6 FAST Ways To Stop Your Snare Drum Tension Rods From Loosening!

The Problem That Happens To All Drummers

There’s really nothing more annoying than your snare drum tension rods loosening! I’ve had the issue where I had my snare drum tuned perfectly the way I wanted it, only for it to be ruined after a few minutes of playing many times over. 

It also can be a common issue with the bass drum, rack toms, and floor tom as well.This isn’t anything new and it’s been happening to drummers for thousands of years (ok, not that long). 

The Quick Way to Stop Your Tension Rods From Loosening on You

What I used to remedy this issue were Tama tension locks. The locks have 8 evenly placed bumps around the hole, which is built for a perfect fit around the square head of your tension rods. 

Also, the design of the hole accommodates a broad span of drum hoops.

This, along with the elastic o-ring around those bumps allows your tension rods to stay put. Lastly, this elastic ring offers you the ability to be able to tune your drum kit without removing the Tama tension locks. 

You Have More Choices

Now, this worked for me and my tension rod situation, but it’s safe to say that it’s not the only solution to this issue. 

If you’re anything like me, you may like to have a few different choices. They all have their pros and cons and it’s really up to you to make the final decision (choices are always a good thing though). 

Let’s Look At a Few Different Ways to Help With This

It’s a good bet to have a few solutions in mind. You don’t want to be so set on one potential fix (especially if it’s out of stock). There are a few other ways that we can stop this loosening, but most of them do require an investment. 

You could rig something up yourself to remedy the problem, but I can honestly say the investment is worth every penny to prevent you from having to tune your drums constantly. 

I wanted to talk about 6 ways you can look at fixing this issue. After we discuss all of them in-depth, we’ll recap by looking at the pros and cons of each, including the Tama tension locks. 

Spoiler alert: One of the fixes on this list is free, but I’ll leave the decision up to you. 

1. Tama Tension Locks

Since we already talked about the features of these, I’ll just kind of skim over a few potential pros and cons. 

Pros: 

• It comes in a 10-pack, which is perfect for your top snare hoop 
• The o-ring allows you to tune the drums without removing the locks, but also keeps the tension rods from loosening
• The hole design works for many different drum hoops

Cons: 

• At 10 to 11 bucks, you’d have to buy several packs of these if you wanted to use them on your whole drum set 
• It’s not 100% foolproof and sometimes the exact position of your thread tension rods may move a tad. I’ve still had very minor issues with my drums de-tuning. 

2. Gibraltar Lug Locks

The second way that we can prevent this loosening is from these lug locks that Gibraltar produces. 

These locks have actually been around a lot longer than the Tama ones.

They are fairly similar to the Tama tension locks, but with a couple of noticeable differences. 

They are made of durable plastic, but you do have to remove them in order to tune your drums at all. They don’t have the convenient elastic o-ring that is malleable to any sort of pressure. 

Another thing is, they are about 6 to 7 dollars cheaper than the Tama locks. If you are looking to save any money, these may be for you. 

As far as your snare drum tension rods loosening, they stop that by the squared edge on each lock. This ‘drum hoop’ stopping method is exactly the same as the Tama tension locks. 

We have to look at the downside of these though. They tend to not stay on the tension rod heads as long as the Tama locks. 

I’ve noticed (several times over) that I see them on the ground after packing/unpacking my drums from different gigs. 

Maybe that’s my fault and I should take them all off before I pack my drums up. Nonetheless, they just aren’t as secure as the Tama locks. 

There are also only 6 locks that come in a pack, which means you’d have to buy at least 2 packs to suffice for your top snare hoop. 

You’d still be saving a couple of bucks if you went with these over the Tama locks. 

For an easier breakdown, let’s look at the pros and cons of the Gibraltar lug locks.

