On this page you will find the domestic and exotic wood species that we have determined to be the best tone-woods for our drums. All of these species have been proven time and again. However, they do not represent all of what is available. If there is a species that you prefer, we are happy to work with your particular custom needs. Please contact us to discuss via email or phone.

In an attempt to describe each wood species tonally, we use maple as our sound standard. Maple is the most popular wood used today in drum manufacturing. Sound is a very subjective term. With that in mind, the following descriptions are in a general sense.

Contact us with any questions you may have regarding your selection.

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: Granadillo (a special order rosewood substitute)
Origin: Central America
Specific Gravity: 1.10
Category: Exceptionally Heavy
Tonal Quality: This wood is often substituted for Rosewoods. It exhibits a brightness and clarity similar to Cocobolo with sharper high- mid range. A very beautiful species. Available by special order.

Wood Type: Hawaiin Koa
Origin: Hawaiian Islands
Specific Gravity: .67
Category: Heavy
Tonal Quality: This beautiful species is unfortunately becoming very difficult to acquire. It is indigenous to the islands of Hawaii. This species tonal qualities are smooth lows with warm mids. A bit smoky and a little dry. Think of a large, medium thin, swish cymbal.

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.

Wood Type: Wenge
Origin: Mainly Zaire, also Cameroon republic
Specific Gravity: .88
Category: Very Heavy
Tonal Quality: This is a very interesting wood in appearance, but particularly interesting in sound. It has the warmth of a wood drum, but the tonal character of a metal drum. Big, loud, and clear. We call this the “Blacksmith” species, used on one of our “Specialty Snare Drum” offerings.