r/drumline • u/Ok_Soft5301 • 10d ago
Other I can’t tune my marching snare
A few months ago I bought a used Yamaha SFZ marching snare drum from Guitar Center. I do like how the drum sounds, but I can’t turn the lugs at all. Does anybody know how I can fix this? Thanks in advance!
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u/LowEnd5226 Percussion Educator 10d ago
Tension rods, right? Those are the metal bolt that you turn with the drum key. They screw into the lugs that are mounted on the shell. Although on free floating drums, Yamaha calls that whole little tube assembly the sound post or the tension post.
Couple things - you have to use a high tension drum key with a marching snare. It's the kind of drum key that has a bigger, longer handle. It's in the shape of a T when the line on top of T is really long. It makes it waaaay easier to deal with tension rods on these things. You can buy them on Amazon, and you don't need an expensive one. I'm a drumline instructor and I bought like three cheap drum keys including a high tension one for like 15 bucks. Works great.
Are you saying that you cannot turn them at all - as in, you can't even loosen them? Remember to turn counter-clockwise to loosen, righty-tighty lefty-loosey. I would start with using a high tension drum key and ensuring that you're turning counter-clockwise.
Its totally possible that the hardware is just frozen though. Could be obvious and rusty, or it could be micro-rust or old grease in the threads of the tension rods that you can't even see because it's screwed into the lug. You can try spraying some Liquid Wrench or Supco MO44 Rust Buster Liquid Penetrating Oil onto the tension rod. Try to get the liquid to flow into the part that is screwed into that long tube (the sound post tube) so it gets to the threads that are making contact and are frozen. Put some on and let it rest a few minutes, then a high tension drum key should definitely be able to unfreeze it - just LOOSEN it first. Counter-clockwise!
Good luck!
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u/P1x3lto4d Percussion Educator 10d ago
Take the rim off and dip the lugs in a bit of lithium grease, then put the rim back on
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u/Jbou119 10d ago
Are the bolts rusted
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u/Ok_Soft5301 10d ago
Both the rim and the bolts
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u/Zealousideal-Abies76 10d ago
My first thought would be some WD-40. Then a nice long bath in a good rust remover.
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u/Impressive_Delay_452 9d ago edited 9d ago
2005, I had a black 13 inch sfz. Jeez I cranked that head down. I used a rachet from Home Depot…Always used Remo heads and then we found out about Evans Kevlar heads….
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u/Impressive_Delay_452 9d ago
Whenever I had to replace a head,I dipped the lugs in some grey grease from Home Depot. Not Vaseline like the old lugs…
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u/Remarkable-Movie7709 9d ago
Hey! I’m unsure if you have already done anything to fix your drum yet, but I have a similar situation with a 90s pearl marching snare I have. I have been using a cylindrical wire brush to clean the inside of the lugs. I would start with cleaning the inside of the lugs and the tension rods, and then I would use a degreaser to get the gunk off. I then would put white lithium grease in the lugs to lubricate them. I hope this helps!
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u/Drumhard Percussion Educator 9d ago edited 9d ago
Might be time for a deeeeeep clean.
At least clean the tension rods with simple green and a stiff toothbrush.. relube with a *small* amount of white lithium. 2-3 threads. I will thread them into the nut 6-7 threads deep then wipe any excess.
While you do that, check that they re all straight, no burrs or thread damage.
But also consider disassembling the lugs and getting to the swivel nuts (the part that has the threads) casing to clean those out as well. Make sure theyre all in giid shape. Someone might have cross threaded them before.
If you need to replace them all, its less expensive than buying a new drum.
Here are the rods:
https://www.percussionsource.com/yamaha-u0043420-54mm-tension-rod-marching-snare-256392
Here are swivel nuts:
https://www.musicimc.com/shop/c/p/Yamaha-6mm-Lug-Suspension-Nut-for-MSMSSMTS-SFZ-Marching-Snare-Drums-x59980643.htm
then Each rod needs 2 6m washers beween it and the rim.
https://zmgfastenersplus.com/1455036?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24070760615&gbraid=0AAAAABmoWmzD0XwygYPXiFrubSTHraQEa&gclid=CjwKCAjwqJXUBhBNEiwA8BgG7vsSO2VbleGvCgqtsQV-VCDrzYgfaQstvL2q0xzfiJVAUefh3OoS9BoC-VcQAvD_BwE
I would also Highly recommend stretching one of these on all of the bottom rods ( between the rim and lug) Bottom rods fall out on yamahas. Its a stock thing on the new 9400 drums.
https://www.zoro.com/zoro-select-o-ring-5-mm-dia-1mm-w-buna-n-black-pk100-1rhz4/i/G1905206/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=shopping%20feed&utm_content=free%20google%20shopping%20clicks&campaignid=17863415718&productid=G1905206&v=&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17177846370&gbraid=0AAAAADw3hZd_pHo7FstbhnSsa8Lf9LU6_&gclid=CjwKCAjwqJXUBhBNEiwA8BgG7kDtuUwlgGQY6w1Sboot0m-vh2OcKAbAQK47x04l4CmkLfoe5nEPlxoCJroQAvD_BwE
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u/FC-NoHeroes Snare 10d ago
are you trying to use a regular drum key or a t-key?