articles & reviews

A Look At Lugs
By Greg Gaylord (Music Market June1997)

If we look at the beginning of the modern snare drum, we see basically two types of lugs: single tension thumbrods and the very popular tube lug. Both types of lugs were being used by the major drum companies of the era.

Thumbrods tensioned both the top and the bottom head simultaneously. Because the rods were not attached to the shell at any point, the result was equal tension on both the top and bottom heads. Not a desirable tuning technique by today's standards.

The second type of lug, the tube lug, is still popular for two reasons: minimum lug to shell contact allowing the drum shell to resonate more freely and secondly they are made of brass, the most desirable metal used on drums because of it's vibrational characteristics.

Tube lugs are still popular for two reasons: minimum lug/shell contact allowing the drum shell to resonate more freely, and they are made of brass, the most desirable metal used on drums because of its vibrational sound characteristics.

Tube lugs, because they are attached to the shell, allow for separate tensioning of the two heads. This means that the top head could be tighter or looser than the bottom head, creating a wider tuning range for the drum than that permitted by thumbrods. The disadvantage of tube lugs is that they can be cross threaded (misalignment between the tension rod and the threads inside the lug, which would strip the threads) if the user is not careful. I have never done this, but I have seen all too many lugs no longer useable because of cross threading. If the tube lug is properly made, lubricated, and the user is not careless, cross threading should not be an issue.

Leedy innovation
The Leedy Drum Company had been creating quality percussion instruments since the turn of the century. In the early 1920's, Leedy introduced the first lug to incorporate the swivel nut, or "self aligning" lug design. This allowed the nut portion to move around and align itself to the tension rod, preventing cross threading.

Around 1930, Leedy was again setting the standard when they introduced the "X Lug", the first spring loaded swivel nut lug. This was the first time Leedy used a cast lug instead of stamped lugs.

Many of the die cast lugs manufactured today no longer contains springs to hold the swivel nut in place. The springs vibrate along with the shell when the head is struck, creating a tambourine like sound that can be picked up by microphones. To avoid this annoyance, many drummers would remove all the lugs from the drum and pack them wit foam, cotton or similar material. This is routine when restoring an older drum.

Cast lugs with spring loaded swivel nut are still manufactured today, as can be seen in the DW "turret" lugs.

Instead of a spring, some of the die cast lugs now utilize a rubber or nylon bushing to prevent the swivel nut from falling too far inside the lug. This eliminates spring rattle, but it a tension rod becomes loose, both the rod and the swivel nut begin to rattle. This rattle is not only obvious to the naked ear, but is extremely annoying.

Because cast lugs are made of pot metal the overtones produced by the lugs when the head is struck are not as pleasant as those produced by brass lugs. If you pick up a cast lug and strike it with your finger, you will hear sound that is different than the one produced by tapping a brass lug. The cast lugs ring much more, and I find the sound to be one that I just don't like.

Cast lugs also have the disadvantage of being a hollow air space which vibrates when the drum is struck. This is another reason for packing cast lugs, although I challenge anyone who says they can tell the difference between the sound of the packed and non packed lugs under anything less than an ideal studio situation with sensitive microphones.

Other Popular Designs
Other lug designs have become popular recently, which have been based on designs from early lugs. The single post brass lugs being used today show similarities between those used by Ludwig on it's "Silver Anniversary" casings in that the tension rod screws directly into the lug, and to other early lugs like tube lugs in that they are "low mass" in regard to the amount of shell/lug contact.

The Ludwig casings were easily Crossthreaded and many were stripped of their threads because the casings were made of "pot metal." Pot metal is used for castings, but not durable when tapping directly into it.

Today, single post designs are mostly made of brass, providing low mass mounting and better resonance than the older Ludwigstyle casings. But like tube lugs, caution must be used to avoid cross threading.

Similar to the single post lug is the single post with tube. This type of design can be seen on some Noble & Cooley snare drums, on PJL drums and will soon be available from Mapleworks U.S.A. on snare drums and sets.

Full circle
It seems that even in the evolution of drums, what is old is once again new. The market is swinging to a focus on quality instead of price (at least in regards to lugs). The drum companies are no longer solely focused on cutting costs at the expense of the drummer.

Keller and jasper are now supplying American drum companies with multiple ply shells of higher quality than at any other time in drum history. Glen Paquette at Suraya is manufacturing the once again popular 1 ply and segment shells from any type of

wood, and DW's Johnny Craviotto is also creating I ply shells in Maple, Cherry, Oak and Walnut (check out the review of these snare drums in the May 1996, Modem Drummer.)

Many custom drum builders are offering the more costly solid brass lugs instead of a made in Taiwan cast lug that costs less than 50 cents to produce. Brass lugs cost more, but I believe the upgrade from cast lugs to brass is worth it, for both sound quality and cosmetics. I wouldn't recommend it for the beginner because of the added cost, but anyone who intends to play out should at least consider the option, and if you intend to record at any time then I think you'll find the upgrade to brass lugs worth the extra money.

I recently sold ten vintage style tube lugs to Mapleworks U.S.A. The owner, John Davis, wanted to try brass instead of the die cast lugs he has been using. I received a call from John last week after he had completed the snare drum. He is now convinced that brass can improve the sound of a drum. John has had several drum stores try to buy the maple snare drum from him, but he, says he is keeping it for himself because it is the best sounding snare drum he has heard.

John is typical of the response to using brass lugs instead of cast lugs. It is worth your time to check out a drum that uses brass and even if you decide not to go with brass lugs' at least you will be confident in your choice.

I am happy to see the return of the tube lug. Although its return is no longer headline news, drum companies are still taking advantage of its popularity. An example of this is the release of Pearl's 50th Anniversary 1 ply snare drum with its brass tube lug, separate hoop clips and engraved hoops.

I believe that part of the resurgence in the popularity of tube lugs is due to the market demand for "vintage" drums. Drummers are seeking a particular sound and look that is only available in vintage or custom drums.