6. Putting on new drumheads

Just like strings, eventually the time has come to put on new drumheads. The permanent stress makes them loose their clarity – not just visually.

When taking off the hoop mark the position on the shell with a piece of tape. It is easy to assemble the drum later in it’s original position. Hoop and shell are kind of used to each other and fit best this way.

The tread of the lug is then lubricated with a small amount of WD40 or silicon oil. Should the lugs make a noise (studio), some cotton wool stuffed into them will take care of it. Emphasis is on “small amount”.

General guidelines

It is imperative to put the new head on evenly. A tiny amount of Vaseline on the bearing edge helps the drum head to slide into position easily. Now the tension rods are fastened – first by hand. When you feel an even resistance on all lugs it is time for the tuning key. Before adjusting with the key, you press down the head with both hands to sit it properly. For this the shell has to be standing on a solid base. Don’t do this having the shell suspended on the set.

Tension rods are fastened cross wise and alternating. First this is done until there are no more wrinkles visible. If you look at the reflection on the drum head this can be easily seen. Instead of using just one tuning key, use two. Not only does this make the whole process faster, it also prevents mix-ups when fastening cross wise.