Tone-woods are the wood species that we have identified as having the perfect composition to create great sounding drums.  However, they do not represent all species of wood available. If there is a specific wood type that you prefer, let us know.

Contact us with any questions you have regarding the following tone-woods.  We use Maple as our standard for comparison.

Glossary of Terms:

Specific Gravity: this refers to the ratio of the wood’s density to the density of water as a standard when both densities are obtained by weighing in air.

Category: This is a weight classification relative to other wood types.

Wood Type: Swamp Ash
Origin: U.S.A.
Specific Gravity: .66
Category: Heavy
Tonal Quality: Punchy, warm, controlled tone. Known as a great guitar tone-wood. Becoming a very popular selection!

Wood Type: Black Cherry
Origin: U.S.A. and Canada
Specific Gravity: .58
Category: Medium
Tonal Quality: Well balanced EQ, nice attack and sustain,  warm tone.  A cross between Maple and Mahogany. Reminiscent of an Old Zildjian K.

Wood Type: African Bubinga (African rosewood)
Origin: Cameroon, Gabon, and Zaire
Specific Gravity: .88
Category: Very Heavy
Tonal Quality: Huge low end frequency, crisp attack, clear mids, focussed, very warm and musical. Our most popular wood species.

Wood Type: Cocobolo
Origin: West Coast of Central America
Specific Gravity: 1.10
Category: Exceptionally Heavy
Tonal Quality: Belonging to the rosewood family of wood species, this quintessential tone-wood exhibits crisp,warm, rich tonal properties. Extensively used in high-end guitar manufacture. Very well suited for orchestral and jazz/fusion idioms. Considered by some to be the most beautiful of all wood species.

Wood Type: Leopardwood
Origin: Europe, UK, West Asia
Specific Gravity: .62
Category: Medium
Tonal Quality: Pronounced low-mids, clear high-mids, slightly dark, warm and round.  Combination of Mahogany and Cherry.

Wood Type: Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry)
Origin: Central and South America, West Indies
Specific Gravity: .91
Category: Very Heavy
Tonal Quality: Natural EQ. Bright attack, very round and robust mids, clear low-end frequency. Supreme tone-wood for snare drums.

Wood Type: African Mahogany
Origin: Tropical West, Central, and East Africa
Specific Gravity: .54-.59
Category: Medium
Tonal Quality: Very warm, dark, and buttery. Classic vintage sound.

Wood Type: Black Walnut
Origin: Eastern U.S.A. and Ontario, Canada
Specific Gravity: .64
Category: Medium

Tonal Quality: Articulate highs, clear lows. Great projection.

Wood Type: Honduran Rosewood
Origin: Central America
Specific Gravity: 1.10
Category: Exceptionally Heavy
Tonal Quality: Very pronounced low end register with crisp, clean highs. Used extensively in marimba and xylophone manufacture for it’s exceptional resonance. A very beautiful and musical wood species.

Wood Type: Zebrano (Zebrawood)
Origin: West Africa, chiefly Gabon and Cameroon Republic
Specific Gravity: .74
Category: Heavy
Tonal Quality: Similar to Maple but with pronounced lower mids. Very striking in appearance. A special order wood species.