Shell composition

[Joe´s Drumgear]

Recently I asked Sonor about the composition of for example a heavy beech shell with inside and outside venner.

The sales team answerde me this morning, explaining, that the veneer is added to the 8mm beech shell.
The carrier material for all the veneers is maple and it should be approx. 0,66mm thick.

That means a heavy beech shell with inside and outside veneer would be even thicker than 8mm.

I think this is really interesting and makes me want to have a heavy beech kit even more now.

If you are interested I can add the answer from sonor, but it is in german.

[Jules]

You can post it in German and we can use Google translate; or post the original and the translated through Google version. Up to you.

[Joe´s Drumgear]

There you go.

„Hallo Jonas,

das kommt tatsächlich on top, und dazu kommt noch, dass das Trägermaterial für das Furnier immer Ahorn ist. Das heißt außen hast Du immer noch eine dünne Lage Ahorn auf dem Beech Kessel. Unser Produktmanager Jannis hat im Moment Urlaub, die Produktion ist in den Betriebsferien. So kann ich leider keine weiteren Details erfragen. Aber ich meine, die Trägerlage ist 0,66mm dick.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Holger Hahn
-SONOR Verkaufsteam-„

[Jules]

Translated:

There you go.

"Hello Jonas,

That's actually on top, and on top of that, the core material for the veneer is always maple. This means that on the outside, you still have a thin layer of maple on top of the beech shell. Our product manager Jannis is currently on vacation; production is closed. So, unfortunately, I can't ask for any further details. But I think the core layer is 0.66mm thick.

Best regards,

Holger Hahn
-SONOR Sales Team-"

[Justin]

Thank you for posting this. It’s very interesting to read Sonor’s response because DCP recently told me that Sonor replaces the outer and/or inner ply of the shell with the veneer, at least on SQ2. Frankly, that answer made me question whether SQ2 is worth it.

However, Sonor’s answer raises a new question: wouldn’t that type of construction change the outer diameter of the shell?

The maple carrier would add 1.3mm (both sides of the shell) and then the veneer on top of that would add even more width, for a total of maybe 2.5mm (just a guess). Would this not change the famous slightly-undersized shell sizes?

Does it seem feasible that Sonor would have different molds to account for an outer veneer, finish ply or lacquer finish, so that regardless of finish the final outer shell diameter remains consistent? Or am I misunderstanding something here? I admittedly don’t know much about shell construction.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Jules]

If you think about the way the molds are built and function, the only thing that can increase the outer diameter of the shell is applying something AFTER they are formed. In other words, whether they put 27 plies, or 9, the outside diameter is going to be the same. Adding a wrap would put an extra layer of material around the shell, but it will not be part of the bearing edge, and it trimmed clear of that area anyway, so even that won't affect the shell/head relationship.

If I missed the mark with the answer, I am just getting the coffee flowing into the veins.

[Justin]

That’s very helpful; makes a lot of sense. Thank you!

For some reason I had the mental image that they make the shell and then put on the veneer, but what you suggest makes way more sense.