Drum kit weight: data

[Cpb282]

My daughter has 2 drum kits:
(1) Mapex Saturn V fusion
(2) Pearl Roadshow (that we use for smaller shows or when we don't have enough room to pack, as I've also got guitarist and bassist gear).

I knew that the Pearl Roadshow was a fair bit lighter and less substantial (I'm the roadie), but I was curious as to how much lighter. So, I weighed them (no snares, as we use the same snare).

I thought that the data might interest some of you, so here you are.

Pearl Roadshow
- 18x14 bass drum (with spurs): 13.2 lbs
- 10x7 rack tom: 4.4 lbs
- 12x9 rack tom: 5.5 lbs
- 14x10 floor tom (with legs): 8.9 lbs
- tom mounts: 2.2 lbs
- grand total: 34.2 lbs

Mapex Saturn V fusion exotic deep water burl
- 20x16 bass drum (with spurs): 20.5 lbs
- 10x7 rack tom: 6.5 lbs
- 12x8 rack tom: 7.6 lbs
- 14x14 floor tom (with legs): 14.5 lbs
- tom mounts: 6.6 lbs
- grand total: 55.7 lbs

 

[kallen49]

Inde Wayfarer 3 piece kit = 25 pounds (depending on the shell sizes)

Wafarer Kits — INDe Drum Lab

These kits are the ultimate bargain for the gigging drummer. Handmade in the USA, built with your choice of our ultra-thin maple shells or the Kalamazoo Series aluminum shells. Now shipping with our Ultralight Floor Tom Legs and Ultralight Bass Drum Spurs, these 3 pc. kits weigh right around 25 p

www.indedrum.com

 

[Cpb282]

Inde Wayfarer 3 piece kit = 25 pounds (depending on the shell sizes)

Wafarer Kits — INDe Drum Lab

These kits are the ultimate bargain for the gigging drummer. Handmade in the USA, built with your choice of our ultra-thin maple shells or the Kalamazoo Series aluminum shells. Now shipping with our Ultralight Floor Tom Legs and Ultralight Bass Drum Spurs, these 3 pc. kits weigh right around 25 p

www.indedrum.com

The Inde Wafarer is what caused my curiosity. Most manufacturers don’t publish their weights.

For us size is the bigger issue than weight. Every square inch counts when packing the gear.

 

[Elvis]

I'd be curious to see what a Pearl MMX (now Maple Masters Reserve) kit weighs.
Those are the lightest weight drums I've ever held.
I still remember playing catch with the 20x16 bass drum of the owner of a 20/12/14 MMX kit.
Shockingly light weight.

Elvis

 

[kallen49]

I don’t own a Wayfarer kit yet but I doubt that kits get lighter than they are,
the demo kit currently listed for $899 is 10x6/14x10/18x10 so also won’t get much smaller either.
I’ve only heard good things about how they sound, on this forum and Ytube.
Is there anyone competing with Josh’s innovative hardware designs?

*I bought the Yamaha crosstown hardware set and a Tama Classic pedal for same reason,
losing weight.

 

[Cpb282]

I don’t own a Wayfarer kit yet but I doubt that kits get lighter than they are,
the demo kit currently listed for $899 is 10x6/14x10/18x10 so also won’t get much smaller either.
I’ve only heard good things about how they sound, on this forum and Ytube.
Is there anyone competing with Josh’s innovative hardware designs?

*I bought the Yamaha crosstown hardware set and a Tama Classic pedal for same reason,
losing weight.

I’ve had a Wafarer in my cart more than once.

 

[mtarrani]

I don't know what this weighs, but it fits into three bags that Tama designed specifically for this kit and I can carry all three in one trip. Actually I can carry the kit AND the Tama Classic hardware set in one trip. I do have to make a second trip for the BD pedal and cymbals. Still, that is terribly light if a 72 year old geezer can manage it. EDITED: Forgot to mention the Rogers throne in the second trip.

 

[Elvis]

Inde Wayfarer 3 piece kit = 25 pounds (depending on the shell sizes)

Wafarer Kits — INDe Drum Lab

These kits are the ultimate bargain for the gigging drummer. Handmade in the USA, built with your choice of our ultra-thin maple shells or the Kalamazoo Series aluminum shells. Now shipping with our Ultralight Floor Tom Legs and Ultralight Bass Drum Spurs, these 3 pc. kits weigh right around 25 p

www.indedrum.com

I decided to pick up this gauntlet and measure them against the kit I think is the lightest I own, The Ideal Drumkit (cue ominous music ).
This is a 1960's MIJ "Ideal" kit with thin reinforced shells.
Its pretty light.
I only have a bathroom scale available to me, so that's what I used.
I stood on the scale just myself, then weighed myself holding the drums and subtracted the two weights.
This is how I obtained the weight information listed below.
I didn't do individual drums, but the toms came in at 15 lbs. for the pair.
The bass drum weighs 16 lbs.
That's 31 lbs. for 3 pieces.
They are larger drums than the 18/10/14 Wayfarer kit, however.
My Ideal is 20/12/14 in all the classic depths.
I wonder how the Wayfarer compares, in identical sizes?

