Added: 6 months ago
From: DrumWorkshopInc
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  • he turned that shitty snare into solid gold. gotta get those wrinkles out!

  • I gotta get me a turn table

  • @glaciusinferno They do come in handy. :)

  • really good tips man ! It took me a long time to figure out something not even so certain and logical as you tuning tips by myself. What note distance would you recommend between top and bottom head of the snare ?

    thx so much, ur a drum shell master :-)

  • @antonioneill Thanks for watching! We are happy that this video has helped you.

    This depends on how much sustain you want from your snare really. Best call is to get the sound you want from both heads than tune up the bottom head from there to control the amount of sustain you want. Hope this helps!

  • @DrumWorkshopInc when you tune the resonant head on the snare (on a snare with snare beds), do you use a heat gun or anything to help the head follow the snare bed contour, or do you just crank down those lugs on either side of the snares?

  • @onelastdisguise Crank em down! ;) No we do not use any heat gun. Obviously you don't want to crank to much but the resonant head should be pretty tight when everything is done.

  • @onelastdisguise No you you can just tighten down with even tension and the head will seat itself. Always good to press the center of the head in when tightening up the head. It will make some cracking noise but it's just the head breaking itself in.

  • very helpful! my snare rang like a tom. fixed it!

  • @resquesquad19 Awesome! Glad we could be of help. :) Enjoy.

  • Hi, how much is a DW Performance Series in Safire Blue or Cherry if you do that? plus could u have sizes: 14x6 10x7 14x13 16x14 20x20 thanks really apreceate a response I'll have to start saving

  • @joeldavidhardy We unfortunately can not give you pricing info direct from the factory here. Please feel free to contact your local authorized DW drums dealer for pricing and ordering info. The Performnace Series does offer the sizes you want but not the depths. Please feel free to review the Performance Series sizing chart on the link below.

    Dealer Locator

    ://dwdr(dot)ms/v7qPFu

    Performance sizing chart

    ://dwdr(dot)ms/slqHN0

  • How the heck did he just get his bass drum to sound like that!!?? I need to go re-tune all of my drum heads >. >

  • @ConModderz He has had an immense amount of practice and believe it or not was a drum tech for a lot of years. Tuning is definitely something to work on and something that everyone can find their style to do so.

  • @DrumWorkshopInc Thats awesome. I mean, I've been trying for 2 years to get my bass drum to sound like that and he hauls off and does it in 2 minutes xD Definitely using this video as a guide from now on. Thanks!

  • I'm getting a DW soon, and was wondering what finish the bass drum is. It looks beautiful.

  • @aaamidd This looks to be a Blood Red Sparkle to Black burst in the Lacquer Specialty. Thanks!

  • @DrumWorkshopInc how do i make a sound on the bass drum like james owen sullivan aka as the rev in the city of evil album ?

  • @yoshiskato We know the Rev didn't alter his tuning too much from what we set at the factory here. Obviously there will be eqing and compressing that go into a professional recording like that. Looser or lower tuning would be a good start.

  • @DrumWorkshopInc yea, the sound from COE it's a tight bass drum :)

  • I must need to get better skins because I try all the things in this but never sounds this good at all, really helpful vid though :D

  • @LaVaBeAvErHD It's good to keep at it. Tuning is definately something that takes practice and the BAM! It all clicks into gear. :)

    We are here for you when you are ready to order a new kit. Stoked you are liking Cobus's videos. We love Cobus!

  • @DrumWorkshopInc Thanks! And Cobus is my inspiration :D

  • @LaVaBeAvErHD Your welcome!

  • I dream of getting a DW Kit when i'm older, there so nice and such good quality, i got introduced to them by cobus's vids, and just loved his kit, sadly i dont have the money at the moment though :(

  • How come DW drums dont need the rings to stop it from muffling....They sound perfect....

  • @RiicoWade1 We like the resonant sound the shell gives off and wish to not impeded that natural sound. Thanks for the compliment!

