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Drum Repair Tips For New Orleans Musicians: On-The-Go Lug Casing Repair

Many times, breakdowns and accidents occur on gigs that can stop the whole show immediately. A bit of preparation and ingenuity can go a long way. One increasingly common occurrence is a lug casing that breaks. As some types of music have become more and more aggressive, the components of the drums are placed under a lot of stress. This is particularly true of snare drums, since they take the brunt of the heavy hitting.

One great back up part to carry among your repair items is a simple turnbuckle. This can be found in several different sizes at any decent hardware store. It resembles an elongated metal oval with screw threads on each end, into which two opposing screw eyes are screwed. They are commonly used to tighten guy wires.

If a casing breaks, remove one of the heads and unscrew the broken casing. You may need a phillips or flat head screwdriver or a socket wrench, depending on the drum. You should always carry the appropriate tool for this. Once the casing and tension rods are removed, replace the head and apply hand tension to all of the remaining t rods, then unscrew the two screw eyes on the turnbuckle. Put the turnbuckle body in the empty space left from the casing, and run the two screw eyes through the holes on the top and bottom hoops. Screw the screw eyes into the turnbuckle body, and tighten them evenly by hand until they catch.

Now the big trick. Turning the turnbuckle body clockwise will tighten the screw eyes evenly, so while tuning the rest of the head conventionally, use this method to tune at this spot. You should be able to get a pretty decent sound, and it's a durable fix until you can replace the casing.

For more information on drum repairs for New Orleans drummers, contact us or visit our Kenner location today!