Kumu Drums, handmade Finnish drums

Truly handmade drums

All Kumu drums and wood hoops are made in Hämeenlinna, in our own molds, using special tools designed/made by us or made for us. Also the finishes and finishing touches are done in our own shop. This separates Kumu from the majority of custom manufacturers who get the shells and parts from different sources and assemble finished drums out of these components.

Kumu lugs are also of our own design and nowadays they’re made for us by a subcontractor. Your own lug model is rare in custom drums, usually companies settle for the most common models available.

All the other metal parts (eg. bass drum and floor tom legs, steel hoops, tom brackets) come directly from the manufacturers and are the very best in quality.

Kumu drums are made of 100% Finnish birch

One of the most esteemed woods in drum-making is Finnish birch, whose sound characteristics and beauty are in a league of its own. All Kumu drumshells and wood hoops are made of 100% Finnish birch.

How shell structure affects the sound

Drum sound starts with the shell. Of course, drumheads, bearing edges and other factors have an effect, but it all begins with the shell. The density and, on the other hand, the stiffness of the drumshell have a major role in the birth of the sound. Too stiff a shell, made of many thin plies easily makes the drum sound harsh and hollow. That’s why Kumu plies are thicker, at least 1 mm.

The density of Finnish birch is optimal in order to produce a full sound. It’s appropriately tough and dense, suitable in weight and very beautiful, too.

Laminated shell

A laminated drumshell - made by glueing wood plies together - is by far the most durable. By using this method it’s possible to make a very thin and sensitive drum, which can take heavy usage and changes in climate without any problems. Therefore, all Kumu drums are made by laminating, in our own molds and using our own working methods.

Usually drums with thicker shells have many thin plies, resulting in a very stiff shell which is soundwise quite one-dimensional. The thickest Kumu 99 shell, however, only has 9 plies so the drum still sounds lively and full.

You can choose the shells of your set from these four options:

Kumu Original is the shell that built Kumu’s reputation, it’s probably the thinnest drumshell in the drum world. On the toms the shell thickness is 3.8 mm / 4 ply + thin 1.8 mm SoulRing reinforcement bands. The snares have the same 3.8 mm / 4 ply shells + SoulRings (top 3.8 mm, bottom 1.8 mm) and the bass drums are 5.5 mm / 5 ply + SoulRings.

The fundamental pitch for the Kumu Original shells is very low, with great sensitivity and warmth.

Kumu 66 is a 6 mm / 6 ply shell without reinforcement hoops and these shells are available for toms and snare drums. Kumu 66 has a full sound with great attack, with a slightly higher fundamental pitch than in the Originals.

Kumu 77 is 7 mm / 7 ply, it’s a strong-sounding all around kick drum shell without reinforcement hoops.

Kumu 99 is 9 mm / 9 ply without reinforcement hoops. This thick and heavy shell is available for all drums. The thicker shell requires more energy when played and produces a lot of power in return.

Wood hoops, steel hoops, what’s the difference?

Wood hoops bring more woody character into the sound: warmth, openness, resonance and amazing rimshots and rimclicks. Also, many think they look really gorgeous... You can choose from two wood hoop models:

ClassicWoodHoop is a traditional, thinner model with hoop tension claws. They work great on toms at any kind of tuning, on snares they’re at their best at low or medium tensions.

SuperWoodHoop is a thicker model, with the tuning rods going through the hoop. In addition to toms, they are at their best on snare drums, at any tension - on supertight snares, too.

Steel PowerHoop is a 2.3 mm steel hoop, which is the most common hoop model. It’s a safe choice and always works well, giving a lively, clear, strong sound. It suits all kinds of toms and snares.

Die Cast is a die-cast hoop, which is available for 14” Kumu 66 and Kumu 99 snare drums. Die-cast hoops are very rigid and stiff so they ”dry out” the sound and change the feel of the drum, giving more attack and snap to it.

Kumu snare drums

You can choose the shell thickness of your snare from three options: Original, 66 and 99. The hoop choices are Steel PowerHoop (2.3 mm steel hoop), SuperWoodHoop, ClassicWoodHoop and also Die Cast die-cast hoop for 66 and 99 shells.

You can choose 14”, 13”, 12” or 10” for the diameter of the snare, the depth of the drum is up to you, for instance, to a quarter of an inch.

A Kumu snare speciality is FreeFrame, whose structure is unique: the top and bottom halves of the shell squeeze against a bridge section in the middle, the tuning lugs and snare mechanism are attached to the bridge and the interior of the drum is totally smooth without any holes or screws.

Kumu toms

For toms, there are the same three shell options as for snares, Original, 66 and 99. The hoop choices are Steel PowerHoop (2.3 mm steel hoop), SuperWoodHoop and ClassicWoodHoop.

Available tom diameters are 6”, 8”, 10”, 12”, 13”, 14”, 15”, 16” and 18”. The depth is up to you, just like with all Kumu drums.

Rack tom prices include Kumurim suspension mount, which ensures a clear, open sound for the drums. The Kumurim side plates stylishly match the drum in color. Floor tom legs feature resonance-enhancing air-suspension rubber feet.

Kumu bass drums

Also the bass drums come with three shell options: Original, 77 and 99.

The diameters are 14”, 15”, 16”, 18”, 20”, 22”, 24”, 26” and 28”. And again, the depth is your choice. I wonder if any other manufacturer has this many bass drum size options?

The bass drum SideHole that we’ve developed has many advantages: the solid front head brings out a lot more volume, looks good and miking the drum is very easy through the hole. Whether to have a SideHole on your kick is up to you - currently almost all of our bass drums are made with SideHoles as they’ve proved out to be such a functional feature.

Colors

When it comes to the color of Kumu drums, it’s your call. Special finishes like patterns or combinations of several colors are possible, too. Fades and bursts are done without any extra costs. The Drum Sets and Snares sections have examples of various finishing options and you can also see coloring models done on real wood here in Hämeenlinna.

Finishes

You can choose the finish of your set from three options:

SatinSound is a low-gloss satin wax finish, a dignified and subdued choice. It’s very durable and maintenance-free, too.

GlossTone is a high-gloss lacquer finish, which brings out the depth of the colors beautifully. The surface of the drum gets a stain-resistant wax coating in the end.

Wrap is the classic drum finish, very durable and gig-friendly, and we have plenty of patterns to choose from.

Kumu D-lugs

The unique Kumu lugs feature chromed solid steel. Their structure ensures the best possible resonance for the drums as they are attached to the shell with as small a ”foot print” as possible. Moreover, the solid long lug evens out the stress caused by the tuning rods, allowing the drum to produce as open and healthy a sound as possible.

The D-lug has a piquant little detail, a wood slip matching the color of the drum.

Bearing edges

The bearing edge plays a very important role in creating the drum sound. It can be compared to, for instance, a bridge on a violin or guitar: the clarity of the sound and ease of tuning greatly depend on the correct and even shape of the edge (and the bridge).

The standard Kumu bearing edge is 45 degrees on the inside and a slightly rounded 45 degrees on the outside. In addition, the shoulder of the edge is narrower on smaller drums and wider on the larger ones. This ensures the best and most characteristic sound for each drum.

All the bearing edges are sanded down a number of times by hand and finished with an oil treatment.