  • Where could we get a similar turntable or just a turntable that I can put like a towel on it??? and also great video and you tune very good and helpful I'd love to tune like you lol it looks pretty easy

  • @krannification We ordered our wood turn tables or "Lazy Susans" from from a local carpenter. Make sure they are at least 28 inches in diameter depending on the size of your bass drum. Thanks for liking the video. We believe everyone can tune like this with practice. :)

  • does this apply to the yamaha gig maker drum kit? i mean they just sound terrible right now.

    the toms are too high! i tuned the drum kit according to my drum teacher! who said that i should keep the snare the highest followed by the small tom den the large tom and lastly the floor tom! the lowest should be the bass! i tuned according to this instruction and it sounds bad! please help

  • @lmss2792 There are a lot of different methods if tuning and we are not hear to say which is bad or right or wrong. As the video mentions here with John Good please start with even tension by fingers tightening the tension rods. Our method from there is tighten each t-rod 5 times up from there. Soon the head will start to vibrate more then before and this is when you will be reaching the sweet spot of the shell. In this sweet spot will be where the drum is wanting to be tuned.

  • @DrumWorkshopInc Hope this helps and let us know how it goes!

  • Hey, John, I recently bought Evan Hydraulic heads for my Pearl Target Series. I managed to get the floor and mid tom tuned to a nice deep growl, but the high tom sounds like that of a fusion set and the bass remains dead. After watching this, I realised that I need to do it all over again. If I did put the heads on badly, have I ruined the heads or the shells? Also, when I tighten the lugs on my bass to finger tension, half the head is taught, and half is loose and crinkled. Any ideas? Thanks!

  • @ChrisRmv Thanks for watching Chris!

    Although we are not too familiar with tuning Pearl drums with Evans heads we are here to help. It sounds like your heads are having a hard time seating on your drums shells. If the heads were not fitting on the shell correctly and you then put your bass drum hoop on to tune the wrinkles might not come out evenly when finger tightening at the start. Hope this helps to clear things up!

  • god i'd love to work in a drum shop building/tuning drums...

  • Thanks John, I love this method of tuning, just tuned one of my Gretsch toms and it sounds great... considering I need a new head.

  • @JamieJWSmith We will pass along your message. Glad to be of help to you!

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  • I Cant See Any Price In The Internet I Dont Know How Much Is That Here In Our Country The Price Range Of DW Is Php 170,000 Upto Php 500,000 I Wonder That DW Got A Drum Kit That Is Very Affordable :)

  • @EduardoArtadiMagkasi We do not have any pricing currently on our web page but you can contact your local authorized DW drums dealer about our Performance Series and our Concept Series. Both these series have a more affordable price tag. Hope this helps!

  • Hi John. Thank you for the video. Question about the snare tuning... not to get too scientific about it but it sounds like you tuned the bottom resonant/snare side head to an A4 and the top batter side head to a G4. I realize you said this was a good starting point for this particular snare, but would this apply to all metal snare drums or all snare drums in general? I use a 6 1/2 x 14" brass snare drum. Thank you again. Really enjoyed the video.

  • @GinoCento you're welcome! Yes, this is a good technique for any snare drum. Not necessarily to those exact notes, but the method. Definitely good for a 6.5x14 Brass. That's a fine drum. Most important is keeping even tension around the head. Snares always seem to sound better a bit on the tight side too. In the end, it's all about experimentation. Don't be afraid to try different tunings with the top and bottom heads. Even wire tension can change the sound significantly

  • @DrumWorkshopInc Thank you!

  • @GinoCento Anytime!

  • You and bob gatzen need to have a race! lol jk, but thats some good stuff! I love my pdp's :)

  • This Is Cool! But I Wish I have My Own DW Drum Kit It So Expensive Here In Our Country Philippines

  • @EduardoArtadiMagkasi Sorry to hear that. :( Have you looked into the Performance Series yet? More affordable pricing with the Collector's Series quality.

    ://dwdr(dot)ms/sVSn0t

  • @EduardoArtadiMagkasi ouh man youre so right man ! in our country one of the collectors is about 10 000 € : O im 15 so i cant buy a DW : (

  • God bless you, John Good.

  • you can tell how fantastic these drums are by how much resonance they give from so little tension! it's terrific stuff :D

  • @krombee Thanks very much and thanks for watching!

  • Im building a 13x 6 Stainless Steel Snare drum, it will be made out of 16 gauge metal with a reinforcement type hoop on the inside which will allow be to create the bearing edge. Any tips?

