Stave Drums Vs Ply Drums: 3 Things You Should Know About Different Drum Building

Drummer Fights Over Drums

There’s been a pretty big debate that’s been going on for a while now, regarding stave drums vs ply drums. If you’re seriously torn, look no further! Let’s talk about it some.

Stave Drums Or Ply Drums

There are a few things to consider when choosing between stave shells and ply shells. Stave shells are made with multiple staves (segments of wood that are cut out and beveled equally) of quality hardwood, typically, which can lead to a better sound.

They are also more responsive than ply drums. Ply shells, on the other hand, are less expensive and can be more durable.

They may not be as responsive as stave shells, but they can still produce a great tone and have been the most popular to date.

Ultimately, the decision about which type of shell to choose comes down to personal preference. Some people prefer the sound of stave drums, while others find ply drums to be more satisfactory.

A Breakdown Of Two

If you’re wanting a bit of an explanation, I don’t blame you! Both stave and ply drums are made in completely different ways.

I do want to mention, we’re not discussing steam bent or one-ply shells. One-ply, steam bent shells have their advantages, such as being solid wood (solid shells), but that discussion isn’t for here.

Let’s talk about the different ways of shell construction for stave shells and ply shells, what makes them different sounding, and the pros and cons.

1. Construction Method: how are they made?

Stave Drums:

For stave shells, the process can seem kind of confusing, but some people like to use a stave calculator to make it easier.

Let’s say you’re making snare drums and you need one that is 5.5 inches in depth and 14 inches in diameter. The amount of lumber to be used is figured out.

You’d then choose how many staves you’d like to use. There’s not really a solid rule to how many you should be used, but let’s say you want to use 15 staves for this example.

So, now that this is figured out, you’d plug the number into the calculator to determine each stave width and the degree of bevel (angled cut – similar to a scarf joint) to be rip cut down your lumber on two sides (typically on a table saw).

The calculations say each bevel (2 bevel cuts) should be 12 degrees. The outside width of each stave would need to be 3″ and the inside would need to be 2.68″.

So, with 12 degrees on each side of the stave, that would equate to 12×30 = 360 (degrees in a full circle). After the bevel cuts, the depth would be crosscut (typically with a chop saw).

These would all be 5.5 inches. It’s always recommended to cut extra, so you can ensure you have the best wood staves (just in case some come out weird).

The staves are then lined up side-by-side with the grain going from top to bottom (grain direction: top of shell to bottom of shell) and a dry fit is done to ensure proper fitting.

Some sort of tape is used to keep the staves together and then after the dry fit, glue is applied where each stave meets, as well as at the edge of each end stave.

They are strapped or clamped together to hold their shape. After the glue has been left to dry, either a lathe or a jig is used to round out the outside and inside of the shell.

Shell thickness tends to be greater with stave drums than ply. You don’t typically see a really thin stave shell, although some drum companies make those.

Bearing edges are cut the same way they are with ply drums. Snare beds are typically cut afterwards and then the last part is drilling for hardware and sanding/applying finish. The outside shell diameter needs to be 1/8″ under 14″ (13.875″) to ensure the drum head fits.

Ply Drums:

Two-ply and three-ply plywood is typically used for these drums. It consists of several, thin layers of wood that are laminated together.

These boards are cut from tree trunks in thin slices. Two sheets are used for two-ply and drum shells are typically made between six-ply to ten-ply plywood.

So, these wood shells are typically thinner shells compared to stave drums. The grain normally runs horizontal on the outer ply, while the other plies have the grain set running vertical to horizontal.

The plies are typically cut at different lengths with the side cut at an angle. This is because the inner plies of the shell will need be shorter than the outer ones.

Next, a strong adhesive is applied (depending on how many plies – glue on one side of the exterior and interior board and both sides for the middle piece).

Next, the wood is bent and put into a mold. They do this pretty quick to ensure the adhesive doesn’t start drying.

The shell is pressed in this mold extremely tight to ensure no warpage (just in case the wood shrinks some). They insert each layer one at a time and ensure equal spacing.

After all layers are inserted into the mould, there is an air bag that’s put in the middle and filled with air. It looks like an inner tube and this presses the pieces against the mold.

After this, the shell is inserted into a microwave oven where it will dry. It’s important to note that the microwave oven only heats the water present in the adhesive for drying purposes.

