Painting the Inside of Drums

Natronius

Natronius

Member
I recently saw a late 60's Keystone badge Ludwig kit on eBay that the owner had painted the interior black. This made me curious how much this would affect the sound of the drums if done properly. I'm not sure why one would do this, but does anyone have any knowledge on this?

Thanks
 
The manufacturers used to paint the interior of their shells with various finishes.
Gretsch still does.
It does change the tone of the drum slightly.
if you repaint vintage drums a different color on the inside it devalues them substantially.
The person who painted those Ludwig's black did a very foolish thing.
 
Agreed, however, I'm more interested in the tone than the resale value. If I can score an amazing piece of musical history that still sounds classic at a cheaper price and there weren't any alterations like added holes or anything, I wouldn't mind having the black inner paint.
 
I saw that same drum. WMP Ludwig 60's tom. 13" I think. It shouldn't affect the tone much as there was already paint there.
 
You can always buy the same white Benjamin Moore paint that Ludwig used and return the drum to it's original color.
Buy the black drum and save cash.
 
They left the factory with a white interior. Who knows why, or when, the drums were painted black inside. A lot can happen, in 40+ years. For a players kit, this sounds like a perfect candidate.​
 
I recently bought a '67 Ludwig kit in very good condition, all original, with the insides also all painted black and the hoop inlays were also spray painted black. I got them home, removed all of the hardware and restored the interiors to their original white satin color. I was also able to safely remove all of the paint from the hoop exposing the beautiful inlay in its original color. Did not make any noticeable difference to the sound. 3-ply Ludwig goodness!!!
 
bobdadruma said:
It does change the tone of the drum slightly.
Click to expand...

I'm personally not a fan of painted interiors of drum shells. I admit I have not had experience with them but from the sound I've heard and the idea of what it does to the wood I don't like the idea. Is it more so a way to "preserve" the shells? Not so much for a specific character that companies intend to add? The smoother the surface the more the sound waves are going to be active which in turn would make them have much more sustain, maybe brighter in tone and possibly weird overtones.

Thought?

Thanks.
 
A lot of manufacturers paint or clear coat the insides of their shells. I don't prefer the look of paint but it should brighten the tone of the drum up somewhat. I bought an "unfinished on the insides" $79.00 el cheapo Gretsch snare (brand new) just to experiment with and poly-ing the insides brightened the drum up closer to my liking. I also removed the wrap, removed the lug gaskets and rod washers. Totally changed the voice of the drum for the better. I like a reflective snare. Meaning sound-wise, not chrome plated lol.

The one thing that I always wondered about though...As drums age they dry out, which generally makes for a more resonant shell, a good thing sound-wise. If a drum is sealed inside and out, it would seem that the only way for the wood to dry out is through the pores on the bearing edges. Which are usually covered tightly by the heads. I always wondered if a totally sealed drum would take a lot longer to "age".
 
oddtime74 said:
I'm personally not a fan of painted interiors of drum shells. I admit I have not had experience with them but from the sound I've heard and the idea of what it does to the wood I don't like the idea. Is it more so a way to "preserve" the shells? Not so much for a specific character that companies intend to add? The smoother the surface the more the sound waves are going to be active which in turn would make them have much more sustain, maybe brighter in tone and possibly weird overtones.

Thought?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Slingerland, Rogers, Gretsch, and Ludwig all painted their shells with various paints and clear coats.
Their drums are industry benchmarks.
I have no problem with paint on the inside of a drum. Most of it was for cosmetic purposes.
They all had their own color and paint type. They also all had their own bearing edge type that set them apart from each other.
I have played vintage drums from all of these iconic companies and they all sound great!
 
larryace said:
The one thing that I always wondered about though...As drums age they dry out, which generally makes for a more resonant shell, a good thing sound-wise. If a drum is sealed inside and out, it would seem that the only way for the wood to dry out is through the pores on the bearing edges. Which are usually covered tightly by the heads. I always wondered if a totally sealed drum would take a lot longer to "age".
Click to expand...

That is an interesting thought larry and sounds like something for the Mythbusters to tackle lol! :)

In this weeks episode we take two identical 12" rack toms, paint the inside of one and leave the other unfinished.... for the results check back again at 9 est / 8 cst 2033 lol.

And thanks for the reply bob. That's about what I had imagined the reason being. I think I personally just love looking down into my drums and seeing the natural wood through my clear Remo drum heads. :)

Salute.
 
larryace said:
The one thing that I always wondered about though...As drums age they dry out, which generally makes for a more resonant shell, a good thing sound-wise. If a drum is sealed inside and out, it would seem that the only way for the wood to dry out is through the pores on the bearing edges. Which are usually covered tightly by the heads. I always wondered if a totally sealed drum would take a lot longer to "age".
Click to expand...
In theory Larry - yes - but the tonal property ageing process has much more to do with setting & crystallisation of the lignin than straight forward loss of moisture. That gradual change in lignin state also happens independently of drying.

oddtime74 said:
I'm personally not a fan of painted interiors of drum shells. I admit I have not had experience with them but from the sound I've heard and the idea of what it does to the wood I don't like the idea. Is it more so a way to "preserve" the shells? Not so much for a specific character that companies intend to add? The smoother the surface the more the sound waves are going to be active which in turn would make them have much more sustain, maybe brighter in tone and possibly weird overtones.

Thought?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Smoother shell interiors reflect better. That typically brightens tone, but has little to no affect on shell resonance. It does increase the probability of generating higher overtones in a drum already predisposed to them.

Manufacturers initially painted the inside of shells for one reason, & that's to disguise the often poor quality of the wood or internal finishing. Even if the inner ply wood is of good quality, it's cheaper to paint the inside of the shell than spend time finishing it properly. There may be some moisture sealing rationale in there, but most of the paints used don't provide a good moisture seal anyhow. Some companies have since adopted the painted interior as a trademark feature, & built a marketing presence around it.
 
Thanks for the well informed reply KIS. It's always a pleasure reading and having discussed drum shell character with you.

Salute.
 
I am convinced that the popularity of clear drumheads during the 60's and sometimes no bottom heads at all played a big part in seeing improvements in the interior finish of drum shells. The manufacturers saw the need for their drums to look good inside and out because they were being seen inside and out.
 
That's an interesting and logical thought as well bob. I wonder if any drums have been done inside and out with the same finish? Not sure how that would look though lol. :)

Usually it's just that flat primer looking paint or sealer that's used and then the wrap or lacquer finish outside.
 
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