Wow ! you could repair the bubbled parts, but throw some heads on it and give it a go to see how it sounds.

It is fixable but pretty involved. Before we get into that, WHY do you want to fix it? Does it sound bad? Or does it just bother you because you know it's there? That drum has already lost any collector value it had. Fixing it properly will take a lot of time, a bit of money and won't add anything value wise to the drum, it will be a labour of love.

Still interested? If so, read on.....

Strip all your hardware off the drum. You will need both inside and outside molds that fit your shell exceptionally well for this repair. A router with a circle cutting jig will give you the best results. Poke a pinhole or two into the bubbled wood. Now you need to inject steam into the bubble. I do this with a modified kettle, a piece of tubing and a needle valve used for inflating footballs, soccer balls etc. This will soften the wood ply and hopefully reactivate the glue under the bubble. As it becomes soft and pliable, clamp the inner and outer molds to the drum over the bubbled area to force the ply back into place. Leave it clamped for a couple of days until completely dry. Lather, rinse, repeat for all the areas that need work.

To fill in the areas missing wood, you will need to find a piece of maple veneer slightly thicker than the original and cut a patch that will completely cover the area needing repair with a lip 1/2" all around. Set it in place and trace around it with a knife or pencil. Break out your well maintained, very sharp chisels and get to work. Chisel out the area until your piece fits perfectly. Apply glue and clamp it up with your molds in place to make it conform to the shape of the shell.

When cured, sand down your repair to blend it in with the shell. Sand the entire inside of the shell. Track down some of that gross chocolate milk paint. Paint the inside of the shell to match the others.

Now, after all that you have a fixed shell that you have spent a ton of time on and is worth exactly what it was before you started. Like I said, it's a labour of love.

This post was basically just to describe what you are in for, not to discourage you. If you need help with any of the specifics feel free to pm me and I will try to help you as best I can. Good luck!

Wow...I can't say much more.

I don't have the skills or the inclination to do what you describe, but thank you for posting, very impressive.

It sounds fine and I really just wanted to know if it effected the sound in any way. It sounds fine so I'll just leave it alone.

Thanks again for the post.

Good decision!!

Cheers