1.6mm vs. 2.3 mm hoops

vyacheslav

Senior Member
Greetings,

Just to clarify, we are talking about triple flange hoops here. Die Cast hoops are a whole different animal.

I have always been in the camp that 2.3mm hoops are more "professional" and are higher quality. Thus, the reason they come standard on mid to higher end kits, while lower end kits come with 1.6 mm hoops. I have swapped out the stock hoops to 2.3mm hoops on all my kits (If they didn't already come that way), again using the rationale that they are more professional and higher quality.

On a recent used kit purchase,, I decided to leave the stock 1.6mm hoops on. My initial impression right away as that the drums are much lighter! I played a gig with them this week and really noticed the weight difference, especially when holding the drum outside of it's case, like putting the tom on the mounting arm and flipping the floor tom over after installing the legs. I also noticed a little more "openness" in sound. Not a huge difference at all, but just a tiny bit more resonance and tone. I play single ply, coated heads with no muffling, so they are very open as it is, but I noticed just a tiny bit more resonance.

So, what are your opinions of 1.6mm and 2.3mm hoops? I came up with a list of "Pros" for each type pf hoop (with the "Cons" being the "Pros" of the other hoop). Please feel free to add or edit this list.

1.6 mm Hoops "Pros":
Cheaper Price
Makes the drums lighter overall
Sustains/resonates a bit more and the drum sounds a little more open
More flexible and can conform to not so perfect bearing edges a little better.

2.3 mm Hoops "Pros":
Better quality/heavier/durable
More accurate tuning
More clarity on Rim Shots
More clarity on crosstick

I am curious as to your opinions on these.

Thanks!

V
 
I always though it was a matter of weight, rigidness, and flexibility. Being lighter allowing more overtones, heavier less overtones.
 
I generally prefer lighter hardware on my guitars and drums, with some exceptions (guitar bridge, snare hoops).
On an electric guitar, heavier hardware results in more sustain, but less resonance. I prefer the latter, so 1.6 on the wooden shells works for me.
 
Plenty of manufacturers big and small put on 1.6mm and I appreciate the sonic value they bring to a drum but I have always felt it "cheapens" them a bit. I prefer 2.3mm on my drums. My snares, if I decide to splurge on a minor upgrade or two on them, I put on DW 3.0mm TruHoops. I like the sound and feel I get from those.
 
I think my new Supra came stock with 1.6mm hoops. It sounds great but on its first gig out I played it so hard my batter hoop is dented. I think I’ll live with the slight muting of a thicker hoop. I may try a die cast on top, or the 3.0 DW hoop - those are tough.
 
Jerry Jenkins (RIP), told me that 1.6 mm rims for toms allowed for more tone than 2.3 mm rims.
He also said that for a snare drum, the rim should be more ridgid as in 2.3mm, diecast and S hoop.
I think he was right. He knew alot. Miss that guy.
I looked on DFD for 1.6 and 2.3 rims. The 1.6 used to be cheaper. Now reversed.
 
I had a Mapex kit with 1.6mm hoops on it. I found that the thinner hoops led to a lot more lively overtones, but they made the fundamental tone of the drum less clear and the drums sounded unfocused because of that. Switching to 2.3mm hoops cleared the problem up and all of the toms sounded a lot better for it.

It's also worth mentioning that there are distinct levels of quality in triple flange hoops that go beyond the thickness. I've seen some 2.3mm hoops that just weren't made all that carefully, in spite of them being thicker, and Pearl's Fat Tone hoops are 1.6mm, but are made extremely well and are more rigid like a thicker hoop because of that folded back edge.
 
I think my new Supra came stock with 1.6mm hoops. It sounds great but on its first gig out I played it so hard my batter hoop is dented. I think I’ll live with the slight muting of a thicker hoop. I may try a die cast on top, or the 3.0 DW hoop - those are tough.
I have a Pearl snare with a slightly dented 1.6mm hoop. It took about 5 years though.
 
Jerry Jenkins (RIP), told me that 1.6 mm rims for toms allowed for more tone than 2.3 mm rims.
He also said that for a snare drum, the rim should be more ridgid as in 2.3mm, diecast and S hoop.
I think he was right. He knew alot. Miss that guy.
I looked on DFD for 1.6 and 2.3 rims. The 1.6 used to be cheaper. Now reversed.
Makes sense to me.
1.6 is fine for toms, but snares should go heavier - depending on how you play.
 
You guys must be banging hard with a big stick to dent a steel hoop. I've had/have a bunch of 60's -70's Ludwigs w factory stock hoops 1.6 no probs. Prefer the sound feel over 2.3
 
I always though it was a matter of weight, rigidness, and flexibility. Being lighter allowing more overtones, heavier less overtones.
I had a Mapex kit with 1.6mm hoops on it. I found that the thinner hoops led to a lot more lively overtones, but they made the fundamental tone of the drum less clear and the drums sounded unfocused because of that. Switching to 2.3mm hoops cleared the problem up and all of the toms sounded a lot better for it.
These are both 100% correct. I'll also add that 1.6mm hoops being thinner, they tend to flex more as you play which results in tension rods coming loose more easily.

That said, every drum I own (except bass drums) has either 3.0mm or die cast hoops, and I still have to fix loose tension rods regularly. But I'm a hard hitter and I love rim shots. If I had any drums with 1.6mm hoops, I think I'd destroy them in short order.
 
I fear I'll bore y'all so bad I don't know how to begin. A decade of searching for the ultimate 8x12 took its toll on my psyche. Vintage vs new. Thick vs thin..support hoops vs non etc. There were a few that stood out so I'm thinking aged wood..OK. But one thing I never realized is that a missing link for me was the 1.6 all along and it just never dawned on me. I remember putting 2.3's on a superphonic and didn't like it as well and forever couldn't figure out why...because 1.6 hoops were on it previously!. All this frustration could have been avoided if only I'd known.
 
Link era Sonor snares with the ferromanganese triple flanged hoops used to have a 2.3mm hoop on top and a 1.6mm hoop on the snare side. I've since done that with a few other drums and it works very nicely.
 
I prefer the sound of rimshots and cross sticking with single flange hoops myself. I think they sound better than any other hoop type ive ever used, but they chew sticks up quick. Ive tried die cast in the past and theyre too heavy, and too focused for my liking. I cant speak for wood hoops, but id imagine its the same or even more focused sounding than die cast. All my INDē drums have 2.3mm hoops, one snare having brass(which are my favorite), one set has sticksavers, and another has single flanged all the way around. The single flanged are definitely more "open" sounding, more cut, more volume, amd just all around a better sound IMO.
 
Link era Sonor snares with the ferromanganese triple flanged hoops used to have a 2.3mm hoop on top and a 1.6mm hoop on the snare side. I've since done that with a few other drums and it works very nicely.
This got me thinking so for giggles I reversed the hoops on my Stage Custom Steel snare from having an S-Hoop on the bottom and a triple flanged up top to having an S-Hoop on top and a triple flanged on the bottom.

You know what? It sounds killer. I understand why Stuart Copeland put a diecast on top and left the triple flanged on the bottom. It's a dynamite combo.
 
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