Pros: 

• Similar method to stopping de-tuning as the Tama tension locks 
• You’d still be saving a couple of bucks if you bought 2 packs of these over 1 pack of the Tama locks 

Cons: 

• They seem to not stay on as good as the Tama locks do 
• The squared edges can be dangerous, especially for you heavy hitters (I’ve heard stories of drummers cutting their hands on these) 
• Once again, these are also not 100% foolproof. I’ve also had minor issues with de-tuning using these 

3. TightScrew Non-Loosening Tension Rods

Our next choice in the list is actually one that I’ve been using for several years. These ingenious TightScrew tension rods, created by drummer Carl Scott, feature a nylon insert that provides friction between your tension rods and lugs. 

These tension rods will seriously keep your drums in tune, so you’ll be able to practice for hours without worrying about your drums de-tuning. 

There are also no extra locks to worry about, as they just screw into your lugs like regular rods. 

They are also made to fit most drum lugs, so the chances of them not working for your specific set of drums is highly unlikely. 

Another thing I do want to mention is the sizes available. Obviously, with different drum depths, you need to figure out which size fits your drum. 

The sizes currently available are 42mm, 52mm, 65mm, 90mm, and 110mm. The chances of you not being able to find the right size are slim-to-none. 

The downside to these is they are definitely the most expensive of all the options so far. You can get a 4-pack of these for $10. 

This means that you’d need 2 or 3 packs for just your top snare hoop. That can add up pretty quickly if you’d want to change out every tension rod on your drumset. 

Another little bit of a downside is these are a real hassle to loosen when you need to switch out your drumheads. 

We know that the nylon insert is there to prevent loosening, so when you actually need to loosen them, it takes way more effort on your part. 

Lastly, the nylon inserts are supposed to last for several new drumhead changes. I haven’t personally had an issue with it messing up on me, but it is definitely a possibility. 

I’m sure there are some forums you could find with drummers complaining about the nylon inserts failing on them. Then again, where are there people NOT complaining on the Internet (LOL)? 

For a quick summary, let’s just look at the pros and cons of these TightScrew tension rods. 

Pros: 

• These will keep your drums in tune (no real issues with change in snare sound or de-tuning from my personal use). The nylon insert prevents them from moving on you.
• They were manufactured to fit in most drum lugs, so there should be no worries here. 
• They are available in 5 different sizes, so you’ll be able to use them on all of your drums (sizes: 42mm, 52mm, 65mm, 90mm, and 110mm).

Cons: 

• They are the most expensive of the first 2 options. You would need to buy several of these packs (at $10 each) for your drum(s). 
• They are a real hassle to loosen when you actually need to loosen them (changing heads, etc). 
• The nylon insert could eventually fail on you. They last for several head changes, but the fact that this is stated on the product page could be a foreshadowing. 

4. Lockerz by Gauger Percussion Inc. 

The fourth choice I am actually not that familiar with. I had seen them on Google a few times but thought it could be worth mentioning for a fix to our problem. 

These locks have 4 ‘arms’. You snug the collar of the tension head rod between the arms and then you can tighten the tension rods with the lock on. 

It seems these are supposed to snug the tension rod head so that it prevents movement. It also looks like you can tune it with them on. The arms move with slight pressure from your drum key. 

The downside is these are more expensive than the Tama and Gibraltar locks. Other than that, I know you can probably find your fair share of complaints (along with anything). 

Let’s look at the pros and cons for a quick summary. 

Pros: 

• They snug your tension rod collar with 4 ‘arms’ to prevent movement. 
• Similar to tama, you can tune your drums with these on. 

Cons: 

• They are the 2nd most expensive option on the list so far ($14.25 for a pack of 15)

5. Plastic/Nylon Tension Washers

If you want to talk about a more affordable option, this is it. These are literally just plastic or nylon washers you slide on your tension rod. It sits between the hoop and your tension rod collar. 

These are supposed to reduce the friction (like Lockerz, but no 4 arms included). They sometimes may come already on drums you buy.

You can buy a 20-piece of Tama nylon tension washers for 6 bucks. This would be the perfect amount for your snare drum. 

I’ve used these in the past with some success, although this may not be a full-proof method.

Pros: 

• The cheapest option available 
• You can tune your drums with these on

Cons: 

• May not be a full-proof method 

6. Adjust Your Snare Angle/Less Rim Shots

The last thing you could do to potentially stop this annoying problem is by simply adjusting the angle of your snare. 

