Aquarian On-head Modification - Feasible?

[csnow]

I am thinking about attempting a shell modification for the Aquarian on-heads. The on-head sits above the rim about an inch which I don't mind but it looks a little quirky. I was thinking of possibly adding a couple of L-brackets inside the shell to bring the head lower. I would have to cut the mylar head away to only leave the metal ridge so the rim can mount. I would also have to drill another hole for the wire of the pad. Do you guys remove the wrap and then countersink the screws and fill with bondo then rewrap or just leave the screws on the exterior? What say you? Should I go for it?

[csnow]

I took the rim off and its not feasible. The base of the pad it too wide to fit inside the bearing edge. The wire that comes off the pad is at the base so you cant trim off any of the material without potentially damaging the pad. Oh well.....

[chain]

How are these pads working for you? Are they good? How is the feel? And stick noise?

[fulrmr(Daniel)]

Hmmm...interesting query. May have to get one and experiment....the height thing is something that was instantly unappealing to me.

[perceval]

If the onHead FSR is anything like any other FSR available, the wire coming out of one side would not be running around the base of the pad. So you may be able to trim the base, but leaving the wire tab.



Cutting a Mylar head and leaving the rim might not work, as there wouldn't be any tension to keep the rim in place. Perhaps a cake pan that is just the right depth to keep the onHead at the right height? I admit it might be hard to find...

[fulrmr(Daniel)]

I think they make 1" cake pans. This make work.....but you will still have to have a hoop for the rim to grab to keep the look and play rim shots.

[bwilburn79]

I've not seen an Onhead in person but I got my first look at the Inhead this past weekend. It seemed to me you could cut away the hoop, retaining a flat mylar disc with the FSR intact. Then you could sandwich the disc between layers of foam in something like a Fat Daddio's 1.5" pie pan and make a nice drop in. Then you could use a standard mesh head and have a nice quiet trigger pad.

[hairmetal-81]

It confuses me that there's 1" and 1.5" cake pans... Are we talking about diameters?

[bwilburn79]

No HM, we're referring to the depth. Fat Daddio's makes both "Cake" and "Pie" pans. There is a difference in design. Cake pans feature straight sides and Pie pans have angled sides. The Cake pans come in a broader range of diameters and depths. The Pie pans are only available in 1.5" depth and the diameters 9", 10" 11", and 12" I believe. I typically build 10" and 12" diameter pads and I really enjoy using the Pie pans for my drop ins because you buy the same diameter Pie pan as your shell (ie 10" pie pan for 10" drum shell) and the pan doesn't interfere with any hardware on the inside of the shell due to the angled sides.

*** To avoid further confusion, you buy "Cake" pans in a diameter that is 1" less than the shell it's going into (ie. 9" cake pan for a 10" shell) ***

[fulrmr(Daniel)]

Yep....bwilburn79 is correct. I use the Fat Daddio's cake pans in the 2" depth for my builds as it supports my Quartz trigger builds very well and was the foundation of the pan builds from the beginning. 3 or 4" would be nice for reflection plates as you could stack many nice layers of foam in them at that depth....and 1" may be just enough to hold something like the OnHead if the diameter issue could be solved. Also the cheese cake pans would be a nice base for a side mount build because the whole bottom can be removed leaving only a ring. IMO this would be nice for consistent rim triggering around the rim like the cake pans but would most likely eliminate the acoustic overtones(ring) from the pan bottom that can come with most pan builds. I have yet to try the cheese cake pans...but they are on the list.

[hairmetal-81]

Thanks very much for the clarification, guys!
You've got my creative juices flowing, that's for sure...!

[csnow]

I am going to contact Aquarian and ask them how much I can cut away safely. If I can get these trimmed and mounted, it could really open up possibilities for the community.

[hairmetal-81]

Does a 12" Onhead fit inside a 13" or 14" tom?
As long as it fits inside ( i.e. one is using 'undersized' Onheads, in effect) then you could still pursue the L-bracket idea.


HTH

[csnow]

You going to explain to my wife why I need yet another drum set? I hope you have a spare room at your pad for me to stay.

[bwilburn79]

To HM's point, you should steal an OnHead from one of your smaller toms to try in a larger one as a proof of concept experiment. Aquarian needs to pair the "New Bounce" playing surface with the InHead design to offer a quiet, aesthetically pleasing, drum head option.

[Drum]

What about useing an inhead with a remo full foam muffl installed under neath?

[fulrmr(Daniel)]

What about useing an inhead with a remo full foam muffl installed under neath?

I've used these with regular acoustic heads....it sounds like you're slapping a cardboard box with fly swatter.

[Drum]

More ideas, What about Wooden hoops to the right thickness,or removing the hoop from a head or a couple heads and stacking them on to the installed head to shim the rim up?