pickup is suspended on a piece of metal or wood that spans the inside of the shell?

Not that I have the answers. In fact I am asking the questions because I myself have no idea. I would actually like to cut my 4" shells down a little bit as the kit is going to have to fold a little to make space in a fairly small room when it is not in use.

If you use the triggers you're talking about (adhesive triggers that mount on the drum head), you don't gain that much, if any, in quietness. With those triggers (ddrum, etc.), you trigger an electronic pulse when you hit the drum head that goes to the brain and triggers a sound. You still get the sound of your acoustic drum along with the triggered sound. You can also do the same thing, only quieter, if you use a mesh head. This reduces the sound a ton. Hart Dynamics has ready made acoustic triggers that are just replacement heads that you change for your regular heads. You can keep your acoustic kit exactly the same except for the heads. Go to http://shop.drumbalaya.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b1b1f433e068c06da5e4d73990c87 c09221d0b0.qQvJq2PEmlnva30O-BbQmkLz-ATzr6Lzn6rzqwTxpQOUc30KaNDNo6XKq6zInRmLa30Q8RbCpR0 HoA5Qmh0Kb2TNo6XK-kDvrA4Ka3eIqRnvp6iIpAjOp6jynQjM-AbJpgaTbNqLb38Kbhuxf2bCpQPz8QfznA5Pp7ftolbGmkTy?sc =2&category=306&search=acoustic%20conversion%20hart to check them out. I have heard that they work pretty good.

You can also use a "bridge" method that mounts a piezo under a cone that sits directly under the head. This is how most of the e-drum manufacturers do it. More complicated, but not impossible to do.

[JLee]

I would definitely be going for the "bridge" approach. This kit will have shallow shells (4" or less) so it will not be used as an acoustic as well, so perhaps the conversion heads on the Drumbalaya link might be a luxury I can do without. To be honest, I was just going to go with some Rhythm Traveller mesh heads with a pickup underneath.

Just trying to figure out the best approach for triggers as the shells are being readied.

Thanks for the input.

Jon Lee

[tcraw1010]

Jon:

How are your custom eDrums coming along ??


TOM

[JLee]

Tom

Thanks for asking.

I guess you can say that they are in fact coming along, albeit too slowly for some. Unlike some of the other posts I have seen, I am working with very little space in one room of our house, so the set has to be put together in such a way that it can kind of fold up. This rules out converting an acoustic set.

A while back I scored a Gibraltar rack on Ebay for a good price, and thus have all the clamps I need as well. On the hardware front, I will need a few L rods, hoops, lugs, tension rods and mesh heads, and then it is on to the construction of the bridges. I think this part might be pretty simple as I have seen metal "straps" in our hardware store that are the right dimensions, once cut to fit the insides of the shells.

Of course, then there are the kick trigger, hi hat controller, and Pintech cymbals to buy

The shells have four coats of high gloss tung oil, and have been sanded back down to 1000 grit. Just need to add a couple more coats, sand, and then cut the edges and drill holes for the lugs. To that end, I just purchased a 45 degree carbide chamfer bit on Ebay as well (very easy to get addicted if you are not careful). Hopefully, if cutting edges is a matter of patience and caution, as the guy from AIT said, I will be all right. If I post a JPG of my dismembered finger, then you will know that I underestimated the difficulty.

Maybe I am not as far along as I thought, come to think of it.

And you??

[tcraw1010]

I thought this was a worthwhile thread to BUMP - for those of you considering starting an e-drum project.


:D


TOM

[mikejl47]

After my recent visit to AIT this past week, the cost-saving benefits of creating one's own DIY drums (acoustic or electronic) was never more evident.

For example, I purchased a 12" x 14" Keller all-maple VSS shell for approximately $50.00. I then had them cut the shell down to 6.5" and 5.5" sections. Wha-la ... TWO quality maple snare shells for, respectively, $25.00 each.

Okay, let's assume that one would like to build his own VDrum-esque DIY electronic kit. Using the same methodology as described above, one could purchase, let's say, a 24" x 12" all-maple (or hell, even a lesser wood ... doesn't really matter all that much (since the drum will be electronic)) shell for, let's say, $60.00 (per AIT's current price list). Cut that bad-boy down to six 4" sections and . . . BAM . . . you have yourself SIX e-drum shells at approximately $10.00 each. (Or, if you would so prefer, four 6" sections for approximately $15.00 each).

Factoring in the cost for the hardware you would want, the mesh heads, and the electronic equipment you would need (the cost of which is much lower than you would think), one could construct a virtual V-Drum equivalent, dual zone, eDrum for UNDER $100.00. (Compare that to the going retail/discounted price of a Roland PD-12 pad at $395.00 -ROLAND PD-12 V-DRUM (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=perc/s=electric/search/detail/base_pid/441937/) . . . even on eBay they are more.)


Granted, the most significant cost will be the drum module itself - not much can be done about that (unless one of you is a DIY electronic engineering whiz-kid).



Nevertheless, my friends . . . the cost-saving possibilities are endless !!!




TOM




I built a 12" electronic drum for about $20.00 http://www.edrums.info/bucket_drum_1.htm The page also shows a parts price list.