When selecting drums, most drummers consider the wood the drum's shell is constructed from. It's true that the type of wood used is a key determining factor as to the characteristics of the drum, this is only one element to be considered. The shell's thickness, number of plies and depth have just as great, if not greater, effect on the sound of the drum. Let's take a look at each of these elements and explore their effects.

Wood Selection

Maple - A very popular wood among today's drummers, maple provides a powerful low end with strong mids and highs.

Birch - Somewhat less popular these days, birch yields a sound with stronger bass, lessened midrange and boosted highs. In situations where it is necessary to cut through the band, birch is a good wood choice.

African Mahogany - Huge bass response and lessened mids and highs characterize African mahogany.

Philippine Mahogany - Mostly used in entry level drumsets, Philippine mahogany is cheap and readily available but doesn't deliver a very focused sound. Often it is used for the middle plies of midpriced sets with inner and outer plies of maple or other higher grade wood.

Shell Thickness

Thin shells (around 5mm) resonate more readily than thick shells making them more responsive but not as loud as thinker shells. Many jazz drummers and those with a light touch prefer thin shells as they allow the drummer better control and finesse. Thin shell also sound very full as the wood resonance can be heard.

Medium shells (around 7.5mm) sound a little less warm and rich but deliver more power and volume. These drums are a little less sensitive to the players touch as well. This is probably the best all around shell.

Thick shells (10mm to 12.5mm) deliver maximum volume. They are ideal for very large venues and hard hitting playing styles. In clubs and smaller venues, these drum allow little dynamic control and may overpower the band.

Shell Depth

The depth of a drum shell determines the responsiveness of the bottom (resonant) head. Deeper drums allow a wider low end tuning range but require more energy to activate the bottom head resulting in a loss in sensitivity. The thinner and shallower the drum, the more resonant it will be, but at a loss of volume. Deep, thick drum are loud but not very sensitive or warm sounding.

Number of Plies

The number of plies effects the energy transfer from the heads to the shell. This has a huge effect on the overall tone characteristics of the drum. The more plies a shell has, the stiffer it will be resulting in less shell resonance and a cooler sound.