  • @96drummer96 We like the 45 degree angle. This allows the shell to sing to its heart's content. :)

  • lol Even dw puts a pillow in their bass drum.

    Invent a better mouse trap right?

  • on the bass drum stuff-the newer Evans Emad's with the rubber ring dont need a thing,perfect as is,especially for live gigs.I started taking a 12'' head taping it upside down to my snare for studio recordings to get that dead sound I can then manipulate just right to sound like it does live using protools compression,etc..

  • Hey DW, I purchased a DW Bass Drum pillow the other day, and I have to say... Not only does it make my PDP CX Bass Drum sound great, But It is a fantastic pillow to sleep on! Strangely, it gave me the Best sleep of my life! You guys really know what you're doing!

  • @TheDrummingAsian Well we aim to please through having a fun relaxing time on your CX kit but we never thought someone could actually sleep from one of our products. :) Seriously though one of the coolest posts we've seen on our You-Tube page! Thanks!

  • Aren't u supposed to tune the lugs across from each other and not in a circular motion?

  • @skinnywhitedrummer Well that definitely what we recommend but JG is the master so we don't question him right? :)

  • @DrumWorkshopInc haha! RIGHT!

  • @skinnywhitedrummer He goes diagonally across to accomplish most of the tuning, then goes around in a circle for the fine tuning, just to get things even.

  • When you ship the kits off drum put something in the bass drum or do you leave it empty

  • @JoshTinkler Every bass drum comes with a pillow. :)

  • btw-i use 2 keys at the same time on opposite lugs so i can turn the exact same amt on each.AND i like to tune the bottom head an octave above the batter side.

  • @TheSoulcraft This is one effective way for sure!

  • i wish i had dw's-Pearl Export Master series,but I just can't get the snare like I want,that nice snare sound that you can hear on the softest ghost notes.Where mine you hear more tom-ish type sound when ya get that soft.I want mine more like Bonham's snare,but even he used an all metal snare drum-no wood shells.I think I may eventually invest in a good ol Pork Pie!

  • Once you tune the drum heads, will they eventually go out of tune from playing? or no?

  • @666oblivion999 They will definitely go out of tune from playing. The tuning will also slightly change with temperature, humidity and where you place them in a room and in different venues (these differences are slight but you will still notice them). But yes, playing them will most definitely affect the tune.

  • @123drummermike I forgot to mention, the time it takes for them to go out of tune depends how hare you play. Hitting hard will cause them to go out of tune quicker than hitting light, obviously.

  • @123drummermike Fawk lol So it's safe to say I should get a drum dial to make my life easier right?

  • @666oblivion999 I don't like using drum dials. I guess they can help to make sure all the lugs have the same tension but but that's all they do. They can't tell you what pitch to have the drums at or what "note" you are tuning to. They just tell you how much tension is on the head. Like the video says, getting all the wrinkles out of the head and tuning the head just next to each tension rod (matching the pitch on each one) is the way to do it. The desired tone is up to you.

  • @123drummermike gotcha. thanks bro, you've been huge help!

  • @666oblivion999 People working together via You-Tube. We love it!

  • Love the idea of this and the simple snare method worked an absolute treat for me. I cant get to grips with the toms though and wonder if you can help. I seem to find that when tapping the shell to find its note, the note changes as the head tightens and so I was forever tuning to a different note...

  • @drummerkingmike As mentioned above it's best to get to the note you desire tuning up to it. As you are tuning up make sure the notes are the same before tuning up again and so on and so forth...hope this helps!

  • I will deffinatly use this tecnique, for the rest of my life!

    Just one question... How do i get my snare to stop ringing. I like a tight snare with minimum resonace. can you help me?

  • @MarcosElPresidente Great to hear!

    Don;t be afraid to tune your snare higher than what you are used too. This will cut down on some the sustain and pitch up the sound of the snare.

  • @DrumWorkshopInc Thanx :)

  • @MarcosElPresidente Anytime! 

  • @MarcosElPresidente Moon Gel is fantastic!! 

  • @MarcosElPresidente have you tried moongels or other stuff?

    i've even seen someone just put his wallet on the snare :P

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  • One thing about it, Pearl Reference shells are so stupid thick, you cant tap the shell and make it do anything....just a dead thud.

