Hands on Refinement

OUR SERVICES


NOW OFFERING A SUITE OF SHELL-BUILDING SERVICES BACKED BY OUR SAME GREAT STANDARDS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP, QUALITY AND PRECISION

Nordic services offer a convenient and cost-effective option for our customers, eliminating the middle-man markup and additional shipping from point A to B. Our state-of-the-art services shop and team of specialists provide the same level of quality and attention to detail in our services that you’ve come to expect (and love) in our shells.

Adding on services can be done with just a click of a button. Simply select your desired services while adding a product to your cart in the Nordic Store.

Note: Nordic does not accept custom service requests or offer services on non-Nordic shells.

CUTTING

Cutting a drum shell can be tricky, but simply provide us your preferred depth and let our expert team and state-of-the-art machines do the rest. Our tolerance is 1/16” for cuts.

Services - Cutting
SANDING

For our cost-conscious customers, Nordic shells can be shipped raw (fresh from the presses without any work done to them). Alternatively, we can provide the initial sanding of 150 grit for both the inside and outside of the shell, preparing it as a blank canvas for your next steps.

Note: If installing reinforcement
rings, it’s important to have the inside of the shell sanded. We also recommend
sanding shells at 220 grit before any staining.

Services - Sanding
RING INSTALL

Reinforcement rings are a classic feature. In addition to adding more material for greater bearing edge options, rings also help stiffen the shell, raise the pitch and decrease the sustain, resulting in a dryer sound. Rings are great with thin shells, adding a crispy edge that keeps the drum from sounding too muddy. We offer reinforcement rings of either 6-ply or 8-ply Maple.

Services - Ring Install
BEARING EDGES

The bearing edge is the edge of
the drum shell where the drum head makes contact with the shell. This edge is cut to let the drum head sit evenly against it, providing continuity of sound
around the entire drum. Bearing edges affect how long a drum rings, whether it sounds focused or more “wide,” the “attack” and everything in between. For
example, the more contact there is between the head and the shell, the drier the sound will be. A sharper bearing edge makes less contact with the head,
making a longer sustain.

Services - Bearing Edges
Bearing Edges - STANDARD 45

The most common in modern drums, this edge is cut at a clean, sharp 45-degree angle so that the head makes contact at a single point, close to the collar. This creates a wide surface area that will generally get a deeper tone with a focused, slightly shorter sustain.
- Medium sustain, wide tuning range

Bearing Edges - DOUBLE 45

A double 45-degree bearing edge features two equal cuts at 45 degrees, bringing the apex to the center of the drum shell. This will increase sustain and create an open, dynamic sound while making tuning easier.
- Great sustain, easier tuning

Bearing Edges - 45 ROUNDOVER

A 45-degree straight cut bearing edge on the inside with a roundover counter-cut outside would be only slightly different than a double 45-degree bearing edge. By making the outside edge rounded, it has a little more head contact making for a shorter sustain and more focused fundamental tone. Great option for those who are undecided on modern vs vintage bearing edges.
-Less sustain, medium attack

Bearing Edges - ROUNDOVER

This vintage style of bearing edge eliminates the clear point of contact, creating more contact between the drum head and the drum. The Roundover creates fewer overtones and a shorter sustain, which makes the drum easier to get in-tune, and it focuses the sound closer to the fundamental, which generally means the drum will sound lower and “warmer.”
- Less attack, warmer vintage style

SNARE BED

Snare beds are a critical part of the snare drum shell. The snare bed's function is to let your snare wires sit flat against the resonant head. Gently curved depressions are cut opposite each other in the bottom bearing edge of the drum, parallel to the throw-off and butt plate. The snare bed found on today’s snares is a much more gradual cut, roughly 8 to 9″ in total width and approximately 1/8” deep.

Services - Snare Bed
HOOP EDGE

Our hoops ship to you like our shells, as a raw, uncut item. Depending on the bass drum claw style, you may want one side of your hoop to have a more rounded edge while the other side is flat against the bass drum head, making it easier to finish, right out of the box.

Services - Hoop Edge