Thanks everyone for weighing in with comments. Always appreciate your opinions and expertise.

Tommy: Thanks for your input regarding the differences between 3 vs 5 ply. It would be really interesting to have your/our expert shell designer and builder do a test between 3 and 5 ply shells with identical wood and bearing edges. That would definitively demonstrate the influence of ply vs bearing edge. Keep us informed. (Note the snare behind my double basses. Look familiar?)

SanityClause: As has been mentioned before by a few of the other Rogers guys, you alluded to the brief time in which 3-ply shells returned during the Fullerton 9/72 series. Does anyone know for certain when this was? I have a bunch of 9/72 series drums, and they’re all 5-ply. I’ve never seen an actual example of a 3-ply 9/72 shell.

Glenn: I know you’ve been working on your Cleveland B&B restoration for quite some time. I have no B&B era hardware for you, but I have tons of Fullerton stuff so why don’t you just drill out all your shells for Beavertails (KIDDING!!). Interesting about the smaller B&B lugs on your newly acquired FT. The 1960 catalog shows three different sized B&B lugs, but I always thought that they were sized for bass (Lg), FT (Med), and mounted tom (Sm)…

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Blair: You’re right about the difference in Beavertail weights, but I have no Cleveland era lugs, so that’s why I just slapped on the Fullertons, but Fullerton lugs on both basses did provide for a fair comparison between the shells. Maybe I’ll eventually get the Cleveland hardware and outfit it right.

Thanks for your interest.

Mike

Mike!

I did indeed take note of the snare drum! You know, you never said... how is it with the NEW wires? I thought you might have mentioned by now. I was going to call you and ask. I'm sure I already know though! Gotta tell you...

... LOVE that set up you have going there Mike! That looks like a TON of fun .. and with LB's set up, you pretty much have a Celebrity with an extra bass drum! By the way, I chatted with the "builder" today about the edges vs. the plies, etc. As SC and I were saying, it ALL factors! What I suggested was exactly that Mike, so just a matter of getting a couple shells in those builds for our purposes. I will indeed let you guys know what transpires. Course you know how this can go with regard to WHEN... But, I have planted the seed!

Tommyp

Beautiful set Mike!Just a ton of pure class all the way-enjoy dusting off those dbl bass chops on those fantastic drums...i too figured it would be a combo of ply and bearing edges working together.

Wayne

Mike your right I forgot about the small peanut lugs. The 2nd floor has the medium size. The original bass and floor both have the larger bass size lugs though. There were certainly times when I wanted to just drill for the BT lugs! The B&B lug has been a love/hate relationship with me. All good though! :) Love that snare of yours too!

Absolutely true. And although the jury is out on old growth vs new growth, a far more significant contributor is air dried vs kiln dried. This is most noticeable in sugar (hard) maple as the air dried will be quite a bit darker in color due to the trapped sap. Kiln drying forces the water out with the sap and the wood is nearly white.

There is a difference in Feel to air dried and kiln dried in pool cue shafts for sure. It definitely affects tone too.

Tommy,

Have to thank you again for getting those Puresound wires. I should have PM'd you after I installed them. That little buzz from the original stretched, uneven strands is gone now. You may not have noticed it as much playing at the higher dynamic levels you gig at, but at [FONT="Palatino Linotype"][SIZE="3"]p[/SIZE][/FONT] or [FONT="Palatino Linotype"][SIZE="3"]pp[/SIZE][/FONT], it was irritating. So much crisper now. So anyone out there want a stretched, uneven, re-epoxied set of original Rogers Dyna wires to try to repair?

Mike

Excellent Mike!, know what though?... I DID notice that "buzz". I play a better than fair amount of brushes with the Frank Show and Times Square, and for those particular tunes, the volume levels are LOW. You are correct here though, once the dynamic level is upped... not noticeable at all! It's a beautiful drum Mike!!!

Tommyp