bearing edges

[Thrill Kill Will]

i started a new thread because i dont think where this questions was asked made much sense. so here goes.

bearing edges have a huge effect on the tone and sound of a drum. please do more research because i'm not half as smart as other people. but...

a sharper bearing edge is going to give you a more "modern" sound. the drums tend to have more attack and be "sharper" and have more resonance.

rounder edges were more commonly used on older drums (the classic round-over edge profile would be a 60s ludwig or slingerland). these tend to be described as warmer or fatter. a little more mellow.

they both have their place, and you should definitely experiment and see what type or variation works best for each particular drum.

hope that helps some
-will

[ninjas and tacos]

i'm not sure if they do this already and/or if it would work at all... but, using two completely different shaped bearing edges on a drum?
for instance a sharper edge on the snare side with a more rounded one on the batter side...

[Thrill Kill Will]

yea totally. its a great idea. i'm sure many diy custom builders have done that. but i don't know of any major manufacturers that have done this (not on purpose anyway). but in theory, its a good idea. a specific bearing edge to get one type of response from the batter head, and another for the resonant head.

pearl's new masters reference series drums may be like that. i think each size drum has a different ply configuration and bearing edge, that is specifically tailored for the "best" sound of a drum that size. another japanese company CANOPUS has been doing this for a while. they are a very small company but not really "custom". they have determined what size/ply/edges they feel create the best sounds and make each drum the best it can be, regardless of uniformity.

its a great theory. i'd like to see it explored more.
-0wiillllll