Does anyone know why most drum kits offered are made of maple wood? Is it a certain tone, or is it that the wood can be easily curved to make the shells? Anyone know the real answer?

Nikki, I think most manufacturers use maple because of the warm balanced tone it provides, however there may be other reasons. You may want to check one of the various drum buying guides out there (we have one on this site), but also just do a search on Google and you should get plenty of guides to review.

I wondered that too. They make dulcimers out of a total range of different woods. I've got two, one out of chestnut and one out of maple. They both have different tones and I use each for certain songs. There are some songs that one plays better than the other.

The type of wood definitely has a large influence on the tones produced by any given instrument. My guitar has a spruce top which seasoned into a wonderful range of tones but is completely different from instruments made from different woods.

The type of wood used in manufacturing makes a big difference in a lot of different instruments. I personally prefer the sound that resonates from maple instruments.

A number of woods such as basswood, birch, falkata, African mahogany, luaan, beech, Philippine mahogany, and so on are used to make drums. Maple is not the only type of wood for drums. Of course, wood has a lot to do with how the drum sounds, but it isn't the only factor responsible for the quality of the sound. Many drummers report that maple produces a warm-sounding effect, with an even tone.

I never knew how woods could affect the tone of the drums. Maybe that's the only reason why drums are also expensive... Because the manufacturer still has to get the good wood from all over the world just to create drums.

Also, savvyeyty, the more a wood is aged already, the more expensive it is.

Maple is the most widely used due to the fact it has the clearest resonant response to impact, with using minimal wood ply's. A lot of drum set manufacturers will use a Maple - Birch ply combination which results in a more dominate sound, but you lose the warmth and tonal qualities of a single wood construction. Maple is also one of the widest produced kit's because of it's tonal qualities in a single wood construction. Some may have multiple ply's which makes it more expensive, but it really depends on the sound that you wish to contribute to the group your with. I play a lot of different genres so I decided to go with an African Waterfall Bubinga kit. I kinda rambled and got off topic but...I hope you find something useful in this post.

This is a great topic, why only certain types of wood are chosen when building drum shells.
I was doing some research and found this:

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As you know, there are many types of trees, each producing a different kind of wood. Some is suitable for shell construction, others aren't. So what make it suitable? Here a several key reasons:

1. The tree chosen for a wood source must be in great supply, which makes it affordable.

2. The wood must be workable. This means it can be shaved for laminates and then molded to form the round shape of a drum.

3. It should be attractive. This applies mostly to higher quality drums which will have a clear coated finish. Cheaper drums are usually wrapped.

4. Woods that will have a clear coat finish should stain well, showing off the beauty of the grain pattern.

Woods used in cheap drum sets (such as eucalyptus, bass wood, & tulipwood) tend to be in great supply and are very workable, but don't finish well. This is why they are wrapped with some type of solid or patterned plastic.

A trick some companies use it to add an outer layer of higher quality wood such a maple or birch for staining. Be sure that the drums aren't sold as "all" maple or birch.

Popular woods used in semi-professional to professional drum shells include maple, birch, and mahogany. Each wood type gives the drum a different sound due to the "character" of the wood.

And here is why maple, birch, and mahogany are the chosen ones when manufacturing professional drum shells:

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Starting with mahogany, it's the softest of the three. Mahogany's sofness gives it the lowest tone of the group. You can expect good bottom end punch with this wood.


Keep in mind that the mahogany discussed here is of high quality (i.e. African Mahogany). Many cheap drum sets are made with the cheaper mahogany that is commonly found on hollow doors. The price is less but the tone suffers.


Maple falls in the middle when it comes to both hardness and tone. The pitch is higher than mahogany's, yet it is considered "warm" when compared to birch.


Maple is very popular among many drum makers and drummers alike. Keller Drum Shells has been key to the mainstream popularity of maples shells. The great tonal range, natural beauty, and large supply should keep it on the "most popular" list for years to come.


The final wood to consider is Birch. Since it is the hardest of the group, birch has the brightest sound. It is also very attractive with a nice staining wood grain. The volume you can achieve with birch makes it a pick for drummers in live settings (who like it LOUD!)