info@drumchops.com - Phone: 623.546.9738

Drum Lessons / FaceBook / YouTube

Did You Just Buy Your First Drum Set?

Having A Bit Of Trouble Putting It Together?

DrumChops.com Is Here To Help!!!!

Depending on the make and model, there may be different parts that you will need to figure out how to assemble.  If the set you purchased did not come with instructions, the best way to get through this task is to reference a good picture of the drums.  I'm going to put up a few pictures here and give you some tips about how to go about assembling the drums.  I'll be as basic as I can, so hopefully even if you have never seen a drum "up close and personal" before, you will still be able to get the assembly done correctly.

• The first thing is to identify the different individual parts that make up a drum set

  • The Shells - These are the round wooden canisters that are what make up the actual drums

  • The Heads - These are round and plastic and go on the top and bottom of each drum shell

  • The Bass Drum Hoops - These are the round hoops (they look like Hula-hoops) that go on each side of the bass drum (that's the big one!)

  • The Rims - These are the metal round hoops.  They come in different sizes and there is a top and bottom for each drum

  • Tension Rods - Tension rods go through the hoops or rims (they look like screws) and are used to put tension on the head.  More tension will make the drum go up in pitch less tension will make the drum sound lower in pitch.  You should have all of the tension rods at an even tension around the drum head for the best sound.

• So Now that we know all of the parts, how does this thing go together?

  • Your first step is to lay out each of the shells, and find the size heads and rims that go with them.

  • Your second step is to place enough of the tension rods so that each hole in the rim has a tension rod for it

  • Now, you can take your drum and lay it flat.  Place the Top head (in most cases for the Jr. sets the top and bottom heads are the same, so you just need to get the right size) flat on top of the drum shell.

  • Center the head on the shell so it looks even, and place a Rim on top of the head.  Turn the rim so the holes on the rim line up with the LUGS (units on the side of the drum that the tension rods will screw into) and place a tension rod through the rim and then screw it into the lug.  Don't put a lot of tension on it at first.  Get all of the tension rods around the Rim in place, and then begin to tighten the tension rods into the drums until the drums has a nice tone.

  • Flip the drum over and follow the same procedure to the other side.

  • You will know the top of the drum by looking at any badges or tags on it that might have words or the placement of the Tom Holder mount (the screw should be on top) that mounts the small tom to the arm that comes out of the bass drum as shown in the picture below.

  • For the snare drum, the bottom of the drum always has the snares attached to it.  These look like wire strands, and vibrate against the bottom head giving it that "snare" sound.

  • For the Bass Drum, you need to look at the spurs (these are the legs that come out of the drum and stabilize it against the floor.  These will be closest to the FRONT of the bass drum that the audience will see when they watch you play!!!  The back side is called the "Batter" side, and this is where you will attach the bass drum pedal to the rim so that when you hit the pedal with your foot it hits the batter side bass drum head.

• Now they are together so How do I set them up?

  • Once all of the heads and rims are on the drums and they are "tuned up" meaning you have put tension on the tension rods and the drums sound good!  You can now start to put the set together.  I am going to describe how this should look for a drummer who is "right handed".  Those that are left handed will do everything the opposite way!

  • Set up the bass drum first.  Attach the bass drum pedal to the rim so that when you press on it the beater on the pedal hits the batter side bass drum head.

  • Steady the bass drum so that it is sitting flat and then drop the spurs so that the drum is steady and does not rock back and forth.

  • Now that the bass drum is setup find the tom tom holder (should look like an "L") one side goes into the bass drum, and then the top should stick out towards the left.  The small tom would then connect to that holder so the tom tom is suspended over the bass drum.  Adjust the height and tilt so that it is comfortable for the player.

  • Next would be the snare drum.  That would go on a stand that has a top that has three arms that spread out to cradle the snare drum.  The drum should just sit in within the three arms and sit flat.  The height of the drum can be adjusted and should be lower then the top of the small tom that is mounted on top of the bass drum.

  • Next would bet the floor tom.  This is the larger tom tom comes with legs and should sit on the floor to the right of the snare drum and to the right of the drummer as they sit behind the set.  The height on the floor tom should be even with the height of the snare.

• The last part would be to put together the Cymbal holder and then put the cymbal on the stand.  The best way to see how these should look is to look at the picture above.

That should be all the information you need to get your set assembled and your business working well!

Lou Stavris

Owner/DrumChops.com