shell thickness

i'm currently looking to upgrade my kit. at www.drummaker.com i see that i can buy keller shells for a reasonable price. however, as i've never done this before, i was wondering if anyone could tell me the difference between a six ply and an eight ply shell. is one louder than another? does one have a sharper decay? what are the primary applications of each (ie is one better suited to rock and one better suited to jazz)? etc? i appreciate any feedback.

Hey There - Andy from DrumMaker.com here - typically the 6ply make great toms and the 8ply are great for Bass Drums (giving a bit more support for the larger diamter). also 8 or 10ply make nice snare drums.

The 6ply are thin but so thin that they NEED reinforcement rings to stay in round.

Just remember when you increase the ply you are adding more mass - thus slightly raising the pitch of a drum - that is why guys love the super thick snare drum shells - for the extra high end crack.

try digging around at our drum builder's forum - lot of help and knowledge there: