So in your opening sentence, you state that 'Drums aren't versatile, drummers are'. However you go on to say that players use different snares for different songs...depending on what heads are being used could take on multiple personalities. So although you say that the wood isn't being versatile (which I disagree), you are relying on equipment still for different tones...snares, heads...not the drummer's versatility.
Wouldn't everyone just buy the same wood for shells if there was no versatility in them and just rely on tuning and heads?
I have to agree with Larry here.The top 5 American drum makers from the 50's to the mid 70's used little variation in drum construction.
Ludwig and Slingerland uses a 3ply mahogany/poplar/mahogany shell,sometime the outer ply was maple,which was used for finishing purposes ONLY.Yet these two brands were used by jazz,rock,pop,soul,funk,prog rock,country, metal,big band and just about any other genre you care to name.
Gretsch changed to thin 6 ply of maple/gumwood and they were also used by drummers of all styles of music.The same with Rogers 3,then 5 ply maple,and Camco.All three of these companies had shells made by Jasper or Keller.Only Slingerland and Ludwig made their own shells at the time.
So you can see that drummers played what they liked reguardless of shell composition,and they went by how their drums sounded.Each brand varied in sound slightly,but could be used in any style of music.
Listen to John Bonhams 3 ply Ludwigs,or Ginger Baker,Ringo,Cozy Powell,Alan White,Roy Hanes or even Joe Morellos drums.All of them were 3 ply Ludwig.It's the tuning,heads and most of all,the skill level of the drummer that creates the versitility in sound.You can use one kit for everything.They all did.
Steve B