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I have a favorite doumbek. A standard size 17" drum, made by Alexandria. It is aluminum cast, nice and thick. The inner rim is level, the bolts line up and fit snug, the outer rim has no deformities.
And, for reasons known only to the folks at Alexandria, it is covered in upholstery leather. Black, with a leather grained look, about 1/8" thick, just like a booth at a late night coffee shop.
Amazingly, it sounds great. Deep doums, nice sharp teks and kas, comfortable seating between the drumhead and the rim so that rizzes and rolls are no problem.
And, here is the dilemma: The covering is beginning to fray and tear. The glue is loosening. Disaster.
I want to peel the upholstery leather off it, sand it down and paint it, but... I am worried about the sound changing dramatically.
Do any of you have any experiences in remodeling a covered drum into a painted drum?
Thanks.
And, for reasons known only to the folks at Alexandria, it is covered in upholstery leather. Black, with a leather grained look, about 1/8" thick, just like a booth at a late night coffee shop.
Amazingly, it sounds great. Deep doums, nice sharp teks and kas, comfortable seating between the drumhead and the rim so that rizzes and rolls are no problem.
And, here is the dilemma: The covering is beginning to fray and tear. The glue is loosening. Disaster.
I want to peel the upholstery leather off it, sand it down and paint it, but... I am worried about the sound changing dramatically.
Do any of you have any experiences in remodeling a covered drum into a painted drum?
Thanks.
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Re: The Dilemma
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 11:51 AMYes, I did it once and yes it does change the sound a little bit. I have a friend that so disliked his that he pulled off the vinyl covering and replaced it with supple garment leather. He used a very good contact cement and stitched the seams. It was a lot of work, but the sound was still very good and it looked real classy too. -
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Re: The Dilemma
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 1:03 PMI have taken the vinyl off of a dohola once. In this case the vinyl had ruined the sound of the rim. I think it sounds good now and in my case was an upgrade.
The reason they do the covering (I suspect) is that the shell has more pock marks in it than would be acceptable otherwise. I used bondo for filling holes and there were A LOT of them. I recommend automotive grade clear coat if you can do it so the paint stands up to normal wear and tear.
If you really like the sound leave it alone and live with the ugliness as it won’t sound the same when you are done. -
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Re: The Dilemma
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 1:16 PMjust glue it back down if possable is my oppionion.
Emyrs -
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Re: The Dilemma
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 2:19 PMI agree that it will change the sound... may not be a bad thing tho.
Where does one get automotive grade clear coat? Does it require a spraygun? I'd love to get better clearcoats on my drums... But no access to a spraybooth... -
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Re: The Dilemma
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 2:35 PMIt's very expensive (about $120 a gallon) and c an be purchased in a high grade vauto body supply shop. You will need to develop more than 90 pounds of pressure through your compressor and a whole lot of protective gear and a well ventilated spray booth. (this is not for the home craftsman) I use the spray booth at the college that I teach at (we still have the booths from the airbrush classes).
Most auto paint is a three step process now with the final coat having color particles in it. You can still get plain clear though it's not as common. -
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Re: The Dilemma
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 9:56 PMWhoa. How many drums per gallon? I'd actually consider this, but like I said, no spraybooth... I guess I'll stick with the water-based clearcoat from Home Depot.
Also, I am going to go pick two 90's Alex shells up from the sandblasting place tomorrow - at $25 a drum, it's worth it to me to NOT have to use acetone and a wire brush to get the contact cement off, and then sand the shell down - as much, anyways... it's already been BLASTED off.
w00t! Hello Kitty Doumbek, on the way!
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Re: The Dilemma
Wed, October 7, 2009 - 5:18 AMI agree with Emyrs on this one. If it's a favorite drum, why roll the dice and experiment with its tone like this? Glue that stuff back into place and snatch up the next vinyl-clad drum that comes your way for experimenting on. -
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Re: The Dilemma
Wed, October 7, 2009 - 7:20 AMThe problem is that it is not just peeling off as the glue loses it, but it is tearing and fraying as well.
I might take it in to an upholstery shop and see if they can do something with it, or put new upholstery on it...
All right. Dilemma solved.
The new plan is to take it off (saving a sample of the material), sand it down and paint it. If I hate the new sound from it, take it into a shop and get it recovered in the same material.
Thanks for the input all.
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