Audio Boy wrote:
I was planning on upgrading my tama imperialstar drum set almost entirely because of the poplar shells (I was looking for all maple or birch shells) but then I realized...I don't really even know the difference between woods. What are some major differences, and are poplar shells considered "cheap"
See, this is the problem when manufacturers start telling drummers what they need.
When I started out, a drum was a drum was a drum. Nobody talked about what the drums were made of. Ludwig used a variety of woods from era to era, and never discussed the difference, Gretsch had "that great Gretsch Sound", but they didn't actually advertise that they were maple.
Go throug old catalogues, you'll see no mention of what wood was used in construction. If a drum was Brass it was mentioned, that's about it.
Then came the 70's...
Fiberglass became all the rage, and Plexiglass came onto the scene. The first time I recall somebody making a big deal out of the wood that was used was when Pearl introduce Birch drums, and they had two lines of pro drums above the Exports... The Maple and the Birch.
These days, We have Birch and Maple, and Bubinga and Oak, and yes, Poplar as well as Luan.
So let's think about this... Those Drums that Bonham played... were they MAPLE? Well, in that era, they well could have been Poplar, or Luan, or whatever Ludwig had on hand! They might have been Poplar/Luan/Maple for all we know.
I'm saying that Poplar isn't a bad wood for drums. It sounds good actually. In this day and age of drums with Pedigrees where we know how many plies, and what wood those plys are made of, we can make selective choices, but don't make those choices just because the marketing department from some big company tells you what you should buy... Buy the drums that sound good... TO YOU!
As an artist and musican, you're creating YOUR sound, and what the drums are made of can certainly effect that sound, but do you LIKE the sound of poplar drums? Do your imperial star drums sound good? If they do, WHY CHANGE AT ALL?
Don't jump into the rat race unless you have to!
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However most of your favorite 50's and 60's Chicago drums: i.e. Gretsch, Ludwig, Slingerland, were all Mahogany Poplar Mahogany for a very long time... And they sound fantastic. Sure Maple is great but Poplar is not entry level. I wouldn't say much of any wood is entry level unless it's pine!