Flamed Maple

Description

Maple 

The reason for maple’s popularity as a shell material is simple: it’s versatile. Most of us would like to be able to perform within many genres and be able to craft different tones from our kit. When you invest in an instrument, you obviously want to get the most bang for your buck. Maple shells are commonly referred to as the “best” you can get, but we don’t necessarily agree with that. It’s not that they are the best, they just give you the most freedom with the least amount of hassle. We have always found maple drums to be incredibly easy to tune and manipulate making maple the go to or standard shell type in the world of drumming.

In terms of tone, maple shells have a very warm quality. However, they still pack a punch that any drummer can appreciate. In a live setting, these shells are going to produce enough attack to carry through the mix, but they will not stand out as “boomy” or “aggressive.” They offer a somewhat melodic quality that blends nicely with the other components of the band. Compared to other shell options, you will notice that maple has a much longer sustain that can be an asset depending on what sound you are going for. Maple is also a very common choice in the studio. While it may require more EQ’ing, the tuning range is wide open. These shells might demand more post production, but freedom of tone can be an advantage. Many other woods have a limited range that puts a ceiling on what you can do in post. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, it can be a nuisance if you are looking to play around with the tone.

Let us hand pick a piece of maple that will be a one of in appearance but have that all so familiar tone you are accustomed to hearing.