DrumDial Precision Drum Tuner

Because it works silently, it is useful wherever you can't hear a drum properly: a noisy changeover, a line check with the PA running, or a rehearsal room next to a loud band. It tunes snare drums, rack toms, bass drums and timpani, and as a mechanical dial it has no batteries to run flat.

How to use it

• Seat the head evenly and finger-tighten the lugs first. A used head that has not been tuned with a DrumDial before should be loosened to finger-tight, then brought back up using the tuner
• Check the zero: unlock the bezel on a flat glass surface, turn it so the large needle sits on zero, then re-lock. It is zeroed at the factory but may need re-zeroing with daily use
• Clip on the Edge Gage so the base sits about ¾ inch from the rim, directly in front of a lug, with the drum fairly level
• Lower the tip slowly until the full weight of the tuner is on the head, take your hand away and read the large needle (the small needle is not used for tuning)
• Find the lug with the highest reading and bring the others up to match, a little at a time
• When loosening a lug, lift the tuner and set it down again before you read it; this is not needed when tightening

DrumDial says most drums sit at about 75 on the top head and 74 on the bottom (resonant) head, with snares tighter at about 85 and 82 and bass drums a little looser at 70 to 72. Treat those as starting points and adjust to suit your drums.

What you get

• DrumDial tuner with locking bezel and movable locators for marking your tuning range
• DrumDial Edge Gage
• Lug back for easier handling
• Soft foam-lined box

Specifications

• Model: DrumDial analogue drum tuner
• Measures: head (timpanic) pressure, not tension rod torque
• Construction: all-metal case, solid steel base
• Power: none needed
• Made in: USA
• Care: keep it in its box and keep pressure off the tuning tip when it is not in use; the top cap screw is not used for calibration, so leave it tight