How is the construction of our Myrtlewood Solid Shell Drum unique?
Myrtle trees must be cut between November and March when the sap is not flowing. Once the myrtle log is brought into the sawmill it is cut into rounds. Each ‘wet’ round is then roughed to the shape of the finished shell leaving 1-inch thick walls. This speeds up the drying process and helps to prevent checking and warping. Temperature and humidity are carefully controlled for many months in a dry kiln. All shells are brought slowly down to a low moisture content. Even with these preventative measures, a number of the pieces will be lost in this process. —> After the wood is dry it is prepared so that it will fit flush with the equipment that is used to turn it into a shell. This is done with a proprietary process that takes over an hour per shell. The shell then goes to the sander where it is painstakingly taken through a series of grades. Finally, the shell is brought down to it’s finished height. The shell spends several hours in the hands of a musician with the tools and skills ne
