Nest My Drums

Brownie Drum Co. offers nesting drum services for the drums you already own. If you love your current kit and would greatly benefit from them being more compact and portable, a nesting conversion may be your answer. Not every drum set is an ideal candidate to nest. Below you will find important information and considerations to help make your decision.

Ludwig Drum Set Modified into a Nesting Drum Set with custom gold sparkle finish

What is Included?

Converting your shells into a nesting set includes:

  • Precisely cutting each shell
  • Installing a 'coupling reinforcing ring' in one shell half
  • Installing Penn-Elcom latches (x4) on each shell
  • Provide 'protective cushions' for each shell to prevent damage during transport

To learn more about our nesting process and materials used, please visit our Brownie Nesting Drums page.

Will My Drums Nest? 

-The General Rule: Each drum shell must have at least 3 inches (ideally 4 inches) difference in shell diameter to nest. For example, a shell configuration with a 10" rack tom, 14" floor tom and 18" bass drum should nest perfectly fine. A configuration of 12"-14"-18" would not be possible to nest all three shells. 

-Shell Depth Rule: In order to nest properly, there must be at least 1 inch difference in the shell depth. For example, a 14x14 floor tom will not nest properly in an 18x14 kick drum. In this case, the 14x14 floor tom would need to be modified to a 14x13. If your shell depths need to be shortened to make nesting possible, this is a service we offer. 

-Hardware Considerations: With certain shell configurations and your particular brand of drums, certain hardware may need to be modified to nest your shells properly. For example, your shell diameters and depths may meet all size requirements, but your floor tom leg brackets (or rack tom mount) may have a profile design that will prevent nesting. These issues can be resolved by simply replacing or modifying the hardware to a lower profile. 

To verify if your shells nest: Remove the batter side heads from each shell and attempt to nest them in one another. Doing so will clearly show what may be preventing nesting. 

How Much Will it Weigh?

One of the most important considerations is the total weight of your kit once it is nested. The entire premise of nesting drums is for convenience and portability. If your shells have a lot of mass in combination with heavy hardware, your kit may be too heavy to manage once nested. The gold sparkle Ludwig set pictured on this page was a total of 65lbs once nested in its case (not including the snare drum). Compare this to the heaviest Brownie Nesting Club Kit, with shell sizes 12x8 - 16x15 - 20x16, only weighing 42lbs. 

To gauge the weight of your kit: A simple method of gauging the overall weight of your shells (if you cannot weigh them with a scale) is to stack your shells like a birthday cake. Without injuring yourself, grasp the kick drum and lift the stack off the ground. If lifting the stack was impossible or nearly impossible, then your shells are likely not a good candidate to nest. 

*Our experience shows that a total weight of approximately 65lbs or less is manageable and nest worthy, but obviously the least amount of weight is the best route. 

Drum set modified into a nesting drum set with latches for convenient portability

Shell Depth Resizing

Resizing shell depths are common (but not always necessary) when nesting a drum set. Shells can be easily shortened during the nesting process and this is a service we offer. If you are contemplating converting a set into a compact nesting set, this would be an ideal time to consider reducing your bass drum or tom depths. We offer all of these options with our nesting services to ultimately produce the most convenient and portable kit possible. 

Shipping Tips

If you are sending us your shells for service, the most affordable and safest method:

  • Remove all hardware (lugs, brackets, spurs etc) from your shells
  • Nest your shells in one large box
  • Tightly pack material in the spaces between each shell to prevent movement
  • Provide 1 tom lug and 1 bass drum lug in the shipment

This method will drastically reduce the overall weight of the box, protect your shells from potential damage and will be the most cost effective.