Unix Drums

Proven Materials

While some of the most commonly requested woods are kept in stock at our facility, we offer many other species for custom order. We'll draw upon extensive experience in the industry and deep study of drum-making materials to help you choose the best wood for your shells. For more information about the woods available for use in your custom kit, please contact us or visit Woodworkers' Source.

Proven Methods

If you're wondering how stave shells are made, take a peek into our shop. We treat each piece of wood individually to create a beautiful product.

Starting with raw lumber, we plane the wood until it is the proper thickness.

Then, planks are cut to length to accomodate the proper depth of the shell and then angles are cut on each edge to prepare them for assembly.

Staves are glued together and prepared for the lathe. During this stage the wood starts looking like a usable drum shell.

After lathing, we cut the shells to the proper length and add finishing touches, including bearing edges, snare beds, finishes and hardware.

The Hardwoods (Click the images for a description) Our sound descriptions should be considered a general reference guide, as sound preferences and perception are different for each individual.
Maple Wood: Maple (Hard Maple) Source: Canada Weight: Average 44 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1450 lbs Sound properties: Currently the most popular specie in custom industry. Often used as a reference for comparing with other wood types.	Birch Wood: Birch Source: North America Weight: Average 43 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1260 lbs Sound properties: Second most popular species in drum making Industries. More spectacular (when stained) than maple. Crisper and higher pitch than Maple with less overtone.
Ash Wood: Ash wood Source: Canada and USA Weight: Average 43 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1320 lbs Sound properties: Similar to Maple, with less sustain. A little bit heavier then oak. Warm, with controlled tone.	Cherry Wood: American Cherry (Black Cherry) Source: North America Weight: Average 35 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 950 lbs Sound properties: Once dried properly, Cherry is a relatively stable wood. Almost as strong as maple but only 2/3rds as hard. Good attack with warm tone.
Birdseye Maple Wood: Birdseyes Maple Source: Canada Weight: Average 44 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1450 lbs Sound properties: Same as Hard Maple but with a much more spectacular wood grain. Very popular in high end kits.	Beech Wood: Beech Source: North America Weight: Average 40 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1300 lbs Sound properties: Very affordable wood. Lighter and dryer than Maple. Sonically between Maple and Birch.
Oak Wood: Red Oak Source: Eastern U.S.A. and South East Canada Weight: Average 43 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1290 lbs Sound properties: Punch and brightness, and good sustain. Similar to Ash wood.	Walnut Wood: American Walnut (Black Walnut) Source: Eastern U.S.A. and Ontario, Canada Weight: Average 40 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1010 lbs Sound properties: Strong wood that can withstand extra weight with little deflection or bending. Has a drier tone then birch or maple.
Bubinga Wood: Bubinga (African rosewood) Source: Cameroon, Gabon, and Zaire Weight: Average 65 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1980 lbs Sound properties: Bubinga can be an amazingly wavy-figured exotic wood. Warm low end frequency, good attack, and clear midranges. Currently getting more popular in shell making.	Padauk Wood: Padauk Source: Africa Weight: Average 45 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1725 lbs Sound properties: Stiffness strength similar to Oak. Shock resistance similar to Ash. Crisp, loud and clean sound.
Lacewood Wood: Lacewood (European Plane) Source: Australia Weight: Average 55 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 840 lbs Sound properties: Lacewood possesses one of the most unique grain patterns of all the exotics, and can be easily recognized by its large rays. Sonically similar to Maple.	Mahogany Wood: Santos Mahogany (Cabriuva) Source: Central and South America, West Indies Weight: Average 57 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 2200 lbs Sound properties: Moderately difficult to cut and craft because of its high density and toughness. Natural EQ. Bright attack, very powerful and heavy.
Zebrawood Wood: Zebrawood (Zebrano) Source: Africa Weight: Average 46 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1560 lbs Sound properties: Zebrano timber is fairly hard, very heavy, and very dense, with good toughness and impact properties. Has a lower mid-range frequency than maple.	Wenge Wood: Wenge Source: Mainly Zaire, also Cameroon republic Weight: Average 57 lbs/cu.ft Hardness: 1630 lbs Sound properties: The heartwood is dark brown, mostly black, with fine, closely spaced, very dark veins and white lines. Strength qualities in compression parallel to grain are exceptionally high. Sounds warm with big, loud and clear tonal character.