  • "Good starting point for a snare drum" That sounds better than my snare after I spend a day tuning it! lol

  • @thejohnlaco lol! We are sure you will get there. Thanks for watching! 

  • @thejohnlaco no kidding, eh, buddy? that snare sounds sexy :)

  • I used this method for tuning my X7's and they sing. Thanks for the advice and straight forward delivery of the lesson. John, sir you are a beast.

  • @TheMuzak74 Great to hear! We will pass your message along to John. He is a beast. Well said!

  • I've been playing my DW Collector's Birch for a few months now and I absolutely love them! The heads are getting pretty worn out and I was wondering what would be the REMO or EVANS equivalent of the heads?

  • @Infynation The factory heads that probably came with your kit are most likely our Coated Clear Remo DW heads. They are closest to Remo Ambassodors and are a single ply head with a sound ring for focus. You can order these exact heads from any of our authorized dealers or if you are in the US from our on line store.

    ://bit(dot)ly/v7qPFu

    ://bit(dot)ly/grqVxD

  • @DrumWorkshopInc Remo Ambassadors...  Got it. And what about the snare head?

  • @Infynation The snare would be a single ply Coated Ambassador snare head. Thanks!

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  • i just tuned my first drum today, and i think i need a little work on some of the tuning. i did the tap shell tuning on my school's wood set snare, but i don't think it's matched to shell's pitch just yet. in my opinion, i like using the tap shell tuning on wood snares. that way, cuz in my opinion, u have a very natural sounding snare at that sweet spot, making it sing. thanks you john good and dw :)

  • @killjoyshidae1208 Nice feedback All Day Shidae! Thanks for watching and all your comments!

  • i used the tom method for my floor tom but after striking it the sound echos for 6 seconds how do i fix that

  • @WoodabmxHD We tune to maximize resonance in the shell. Some ways to take from the sustain is thicker heads or moon gell. We are fans of resonant sounding drums. :)

  • ......but i use the bob gatzen tuning for my bass drum

  • i use a drumdial because im tone deaf

  • I think it's amazing that Mr. Good is taking his time and showing how he does it. He is an extremely cool guy and I've got huge respect for him! =)

  • I'm re-skinning and tuning my new kit tonight, thanks John and DW, I hope I can pull this off!

  • @MrAsmizz You can do it! We are totally sure. :)

  • Just tried this method for the first time yesterday on my own DW drums. After struggling to find the tone I wanted with other methods, this one worked first time. Thank you so much to John Good and those at DW! :D

  • @FakeMessiah94 Awesome! We are super happy to hear this video helped with your tuning!

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  • The snare and kick sound so GOOD damn o.O

  • I love DW drums =D

  • @drummerjen We love you! John can tune them! 

  • @DrumWorkshopInc So you love me so much you send me a free kit? ^^

  • when u guys say minor third, do u mean in fractions or in music? i'm still confused on that :P

  • @killjoyshidae1208 In music terms All Day!

  • @killjoyshidae1208 if it helps, a minor third sounds like a typical doorbell.. the ding and the dong are a minor third apart. and same with "here comes the bride" in the wedding song thing. that should help hopefully haha.

  • @masterdrummer19 thanks for the help! i do get it the doorbell. i know how to read music, but not in minors, mostly majors so far. i really do appreciate it. :)

  • Jesus hes really forcing that snare reso tight

  • @hazzathebest It works we promise!

  • Good video. Now i got to try it. Time to assemble my kit and drum away. Cool now i got a guitar and a drum set.

  • @dantheman7624 Thanks! Sounds like you got a nice little jam room going. :) 

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  • Now that's what I call a boss: one who commands respect through knowledge and action.

  • @BeatProfessor That's why he's the boss! Just so happens he's a super nice guys also!

  • The turntable John used,did he had to rotate it by hand or did he have a electric mechanisch and turn is with a foot pedal?

  • @theangerfist All by hand. We haven't quite made it to a foot pedal controlled automatic lazy Susan just yet. :)

  • @DrumWorkshopInc

    Oke,because now I now that I van build it myself to ;)

  • @theangerfist You can build one no problem we're sure!

  • @epiXmartiX It's an unfortunate myth that Collectors series drums with re-rings choke when tuned high. I've been playing jazz exclusively with my kit from '00 and they really sing. Sweet spots exist all over the tuning range. Try John Good's method (tuning to the shell, resonant lower than batter) at a higher pitch with ambassador-grade heads. You will be amazed.