Elvis

 

[Cpb282]

I decided to pick up this gauntlet and measure them against the kit I think is the lightest I own, The Ideal Drumkit (cue ominous music ).
This is a 1960's MIJ "Ideal" kit with thin reinforced shells.
Its pretty light.
I only have a bathroom scale available to me, so that's what I used.
I stood on the scale just myself, then weighed myself holding the drums and subtracted the two weights.
This is how I obtained the weight information listed below.
I didn't do individual drums, but the toms came in at 15 lbs. for the pair.
The bass drum weighs 16 lbs.
That's 31 lbs. for 3 pieces.
They are larger drums than the 18/10/14 Wayfarer kit, however.
My Ideal is 20/12/14 in all the classic depths.
I wonder how the Wayfarer compares, in identical sizes?

Elvis

Not bad for 1960s.

The roadshow, excluding the 12” tom (i.e., as a 18/10/14 three piece) is between 28 and 29 lbs, so somewhat comparable in weight to the Wafarer. Although I’m confident that what Josh at Inde is making is far superior to a roadshow.

As an aside, the only unfortunate thing about the Wafarer is the name. I keep
spelling it incorrectly.

 

[Jml]

How about another sticky for drum kit weights?

 

[Elvis]

As an aside, the only unfortunate thing about the Wafarer is the name. I keep
spelling it incorrectly.

You could just call them Rayban's...

...like we did in the 80's.

Elvis

 

[Elvis]

Not bad for 1960s.
The roadshow, excluding the 12” tom (i.e., as a 18/10/14 three piece) is between 28 and 29 lbs, so somewhat comparable in weight to the Wafarer. Although I’m confident that what Josh at Inde is making is far superior to a roadshow.

I'm convinced that the older Japanese drums used a version of all the woods that fall under "Luan", called "Balau" at least as an inner ply.
According to The Wood Database, it has a Janka hardness of 1600 and lists an average dried weight of 53 lbs./cu.ft.
In comparison, White Merranti (which I think is what most of the generic/student grade drums are made of these days) lists a Janka hardness of 1050 and lists an average dried weight of 37 lbs./cu.ft.
That's a difference of 550 and 16 lbs.
Quite a difference.
Even compared to Hard Rock Maple, the difference is 150 and 9 lbs., in favour of Balau.
It would give those older drums a bit more projection and possibly a nicer sound, although there are so many other elements that would dictate how a drum would sound.
They would also weigh a little more.

Elvis

 

[kallen49]

Interesting, I will check out the wood data base.
I presume that the wood in any decades old kit will have dried out to some degree, making it lighter?
Is there any reliable data about how moisture content affects the sound of a wood drum?

For the 13” floor tom in my home built 10/13/16 kit I used a Ludwig shell, with zolacoat interior, that spent 2 years in my garage, (I’m on the shore of lake Ontario near Toronto so this shell was alternatively frozen and heated to 98 degrees fahrenheit for 2 years). I was surprised how good it sounds. Makes me smile when I read deep discussions about different wood shells. Just cure it in a garage for a couple of years

I’ve also had a Wayfarer kit in my cart. I just sold my house and when the deal closes I‘m ordering whatever 20” bass kit Josh has available in his “ready to buy now” section. I will ask him to install his light weight tom mount and bass drum cymbal mount. Something like his “built for a guy living in a van” kit.
Having shlepped drums around bars and small halls since 1979 I think his designs are ideal for those gigs.

 

[Elvis]

Interesting, I will check out the wood data base.
I presume that the wood in any decades old kit will have dried out to some degree, making it lighter?
Is there any reliable data about how moisture content affects the sound of a wood drum?

According to most Luthier's and drum smith's, it would make a drum sound nicer.
I used to work at a music store and we hired a guy who did guitar repair and built them, as our repair guy.
Pretty cool dude.
The boss had scored some older electric guitars and displayed them in a case with glass doors.
The collection included a Kay and a Hagstrom acoustic electric and a Hofner Beatle-bass.
I remember the guy checking out the guitars and saying "There's nothing like the sound of 50 year old wood.".
His meaning was (and I've heard this from other wood workers since), that as wood ages, it crystalizes. The beginnings of the Petrification process.
Crystalizing tends to align the atoms and the result is a more uniform molecular structure and that enhances the sound of the instrument.
Something to remember next time you're amazed by the sound of a grand piano that was built in 1890, or a double bass that dates from the 1700's.
If the drum shell is not sealed then it would likely dry out (unless it spent its life in a high humidity environment, like SE Asia or New Orleans) and it would probably become a little lighter in weight.
I don't think it would lose 16 lbs. (per cu.ft.) but it would probably lose a little weight.

Elvis