Care
Some American Percussion Instruments are made with calfskin, fish skin, slunk skin, buffalo or other natural heads. Although natural drum heads are strong and durable, they do require more care and maintenance than plastic or synthetic drum heads.
Like leather goods, non-synthetic drum heads rely upon natural oils and moisture content to remain supple. Here are three basic rules to keep your drums happy:
With mistreatment or neglect, a drum head can dry out, tear or even detach from the drum shell or body. Unfortunately, sometimes this can also cause the drum shell or body to crack. While a detached or torn drum head can generally be replaced, it is not always possible to adequately repair a cracked drum shell or body. None of us want this situation to arise, so please care for your drum.
Broken ceramic has very hard and sharp edges that can cause injury if handled improperly. If the drum does crack, break or shatter, please handle it with extreme caution, as you would handle and dispose of broken glass.
More Care Tips. Here are some additional tips to help care for your drum:
Maintenance
Tune Up. If the drum head is too tight and the pitch is too high, loosen the drum head by using a misting spray bottle with clean, detergent-free water to moisten the drum head. Wipe excess with a clean, lint-free cloth. Work in small increments, adding only a little water at a time. This will tune your drum to a lower pitch.
Tune Down. If the drum head is too loose and the pitch is too low, tighten the drum head by very carefully using a hairdryer. Take care to avoid overheating the drum head or drum body, and never hold the hairdryer in one spot or too close. Work in short increments by applying heat uniformly. Start the hairdryer at the lowest setting, and only apply heat for a few seconds at a time. This will tune your drum to a higher pitch.
Tuning Limits. Don't try to loosen or tighten the drum head too much while tuning your drum. Each drum has a natural tuning range that is governed by the drum's shape the materials used.
Tuning Tips. Here are some tuning tips that I've learned over the years:
Some American Percussion Instruments are made with calfskin, fish skin, slunk skin, buffalo or other natural heads. Although natural drum heads are strong and durable, they do require more care and maintenance than plastic or synthetic drum heads.
Like leather goods, non-synthetic drum heads rely upon natural oils and moisture content to remain supple. Here are three basic rules to keep your drums happy:
- Be Cool. Keep your drum away from direct heat sources, like fireplaces, heaters, radiators and hot air vents, and indirect heat sources, like windows, direct sunlight or in parked vehicles. Also, be sure to keep your drum in a well-ventilated space that is not too humid or dry.
- Be Safe. Your drum is an instrument, artwork and an investment. Keep it out of danger and safely out of the reach of children or pets. Display it where it cannot fall or be knocked over. Consider using an American Percussion Instruments case or bag.
- Be Mindful. Periodically check your drum when not in use to make sure the drum head is not too loose or tight, especially if you live in a particularly humid or dry region.
With mistreatment or neglect, a drum head can dry out, tear or even detach from the drum shell or body. Unfortunately, sometimes this can also cause the drum shell or body to crack. While a detached or torn drum head can generally be replaced, it is not always possible to adequately repair a cracked drum shell or body. None of us want this situation to arise, so please care for your drum.
Broken ceramic has very hard and sharp edges that can cause injury if handled improperly. If the drum does crack, break or shatter, please handle it with extreme caution, as you would handle and dispose of broken glass.
More Care Tips. Here are some additional tips to help care for your drum:
- Some American Percussion Instruments include a small sponge. Moisten the sponge and put it inside the drum (through the sound portal or other opening) while it is being stored or while on the road to help prevent the drum head from drying out.
- Padded gig bags are meant to keep your drum clean while traveling or in storage. While they may prevent minor scuffs and dings, padded gig bags provide less protection than hard shell road cases. Be certain not to stack your drum with other instruments or gear if you are not using a hard shell road case. Do not place your drum with padded gig bag on a seating surface or anywhere someone is likely to sit or step.
- For the best protection, place your drum into a gig bag first, and then put it into a hard shell road case.
Maintenance
Tune Up. If the drum head is too tight and the pitch is too high, loosen the drum head by using a misting spray bottle with clean, detergent-free water to moisten the drum head. Wipe excess with a clean, lint-free cloth. Work in small increments, adding only a little water at a time. This will tune your drum to a lower pitch.
Tune Down. If the drum head is too loose and the pitch is too low, tighten the drum head by very carefully using a hairdryer. Take care to avoid overheating the drum head or drum body, and never hold the hairdryer in one spot or too close. Work in short increments by applying heat uniformly. Start the hairdryer at the lowest setting, and only apply heat for a few seconds at a time. This will tune your drum to a higher pitch.
Tuning Limits. Don't try to loosen or tighten the drum head too much while tuning your drum. Each drum has a natural tuning range that is governed by the drum's shape the materials used.
Tuning Tips. Here are some tuning tips that I've learned over the years:
- Some American Percussion Instruments include a small sponge. Before playing, rub the moist sponge on the drum head to loosen it and lower the pitch.
- Heat your drum slowly, starting along the perimeter of the drum head and then moving toward the center. Overheating can cause the drum head to burn, shrink, tear or detach and may also cause the drum body or shell to crack. When in doubt, remember that the drum is experiencing the same temperatures that you would feel. If it's too hot for you to use safely, then it's too hot for the drum.
- How often your drum needs to be tuned and how long it takes to tune your drum are dependent on the environment. Particularly humid or dry regions will require more frequent tuning. Similarly, if there are large annual changes in temperature, your drum will also need to be tuned more frequently. Consider using an American Percussion Instruments heating pad with built-in temperature control to help regulate against temperature drops.
- For clay and ceramic drums only, heat the drum body as well as the drum head. Heating the body of the drum prevents it from drawing heat away from the drum head during the tuning process, which makes it easier to fine tune. Because heat is being added to the drum head indirectly when heating the drum body, less moisture is being removed from the drum head, which helps keep the drum tuned longer.
- REFUNDS - The only refunds would be returning the item in good working condition, undamaged as a trade in for something of the same or greater value. This is good for 10 days after receiving the item. Buyer pays return shipping.