Cutting A drum shell down

[jak]

Hey i have an old 1989 pearl export, and im doing a major restoration on this baby. Now what the main problem i have is, im wanting to cut say 2-3 inches off the rack tom and floor tom, obviously not my self - does anyone know of any retailers that would do this? im australian so i dont really need a company just a type would be nice.

Im also going to be filling my the holes and re drilling them, only on one side tho. Using wood filler on these holes would in change the qaulity of the drum dramaticly?

Cheers

[Jaye]

Find a cabinet maker.

They can cut the shell accurately and if they are handy with a router, rout a new edge to boot.

No, wood filler will not alter the sound of the drum. If the holes are larger than, say, 3/16"...you could consider going with cut dowels as plugs, also....then sand smooth and use filler to take care of any gaps.

[section2]

Depending on where you are, you might also find a local drum restoration guru. There's a guy just outside Toronto named Greg Hohn; he goes by the name "Drum Doctor." I'm told he's the resident expert, and he routinely cuts bearing edges, snare beds, etc. to breathe new life into drums. Most major cities probably have a guy like this.

That said: this sounds like a pretty big project. Depending on what you're planning to do, it could get expensive. Exports are good drums, but for the price of a major restoration project, you might find a great vintage kit that just needs a little elbow grease. Something to think about.

(Then again, I don't know anything about the Australian drum market. I'd guess that there are fewer Ludwig kits lying around in closets down there, just because of the cost to import them back in the day.)

Best of luck!