Saturday, March 15, 2014

How to take care of your drum set

Maintaining a drum set is a simple thing, assuming you do it regularly. Proper 

maintenance will keep it looking new and sounding great. Here are some 

simple DRUM SET MAINTAINING TIPS that you could use to make your drum 

set not only look but even sound better.



1. Where should we keep our drum set?



              The drum should not be kept in contact of direct heat as this could 

dry and crack the wood. Don't store it near a heater, in sunlight, or in the car 


(or boot). It is best to store it in a case or a cupboard when the weather gets 

hot; in very dry places you could leave a damp cloth with the drum to aid 

humidity. As the drum gets hotter, the skin tightens and can split or pull 

away from the pins holding it in place. While travelling even if you are taking 

it in your car then do turn on your car air conditioner. And avoid keeping 

cymbals, stands or any sharp drum set component near to drum heads while 

travelling as eventually it may come in contact and damage the drum heads.


2. How to take care of drum heads?


              Always de-tune your drums i.e loosen the tuning bolts when you 

are not using your drum set or travelling, especially in more humid conditions. 

This preserves the life of the drum heads and helps maintain their elasticity. 

Drum heads need to be replaced periodically; both top i.e the batter head 

and bottom i.e the resonant head. One sign that tells you need a drum head 

replacement is that your drum set starts to loose that resonating sound and 

its sound decreases .


3. How to clean cymbals?


            Cymbal cleaning is one of the most time consuming part of cleaning 

the drum set. If you do not clean the cymbals it may have a grimy layer on it 

which will in turn corrode the metal. To clean the cymbal all what you need is 

a glass cleaner spray, a cymbal polish, a car wax, a clean cloth and a 

toothbrush even an old toothbrush can be used. First spray the glass cleaner( 

Soapy water may also do the work) and then brush the cymbals with tooth 

brush after that  clean the cymbals with clean water and then wipe it clean 

and dry. Then apply a cymbal polish, even 2-3 applications may be needed if 

your cymbal is in a really bad state. After this apply a wax polish to make it 

shine.

Note: Wax polish should not be used for PAISTE cymbals as they are coated 

with a special finish and they do not need it particularly.

3. Clean of the chrome parts         

   Chrome is found all over the drum set; tom mounts, lugs, stands, and rims 

are usually chrome plated. Chrome can be ruined by moisture so keeping 

your equipment dry is important. You should wipe down the chrome on your 

kit with a fluffy terry-cloth towel once a week, minimum.


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