GMS drums are made up of select 8-ply North American Maple. We do not graduate the thickness of the shell as the diameter gets larger. Through extensive research, we've decided that 8-ply shells performed best all around the kit. Thinner shells (without reinforcement rings) have a tendency to be too thin to handle the vibrations in all dynamic situations. They can distort at higher volume levels, and also are weak, because of the thinness of the body. Some companies use thin shells in conjunction with reinforcement hoops, to stabilize the shell. Reinforcement hoops give a shell thicker tops and bottoms. The result is that the thicker edges resonate at different frequencies than the body of the shell. Through our testing, we found that we prefer the resonance of the straight shell, where the whole shell resonates as one. We've found that the 8-ply shell offered all the properties we were looking for: thin enough for wide tonal ranges; strong enough to not need reinforcement hoops, but not too thick to raise the frequency to a higher pitch. If the shell is too thick, you raise the pitch (just as thicker cymbals have a higher pitch). So, if you make your floor toms and bass drum thicker, and you raise the pitch of the shell.Also, all GMS 8ply maple shells are cross laminated for strength. We use a staggered seam constuction so none of the ply seams line up on each other. This produces the best shell available today.
