Why 12 Lugs?

The number of tuning points (lugs) is a factor in the feel of a drum and the choice of drumhead is another factor. For instance, a snare drum with eight lugs can produce a satisfactory sound and a 10-lug drum, by giving you more control over the tension of the head can sound better still. It is not difficult to reach the conclusion that 12 lugs, a 50 percent increase over 8 lugs would be more of an improvement. By equalizing the tension between the tuning points the head will vibrate more evenly, not causing the phasing problems that occur with one point on the head vibrating at a different frequency than another point. When tuning a tympani head where a specific pitch is necessary all tuning points must be the same pitch for the drum to ring true. This is true on any drum. Simply stated the more perfectly a drum head vibrates the better it will sound.

At this time the Superdrum is available in 3 different shell materials, chrome, wood and brass. Each of these drums has a different sound and shell material is a factor in the character of any drum. The shell material contributes to the purity of the tone of the drum. Any wood shell must be perfectly round to achieve the best sound but wood tends to be difficult to keep in round because of its inherent nature to warp when exposed to moisture. This explains why even an inexpensive shell material like steel can sound very good due to its properties of being easy to mold and retain its shape. Once the shell problems have been dealt with optimizing the control over tuning the heads becomes another way to make a better sounding drum. This is where increasing the number of lugs is a measurable benefit. The idea of a 12 lug drum is not unique having been around since the early 1940’s. In fact, it is possible to obtain 20 lug snare drums today, of course, at a much higher price.

The chrome Superdrum is an exceptional bargain with 3 mm steel shell triple chrome for a beautiful lasting shine.

The brass Superdrum is the highest price of the series due to the higher price of brass and has a gold sheen that is very desirable.

The wood Superdrum is an eight-ply shell consisting of 4 maple plies and 4 plies of an Asian wood for a total thickness of 8 mm. This combination has the warmer properties of wood with unusually high projection and dynamic range. It is the mid priced drum in the series.

All the drums have 2.3 mm metal counter hoops (hoops), steel alloy tuning rods and heavy duty tension casings (lugs) reinforced with internal washers and buzz dampening gaskets on the external part of the shell.

The snare throw-off is quick release and very quiet and 20 wire snares are standard equipment. Plastic single ply heads are also standard though it is recommended that the player use their preferred batter (top) head and experiment with the different products that are available.