flanged drum hoops and those plastic doohickeys

thethingwiththestuff · Post by **thethingwiththestuff** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:21 pm

hey guys, drummers, whoever..... i've got a run of the mill, mid-level tama set that i've had for years. i'm very happy with them when they're newly tuned. its about time for new heads, too. i dont know if its all the temperature changes right now, but they sure haven't been holding tune particularly long. they've all got the regular flanged rims, no diecast lug holes. do those plastic lug locks work to keep them in tune long-term? will they quickly warp out of shape and allow the lug to move anyway, or make it a huge PITA to change tuning?

any thoughts?

pumadrum · Post by **pumadrum** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:31 pm

those little plastic doohickys do make it a PITA to tune the drum.

your lugs shouldnt be slipping enough to warrent their use.

you should check the lugs to make sure that they arent stripped.

i prefer not to use the plastic things.

the flanged hoops change the tone (looser) rather than change how they stay in tune.

cheers

thethingwiththestuff · Post by **thethingwiththestuff** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:37 pm

ah, i hadn't thought of it that way. thanks....i'm going to take a look at the threads, but i bet it's probably got more to do with it being 80 monday and 35 on wednesday.

thanks!

vsr600 · Post by **vsr600** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:53 pm

Yea that could have alot to do with it. I think those plastic doodads are really only good for people who tend to do alot of rimshots and by the end of the night notice all their tension rods on the floor... Other than that, the drum will go out of tune anyway due to playing, stretching, humidity, looking at it funny, etc...

r0t4ry · Post by **r0t4ry** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 7:13 pm

i doubt that those plastic tension rod locks are making your heads come out of tune. plastic doesnt expand and shrink THAT much. ive noticed in temperature changing places my drums tend to go out of tune also. i think more of the temperature effecting the heads. i like the plastic doodads, seems smooth when torqueing the rods and seems like they hold better. not to mention, plastic between metals on a drumset, how can that be bad.

vsr600 · Post by **vsr600** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:00 pm

I think we're talking about something else...
I think you're talking about plastic or nylon washers... which i agree are cool.
And the original post is about those plastic "lug lock things" that have a flat end and slip over the square part of the tension rod to keep it from moving while you play...

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:53 am

Those plastic thingies are just a marketing "answer" to a problem that comes from lack of technique... sort of like "gorilla snot" ya know what i mean?

Like if you are breaking a million snare heads because you are running from ten feet away and smashing the crap out of it... is that because you need a "better snare head" or is it because of the way you are using it?

Try stretching the heads properly, seating them properly, and playing them well. They usually respond to that.

Dont bother with all the gimmicky stuff, just play a lot... sometimes you can get better tuning results with cast hoops, and better hardware (if yours is f'd up), but aside from that....

@?,*???&? · Post by **@?,*???&?** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 12:15 pm

I agree with Joel's post and once the heads have settled would encourage a set of lug-locks too. Bottom heads especially as they don't get changed very often. They can make a kit remain slightly more consistently tuned if the temperature in the room is stable.

I have seen air-conditioning wreak havoc on a drum kit when the A/C was cycled on and off on a hot day.

theBaldfather · Post by **theBaldfather** » Sun Mar 19, 2006 6:34 am

I toured for 6 years, and those plastic lug locks were life-savers. I worked hard on my technique, but I did rimshot and otherwise my snare would be gone by the 5th song. I also find it's handy for hard hitters in the studio. Doesn't replace good tuning and proper hitting, but it can help keep your take consistant from the beginning to end.

thethingwiththestuff · Post by **thethingwiththestuff** » Sun Mar 19, 2006 2:15 pm

thanks everyone. i havent tried them....i have been playing for 10 years or so, i know how to tune, think i hate them just right, thank you

i was talking about temperature changes on the heads/shells, not the lugs. my instinct is never to buy these little gimmicks, but ya know....they're there, there's always a possibility of usefulness.

i've often thought of getting them because of like the last poster said, gigging/touring. thanks for all your thoughts, its good to know these things.

ckeene · Post by **ckeene** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 3:34 pm

those lug locks kick ass if you do a lot of SD rimshots

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flanged drum hoops and those plastic doohickeys

flanged drum hoops and those plastic doohickeys

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