After the drying process, the shell is cut at both ends to the specific depth. Then, similar to stave drums, the shell is drilled for hardware, bearing edges are cut, snare beds are cut, and sanding and staining (or a wrap) is done.

Ply snares and stave snares are pretty similar regarding those last few steps.

2. Sound: What makes them different?

So, the main things that affect a drum sound are the material (type of wood), dimensions (diameter, length, and thickness), bearing edges (45 degrees/round-over/etc), specific drumhead being used, and the tuning of the drum.

There’d need to be almost exact similarities between the shells to really compare. So, if we were to take the all those things and make two shells identical, with two different processes, then we could compare honestly.

A stave drum would be more responsive, sensitive, and have larger dynamics. The attack would be bigger as well and they are also louder. If we were to take a ply drum of around the same physical similarities, it would be somewhat more controlled in sound, with less volume and decay.

3. Pros and Cons: What are the benefits and drawbacks of each?

Let’s look at some of the big pros and cons of stave drums vs ply drums.

Stave Drums:

The pros with stave drums are that they are superior for producing the most pure and natural tone you could want from your drums.

There is also less glue, which is another reason why the sound is more open with stave drums, but not the only reason.

These high quality drums also have less stress on the wood, in comparison to ply shells. Bearing edges are another thing that is extremely important and we know that they have a lot to do with the overall tone and feel of the drums (not just snare drums, but bass drums, toms, etc.).

Bearing edges are on the end grain of stave drums. Not only is this more of an advantage of a thick shell vs. a thin shell (being stave drums tend to have thicker shells), but end grain is tougher than edge grain.

This means those bearing edges will last longer on a stave drum and you won’t have to worry about re-cutting sooner.

I did want to mention why stave drums were more responsive and open and it has to do with the grain of the wood.

Sound travels nearly twice as fast WITH the grain (top to bottom for stave drums) vs ACROSS the grains (ply drums), so this is big reason for a different sound.

There are cons with stave drums though. They tend to be more expensive (or can be based on the market). They are also a little more fragile.

I’ve heard stories of people dropping their stave shell and all the segments breaking a part. I actually had to glue my stave drum back together after it came a part (but it was also the first one I built, but that was fun).

Pros

• Most natural open tone due to sound traveling with the grain and less glue being used
• Less stress on the wood
• Bearing edges are stronger

Cons

• Can be more expensive
• Can be more fragile due to it just being segments glued together

Ply Drums:

The pros with ply drums are the fact that the sound can be controlled a bit more. It’s not always a bad thing to have less responsiveness, especially if the gig calls for it.

Another pro is the fact that ply drums have been a staple in the industry for so many reasons (price, supply, etc.) and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it).

Also, ply shells will probably hold up better over time because there’s no reason for them to be fragile. You could drop a shell (please don’t) several times and it wouldn’t explode like a stave shell could.

You have to be careful because the shells are thinner though, although, sometimes reinforcement rings and/or reinforcement hoops are used to provide solid structural integrity.

We discussed the cons earlier, which is obviously, less responsiveness, weaker bearing edges, and more stress on the wood, but sometimes ply drums aren’t as aesthetically pleasing as stave drums (due to the natural state of solid wood staves).

Pros

• More affordable
• Sound can be controlled more effortlessly
• Industry staple (supply, stronger)

Cons

• Less responsiveness
• Weaker bearing edges
• Not as aesthetically pleasing

My thoughts:

Regarding stave drums vs ply drums, I’m honestly going to continue playing both stave and ply. Slap some nice tube lugs and cast hoops on any snare of any wood type and I’d still say they’re both beautiful.

I don’t want there to be animosity between these because they’re just different ways for drums to be made and the more drums in the world the better.

I know that when I wanted to build a snare drum years ago, stave seemed like the most doable. It took me a while and a TON of mistakes, but I was able to see it through.

Also, I made it a bit differently than the process I described above (although moving forward I used the process above). If I had the equipment to make ply shells, I’d jump on that so fast.

Which Is Better For You?

In conclusion, both stave and ply drums have their own unique benefits that can be advantageous for different drumming styles/genres of music. Ultimately, the choice of which type of drum to use is up to the drummer and what sounds best for their specific style.

Your Drum Experiences

I’d love to hear about your experiences with staves, multi-ply, and even one-ply shells! What is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!

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Until next time!

-Evan C.