At the heart of every drum is the process with which the shell is made. This factor more than any other determines its overall sound and tonal characteristics. Pearl’s patented Heat Compression Shell Molding Process, used in the manufacture of all Pearl drums, produces the finest drums shells available today.





Wood Selection
Hand-selected premium hardwoods are sourced from world-wide suppliers, including rock maple from North America.
The wood is cured then laminated into sheets consisting of 2 cross laminated plys.
These sheets are cut to size then shipped to the factory.
At the factory, the wood is inspected. Sheets not meeting Pearl’s demanding quality standards are rejected.

Wood Preparation
Each shell ply (a previously cross laminated sheet) is precisely cut to length.
The length of each ply must be exact to assure perfectly gap-less shells.



Scarf Joints
Scarf Joints are cut.
Wedge-shaped cuts allow the plies to overlap when joined.
Scarf joined seams are bonded over greater surface than butted seams for superior strength.
Scarf joined seams are gap-less thus allowing the shells to vibrate uniformly for superb tone and resonance.
Pearl is the only drum manufacturer in the world using Scarf Joints.

Adhesive
Adhesive is applied to each ply.
Adhesives are specially formulated to harden to the same density of the wood it is bonding. This makes the shells react as if they are made from a single ply of wood for purity of tone and superb resonance.

Staggered Seams
Each seam is backed by an adjacent ply (not another seam) for superior shell strength.

Heat
The molds are heated to 100°C which literally boils the adhesive and allows it to flow into the pores of the wood.
This permits the adhesive to be thoroughly absorbed into the wood for superior strength and shell integrity.
The adhesive prevents moisture from entering the shell thus making the shell stable in virtually all temperature and humidity conditions.