Bearing Edges. Plies, Hoops

Hey guys, I'm just wondering what everyone's take on bearing edges is for snare, toms and bass drums of maple, as well as plies of wood.

Do you like typical 45 degree, steep 22 degree or rounded? And what about "renforcement hoops"?

Let me know!

you know, I always just go with what's recommended by the guy doing the work when it comes to edges, whatever sounds best is what i like.
as to rings, depending on the thickness of the shell, they can add an extra depth to the sound.

My experience is that drums w/o reinforcement rings sound better to my ear. As for bearing edges, my understanding is that the standard for modern high end kits is 45 degrees.

When you say 22 degrees is more steep, I'm not sure if it's more or less steep. Is it 22 degrees measured from verticle or horizontal? I ask because, I understand that Gretsch cuts edges to 30 degrees, and I believe that Gretsch edges "less" steep that 45 degrees, but I haven't inspected them before. Anyway, to my ear, Gretsch drums have a slightly mellower, rounder tone than drums with typical 45 degree edges. I would say that there are a combination of things that factor into that: edges, die cast hoops, interior paint, etc.

In the end, I would think that it's more critical that the egdes be cut on a single plane (sits flat on a glass table with no gaps) than the precise angle the edges are cut at.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 25, 2006 10:23 AM: Message edited by: Henry II ]</font>

Most of that old Gretsch sound was the lack of re-enforcement rings, 30 degree rounded bearing edges and the internal finish. The more drum you have touching the drumhead, the more shell sound you will get. With some of the sharper 45 degree edges with the peak on the outside edge or just a bit inside of it, you get more head sound. With the rounded edges, the head gets more surface area on the drum, warming it up. On that note, the new Pearl Reference series has some good ideas on edges. I'm going to try their formula on the next kit I build. You can check out my drums at http://www.meyersdrums.com/equipmentlinks.htm

Thanks,

Mike