where is what on the drum
There are 15 components of the Basler drum that you should know. They are all listed here. For example, frames, hoops, ropes, strings, heads, or fittings. These are all components that make a drum a Basler drum in the first place and are all available to buy separately.
In common parlance, the children's drum is called a "half" or a "three-quarter", the adult drum a "four-quarter" and the oversize drum a "five-quarter".
And bandaliere, felt lining or not, white, tanned, negro-brown, moca-brown or black are all available from us. Online via the shop or, of course, directly from our specialist shop on Riehentorstrasse at Kleinbasel.
Our drumhead brands
We manufacture drumheads in our own workshop for our drum construction, repair and service work. We also offer the popular Gama-Tex 205. We will also be happy to supply our tried and tested products to specialised dealers, drum makers, clubs and institutions in the future.
DRUM SKIN
Woven drumheads
- voluminous in the forte and yet very
lightly appealing in the piano - weatherproof, durable and
- offer a drum feel and sound close to calfskin
Gama - Tex 205: Single ply.
The surface is white with a fine structure. Thickness 0.35 mm.
Calfskins
Calfskins have a thickness of 0.20mm to 0.30mm. This means that only hides from calves that die early after birth can be used. Out of 100 hides, only about 40 have the quality for a drumhead. This also explains the high prices of calfskins. We carry the following 2 calfskin brands in different price categories in our range.
Vitello classic: The classic among calfskins. These calfskins are available from a thickness of 0.20 mm and are characterised by their popular brown-beige surface. Natural agents are used in the processing of these calfskins.
Vitello basic: These calfskins are only available from a thickness of 0.28mm and have a whitish surface. Natural and chemical agents are used in the processing of these calfskins
Pair of hoops (hoops )
We use laminated hoops for our drums.
The hoops are manufactured for drums from Ø 36 cm to 43 cm.
Laminated / layer-glued wooden hoops
The most commonly used hoops are laminated from beech wood. They are made from 5 layers of European peeled beech veneer. They are more resistant to tensile forces than one-piece wooden tyres.
Common surface treatments: natural lacquered, stained and lacquered, sprayed and sprayed with fillet.
rim for batter head -and string head
We use rim made of aluminium and wood.
Aluminium-rim:
The aluminium winding hoop consists of an outer and an inner profile ring. The head is wrapped around the inner ring and pressed tight with the outer ring.
Wood-rim:
The wooden wrapping hoops are made "open" from solid beech wood.
The hoops are adapted to the size of the shell, glued and sanded in-house.
Internal damper
The internal damper is a lever arm that is infinitely adjustable from the outside. The damper supports the action of the damper band. The damper can also be omitted at the customer's request.
lugs
For the white and black lugs, 3.5 - 4 mm thick chrome leather is used, which is sprayed white or black. For the brown lugs, dyed leather is used in the brown tones tanned, brandy, moca or negro.
4-stage string lock: The ultimate
Our range also includes the 4-stage string lock, which is virtually indistinguishable from the other Schlebach locks in terms of operation and appearance. The lock offers perfectionists the ultimate string adjustment thanks to its four adjustment options
3-stage string adjuster: Deluxe
Compared to the standard lock, the 3-stage string adjuster allows a refined string setting from pianissimo to fortissimo.
2-stage string lock: Standard
Our standard string lock is easy to operate using two adjustment screws and is ideal for all drums.
Engraving
We engrave the string bow according to customer requirements. Typical engravings are: Initials, name, logo, family crest. In various font variants.
shell
The shell is the most distinctive component of our drum. It determines the size, style and external appearance of the drum. We use frames made of aluminium, brass, stainless steel or various types of wood, with diameters and heights of 36 cm - 43 cm, with 41 cm being our standard drum. The materials, surface finish and design of the frames are very varied, which is why we have categorised them into the following groups.
- Metal drums, shiny silver or gold
- Beech stained drums
- Drums made from various woods, natural finish
- Painted wooden drums
- Wooden drums painted with family crests
- Open category
Aluminium shells
As aluminium shells are significantly lighter than brass shells with the same stability, the future belongs to them. The material thickness is 1 mm and the upper and lower ends are bent round.
Standard surface treatments: chrome plating, gold plating, powder coating and clear varnishing.
Brass or stainless steel frames
We also build drums with brass or stainless steel frames as an alternative material. The weight is significantly higher than with aluminium frames, so they are rarely required.