The reason for snare drum tension rods loosening is because of the vibrations on the drum hoop from your hitting (we’re drummers, we can’t help it). This leads me to the second part, maybe try to do fewer rim shots. 

When your snare drum is angled more towards you, you will be less likely to do rim shots because you’ll be hitting the snare head more than the actual rim and/or edge of the drum. 

You should aim for the center of the drum head (although always experiment and practice with different sounds from your drums, this is creativity because the sound of the drum changes).

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to do rim shots all the time. The reason I say this is because they aren’t always necessary. 

They sound great but save your energy and your forearms because they really take a toll on you. The center of the head is fine and also the best sound consistently.

At the very least, controlling your dynamics could help prevent this, although de-tuning will still probably be inevitable. 

I saved this one for last because it’s more of a very temporary fix. If this problem continues to annoy you, I’d highly recommend one of the first four ways. 

Let’s look at the pros and cons real quick. 

Pros: 

• This is the perfect opportunity because it’s free and the easiest option because all you have to do is angle your snare drum a bit more towards you 
• You’ll be less likely to do rim shots because of the angle of your drum

Cons: 

• This is not really a permanent fix, as your drum will probably still detune over time. 
• You may not like your snare drum angled because it could throw off how you’re used to playing (I get it, we get comfortable with how our drums are set up). 

Other Common Tips & Misconceptions

Some may wonder if you’d need a new head and that maybe the old head is the first thing that should go. Generally, if there aren’t huge dents in your batter head (top head) and the overall sound and feel are unchanged, you should be alright.

Heads can really last a long time if you take good care of them. It’s some drummers’ personal preference to change them every 6 months, but this isn’t the most important thing to me.

Just change it when it seems a good time to you (although it’s a good idea to make sure you’re not playing a show with an old head). I also almost never change my resonant head (bottom head).

If you are ready to change it (whether it’s your snare drum head or not), there are a few different things you can do to keep your new drum head with equal tension upon the shell of the drum.

The first time you put the drum head on, you’ll want to lightly screw your tension rods in, but not too tight. Tighten them all equally until all the tension rods are beginning to barely rub on the drum hoops.

The next step is to push firmly and hold for a few seconds on the center of the head. Do this for a couple of sets. We are stretching the drum head and preparing it to be tuned up to a higher pitch.

The goal is to keep equal tension across the top of the drum head. Pick your first tension rod and we’re going to be tuning/tightening up using a star pattern. At this point, a half turn for each rod will do utilizing this pattern, you can do full turns as well. Just make sure you’re even.

I like to use the Drum Dial to make sure I have equal tension, but it’s not necessary. As you tune up equally using the star pattern, check the pitch of the head right by each tension rod. Tap a couple of times with your stick.

You are listening to make sure the pitch is around the same in front of each tension rod. It’s important to loosen your snare wires when doing this with your snare drum. We just want to hear the drum (no snare buzz).

After every tapped pitch in front of the tension rods sounds similar, you should be good to go! Also, don’t forget to do this on the bottom heads too.

Many Different Types of Tension Rod Devices

There are even more than 6 ways to stop your tension rods from moving on you. I probably could have made a list of 15 to 20 and they’d all be similar products

.There are tons of companies out there who have made a similar device to the ones that I discussed. It’s really kind of up to you which works best for your situation. 

I specifically picked the first three devices because they are my personal favorites. I like them all, but as you’ve learned they each have their benefits and withdrawals. 

Continuing Onward with Your Tension Rods

So, there you have it! You are now armed with a few different ways to stop the incessant loosening of those tension rods of yours. 

I realize it can be frustrating, but the products on this list have really kept my drums in tune over the years. From one drummer to another, I would highly recommend them.

Let me know in the comments if you have any specific methods you use or if these have helped you!

Also, be sure to better your chops now with these FREE drum hacks, plus more! Clicking that link will take you to a page to sign up and you’ll get the free drum hacks safely in your email! =)

Until next time! 

– Evan C.