Hello, My name is Mike, I design and hand build custom hi end drums and drum kits. I do not use ply wood in my shells I only use hi quality kiln dried hardwoods like Maple,Birch,Walnut,and some imported species like Purpleheart,Sappelle,Teak, Mahogany,and many others . This results in drums that have volume ,tone, and projection, that mass produced factory drums can't match.