  • @catthehank Thanks for sharing your story!

  • Any pointers? I fucked it all up

  • Nice video John. I remember in the late 80's when I was learning to tune I found a book by Larry Knolly. Luckily I read the HELL out of that book the 2 or 3 years I had it since after lending it out I NEVER got it back. I did find a digital copy of it a few months ago so I want to re-read it and see how much of the info is still accurate 25 years later. You touch on the key points on getting the head seated and getting even head tension relationship between top batter/resonant heads.

  • @Mjbabycakes7072 Thanks for your comments. Even tension is key!

  • Soundmen love my DW kit from 1996, I suck at tuning and am lazy, so many times I just take them out of their cases, set them up and play once the mics are on other than the snare and they always sound great.

  • @arthurkitchen Nice! From 96?!? We love hearing that! Even tension will go a long way.

  • @DrumWorkshopInc Yes, from the now closed Mahoneys music in Las Vegas. I wouldn't sell them for anything, my pride and joy. Too bad you don't have a semi-pro players section on your website. ha ha 8,10, 12, 15, 20, 13 ! KILLER!

  • @arthurkitchen Sweet! Semi-Pro's rule! Great choices on the sizes.

  • am i the only one who, when trying to tune my drums, sometimes can't hear out which tone is higher and which one is lower..?

  • @schpendi We are sure you are not the only one. Practice makes perfect. Eventually you will hear a difference. ;)

  • "Bassically!" AHAHAHAHA

  • Would this system work well for my 10+6 all-maple snare drum?

  • @thegreatbasher Absolutely!

  • @thegreatbasher I use this method on my 10+6 and it works great!

  • Great tuning lesson from a pro but I MUST get a tuning turntable sick of tuning drums on the floor

  • @k4drums i'd just put it on a drum stool while sitting on a regular chair

  • @sh4p31y Good idea!

  • Do tou tune the front and rear of a snare (or tom or anything) to the same tone? I always been wondering about the rear side of a drum.

  • @ManiakLord123 With toms and bass drums both heads should be the same but a snare you can tune the batter head higher if you want more of a crack sound. :)

  • @DrumWorkshopInc Thank you ! Im goin to re-tune them right now :p

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  • i spent forever tuning my church snare to get the overtone out of it, and when all was said and done there was more overtone in it than before. It did come out snappier though

  • @sample21383 Overtone is something that tuning can help some. Dampening the head itself is another way to help with that also.

  • Did you guys over sample the drum head? It sound to tight in that tuning to get that sound like that?

  • @DdRuMt No samples! Just even tension. :)

  • Did that tom have more lugs than normal?

  • @ArshkyBarshky In the scheme of things no actually. Bass drums and snares will have more than 8-13 inch toms have. 8-13 toms will have from 6-8 lugs and up for 14" toms and bigger. Hope that helps. :)

  • I have a torche key real helpful

  • @harryasshole0465 That it is!

  • Where can I buy one of those cool turntable things?

  • @dominiccss We had a local carpenter make ours for us. They are called a Lazy Susan. We're sure there is someone in your area that could make one for you.

  • What a legend. id kill for him to tune my drums haha

  • @MrDoofDoofHead Keep at it! John will show you the way!

  • THANK YOU!!!

  • @GiovanniAv Your welcome!

  • I have been experimenting for over a decade to distill the art of making drums sound their best to a quick, simple formula. Mr. Good is right on the money with this excellent video. I've often thought of becoming a drum tech because of my passion for a great sound. I could do this all day at the DW factory & every kit that shipped would sound its very best right out of the box! I wish I could do what John does - I would die a happy man. This video will make a lot of drummers very happy :)

  • @rabidferret69 Wow thanks for your feedback and background story! We are super happy to hear your passion for drums. Happy holidays!

  • there are 2 reasons why this video doesnt help me

    1. I have a snaredrum with clamps so i cant fingertight it

    2. I cant get all the lugs evenly tight

  • @drummerkareemovic Can you try with a drum key with the same method John uses but instead after finger tightening do the 5 turns method from the start? That could help!

  • John Goode, you are truly a great man.

  • @aaronaaronjarvis We will let him know. He is the man!