Usual surface treatments: chrome plating or polishing.
In terms of sound, however, both materials are slightly better than aluminium.
Wooden frames
The most commonly used frames are made of beech veneer, but we also use various other types of veneer:
- Maple
- Birch
- Oak
- Smoked oak
- Ash
- Cherry tree
- Walnut
- Poplar
- Bird's eye maple
- Apple tree
- Plum tree
- Hornbeam
- Ziricote
- Santos rosewood
- Wenge
- Tamo
- Red Gum
- Red Gum smoked
- Elm etc.
Usual surface treatments: z.B. stained and varnished, natural varnish only, painted or sprayed
Manufacture: Thin layers of wood and the top veneer are moulded into a round shell in heated presses.
The individual layers are glued together in an offset pattern so that the sound box is practically seamless, circular and stress-free when cooled. This bending technique also allows a thin wall thickness of approx. 2.5mm.
These are quality features that produce a dry, bright sound in the finished instrument. High strength and dimensional accuracy are further positive characteristics of our frames.
ropes
Basically, we differentiate between terylene ropes, which are mainly used on weatherproof metal drums, and hemp ropes, which tend to be used on wooden drums or drums with natural skin.
Terylene rope:
The rope is braided as a loop or spiral braid. The raw material is polyamide. As the braiding technique leads to tension in the rope, it must be heat-set. This heating relieves the tension in the rope.
Hemp rope:
The rope is twisted and the raw material is usually hemp from Asia.
Both ropes have a Kevlar core and have a diameter of 6.8 mm. The Kevlar core absorbs a large proportion of the tensile forces. This puts less strain on the actual rope fibres. The Kevlar prevents large expansion of the rope under tension. The drum therefore needs to be set less than with conventional ropes without a Kevlar core.
The standard colour for a Terylene drum rope is white and is used for most metal drums. However, in order to maximise design freedom, we also work with black, red and blue ropes. Two-coloured ropes are also available.
The hemp rope is usually left in its natural colour, although bleached (almost white) rope is also used in exceptional cases.
String sets
Regardless of the type of string lock, our string sets all consist of the same 4 different strings types. Each string has a main function (HF) and also offers a supporting function (UF).
Gut strings: HF= forte / UF= mezzo forte
Spiral strings: HF= mezzo forte / UF= forte
Feather strings: HF= mezzo piano / UF= piano
Metal strings: HF= piano / UF= mezzo piano
Set of strings for 2-string lock:
4 gut, 2 coils, 2 springs, 3 metal
Set of strings for 3-string lock:
4 gut, 2 spirals with nylon mounting,
2 springs, 3 metal
Set of strings for 4-string lock:
4 gut, 4 spirals with nylon mounting,
2 springs, 3 metal
With the 3 and 4 -string lock, the spiral strings are glued with a very fine nylon thread. The spiral string only starts on the string head and only the nylon thread leads to the string lock. This enables perfect adjustment of the spiral string.
strap
The strap is usually made of leather. The white and black strap is made from 2.6 - 2.8 mm thick chrome split leather, which is also sprayed white or black. The brown strap is made from dyed leather. The following shades of brown are available: tan, brandy, moca or negro.
However, a popular alternative is strap made from drum rope, which is either braided or knotted.
STRINGHEAD
The string head has the function of a membrane that has to react to the finest touch of the batter head. Therefore, our principle is: "As thin as possible and as strong as necessary."
Papillon®: Milky-white, single-layer plastic film, 0.13 mm thick.
Libello®: Transparent, single-layer plastic film, 0.13 mm thick.
Ordonance fastener for attaching the drum
The leather strap is pulled around the drum rope and securely fastened with a hole and rivet. Used by military drummers and has been the standard for several years.
Strap for fastening the drum
The thin leather strap is tied in a knot and pulled under the drum rope. Traditional fastening method.
Tyre protectors
They protect the wood from the high rope pressure. They are made of brass and finished as follows: chrome-plated, black chrome-plated, light and dark burnished, polished (gold-coloured) or powder-coated.
Rope protectors
They protect the rope from damage when the drum is parked. Three are always fitted to the upper thrust collar. They are made of brass and finished as follows: chrome-plated, black chrome-plated, light and dark burnished, polished (gold-coloured) or powder-coated.
