Joshua Tree Percussion

Joshua Tree Percussion

www.jtpercussion.com

 This is for the stave drummers out there. For those who don’t know the difference between a ply shell drum and a stave shell drum, here’s a quick lesson. Ply shell drums are made by glue pieces of veneer together (each piece being a “ply”), so when someone says a 10 ply shell, there are 10 pieces of veneer glued together to make the shell. Stave shells are made by taking pieces of wood and gluing them side by side together as would be done in making a barrel and then turned on a lathe to be made round.  There are pros and cons to both methods but since we’re talking staves in this review I will stick with staves.

Pros

Less glue is involved and is localized to just the edge joints where in a ply shell, the glue has to be spread evenly over the entire surface of the veneer.

There is a WIDE range of wood species that can be used because you’re not limited to what is supplied in veneer (I know, there are A LOT of different veneers out there).

Cons

Really, the only one I can think of at this writing is cost. Stave shells are far more expensive than ply shells.

Ok, class is over.

Joshua Tree Percussion was the first stave shell maker I encountered when I started building drums. I have made five snare drums from their shells and the customers who purchased the drums were elated with their purchases.

JTP shells come in MANY, MANY, MANY different species and they are constantly adding more. AS of this writing, here is what they offer:  Rock Maple, Soft Maple, Red Oak, White Oak, Birch, Beech, Ash, Pecan/Hickory, Phillippine Mahogany, Cherry, Black Walnut, Purpleheart, Yellowheart (Pau Amarillo), Figured Soft Maple, Figured Birch, African Mahogany, Padauk, Bubinga, Birdseye Maple, Jatoba, Wenge, Honduran Mahogany, Lacewood, Peruvian Walnut, Sapele, Zebrawood, Quilted Maple, Jarrah, Cocobolo, Chechen, Bocote, Bloodwood, Cumaru (Brazilian Teak), Teak, Canarywood, Macassar Ebony, Gabon Ebony, Asian Striped Ebony, African Blackwood, and Koa.  The species are categorized by price, with prices ranging from $100 for a 3x13 to $475 for a 7x14. These prices are for raw shells.

Their webpage is very helpful and informative. They even have the Janka Scale (measures the hardness of wood) on their page as well as suggestions to think of while designing your drums. They also carry tube lugs , hoops, throw offs and anything else you need for one stop shopping!

These guys have been around quite a while and make a sound product! Below are the four drums that I have built from their shells.

6x14 Mahogany Stave 

5x14 Oak Stave

7x13 Oak Stave

3x14 Walnut Stave

7x13 Quilted Oak Stave

So if you’re looking for something different, try a stave shell and I suggest Joshua Tree Percussion. There are a lot of different stave shell makers nowadays and most of them are pretty good but JTP has been doing it for a LONG time! They’re the first ones I think of when I do a stave!