Project 2

This morning I received a parcel in the post - inside was a new drum head for the project snare/tom. Because I'm turning a tom into a snare I needed to change the bottom head from a regular resonant head (clear) to a snare hazy head. This means the snare wires will resonate properly on the new, thin head and create that loud 'crack' sound. I ordered a Remo Ambassador hazy and here it is.

 Now I'm just waiting on a new bottom hoop and snare wires. The hoop is a 12" 5 lug snare hoop, which means it will have two slits in the metal to allow the snares to pass through. (You can see an example of what I mean here.) As for the snares, they're 12" 16 strand wires. Basically, the more wires you have the more 'snarey' your drum sounds. Bigger drums, like a standard 14" snare, tend to have either 20, 24, or even 42 wires, but because this is a 12" I went for something smaller to fit the drum. Hopefully everything should arrive in the next few days and I can really start making some progress.

Project

A little aside from tips and guides here, but I thought I would share my new project.
I figured it'd be interesting to try and convert an old tom into a snare drum. Not only does this give me a shiny new snare, but it also means I get to learn (and, therefore, you also do) more about how wooden snare drums work.

Snare drums are more commonly made of metal. This tends to give them more of a steel-y crack. However, wooden snare drums are just as good, and offer a slightly warmer tone. I own two metal snares (a cheap budget one and a vintage Premier) and one wooden snare (an old Remo - they don't just do drum heads). I love how the Remo sounds, and wanted a bit more of this sort of thing.

So, with the help of the internet, I tracked down an old Gretsch tom and decided this would be my project.
It arrived today, so here are the 'before' photos.

 Gretsch Catalina Club Tom, 12 x 7 inches, in Silver Sparkle with Black Stripe.

 The tom features the Gretsch Mini GTS suspension system, which suspends the drum by the rims, not by the shell or in a snare stand.

Close up of the badge and sparkly finish.

It came fitted with a well used Evans EC2 SST head.

The tom has a bit of damage - the usual scratches and bumps you'd expect with a drum that's been used for a while - but I aim to replace some of the hardware (the lugs are my main target, and the hoops will have to be changed to allow for snares). I'll also be drilling in holes to mount the snare strainer and butt plate and, if needs be, filing in snare beds. Right now I'm waiting on a Remo Ambassador hazy head, and looking for suitable snare wires and hardware. In between the other posts here about drum kits in general, I'll be updating on the progress of this tom/snare. I hope you enjoy it.