Birch Drums

Birch drums and maple drums have a long history together, but no one really made a big deal out of wood types until new microphone techniques required the more controlled sound that birch shells offer. At first, birch was less expensive to produce than maple shells were, but more recently, the cost of each is comparable. Some drum sets even allow you to mix and match the two woods in your own configuration.

The Sound of Birch

There is some disagreement among the pros in the sound difference between birch and maple shells. Birch is often referred to as a more focused and tight sound. It’s much quieter than maple is with less overtones, which makes it great for recording and live performances using mics. Much like wine, drums tend to age over time and develop a much warmer tone. This tends to make birch shells eventually catch up to the warm sound of maple.

Although there are some differences between maple and birch shells, it is not as significant as the difference that other factors can cause. Check out the pages below to learn how small changes can make a big difference to your sound:

Drum Heads
Snare Wires
Drum Sticks

Learn the characteristics of maple drums.

Gretsch Drums

Leave Birch Drums and Learn More About Drum Shells .