Hi This is a drumshell question I hope someone here can answer. I have an old Gretsch snare drum I bought recently & the seller advertised it - he was guessing - as having an oak shell. It does seem to have that porous-like oak appearance. I have an old Gretsch drum catalog page that advertises the single head tension snare drum as having a Birdseye Maple shell with Rosewood hoops - see item #4 attached photo. The drum is newer than mine (the newer lugs). The second photo here is a closeup of my drum shell. I took the photo in my front yard yesterday..........a Horticulture Moment ....this little guy is trying to Bee a drummer. My question: Does Birdseye Maple have a porous look to it similar to Oak?
Hey, kona---maybe you could try for an ID on these fora: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com http://www.drumchat.com Whilst finding these, I came across the news (to me, anyway!) that there exist garden and woodworking apps for the Smartphone/iPhone/iPad. One of these that you could use is 'I.D. Wood'. Garden apps galore! All you technofolk now have good reason to be glued to your phones. Garden design, vegetables, birds, insects---even something called 'iLocate---Garden Supplies' that tells you where you can go buy stuff. Good thing I have neither an iPhone nor money! Good luck with your question, kona. And the BEE-t goes on...
From what I'm reading I'd say yeah, bird's-eye maple does have a porous, spotty appearance. Was interested to find out that bird's-eyeing can and does occur in many genera and species of trees, including maple, ash, mahogany, beech, birch, and walnut. And noone knows why it does. An Unsolved Mystery. This enigmatic yet decorative (and valuable) phenomenon does weaken the wood, but helps to make it a lovely veneer and easy to turn on a lathe. Beautiful, too. Apparently the Great Lakes area (US and Canada) is a veritable hotbed of bird's-eye growth. If you can stand it, here's another link: http://www.mapleinfo.org/htm/bird.cfm
Yes - I'm pretty sure this drum is made with Birdseye Maple. Thanks for the link(s) & your help....this Forum is great. I just got a reply from a drum builder & he's pretty sure it's Birdseye Maple but wants to see the drum in hand to be sure. Cheers, Gary
I'd say that's birdseye maple as well - the head and sounding board of my oldest banjo are of the same wood.
