Pearl Snare Drum Press-Fit Air Vent Removal and Installation

I always wanted to understand how Pearl engineered their air vents for many of their past and current drums. Some people have assumed the vents were screwed in, and even damaged them while trying to unscrew them.
It turns out that this type of vent is pressed in, and can be removed and reinstalled rather easily. Watch the video to see how the procedure is done.
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[@michaellee8873]

Well done Matt, if I ever need to change one I know where to look! And I'll admit, over the years in my construction job I have damaged grommets thinking they were screwed in not pressed in!

[@flacche]

Thanks for watching Mike!

[@anderstl9915]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@flacche]

You're welcome!

[@drr2704]

Helpful video! You even managed to include a nice drum roll from 1:57-2:00 to celebrate the result. 😉

[@flacche]

I had to watch to see what you were talking about... haha! Very slick!

[@arturofernandez6088]

Gret work and tip!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@flacche]

Hey Nick... thanks! No I'm not British... lol... do I sound British? I'm Italian American.

[@DangerousDrummerDado]

That's good idea for mounting vents, the pressing into metal ring that's on the inside the shell I mean. Once I was removing the airvent from Rockstar Custom floor tom and damaged the shell a bit. I grinded the vent from the inside but apparently not enough and while I was hammering it from the inside with a metal piece just like you did, I damaged a few outer plies. They were caught by the vent while it was going out. I did fix the shell but that event always reminds me to deal with drums only when I'm not in the hurry and not in the middle of the night :)

[@keithrenna]

Awesome! Thanks so much for this tutorial. I was planning on recovering a Pearl snare and wondered how to get that sucker off without doing damage. Much appreciated.

[@MrNickDrummer]

That's cool man, simple and effective. Btw are you British?

[@chrissmith3668]

Getting a lot of buzzing from my air vent on a 14x12 90s era Master custom hanging floor tom. This will help me take it out and reinstall hopefully minus the buzz

[@flacche]

Maybe. If you can feel play in the air vent, then it should be tightened or reinstalled. However the buzz could be coming from a loose lug, poorly tuned or worn heads, an uneven bearing edge, etc... so many things to check.

[@chrissmith3668]

@@flacche so guess what? I originally diagnosed it as the vent hole being loose because if I touched the vent hole it seemed to stop the buzzing. Then I took the vent hole completely off and it was still buzzing. Then I remembered something. I found a phantom short tension rod on my drum carpet about a week ago and couldn’t figure out what it was. It was one of the two short tension rods that holds the optimount rods in place. It had fallen off and the buzzing was the rod rattling on the hoop

[@flacche]

Glad you figured it out.

[@mkrpa2741]

Perfect timing Matt! The vent on my Pearl Masters maple snare drum just fell off. I managed to get it back on carefully using a hammer and some blocks of wood but if it loosens again, you've shown me how to fix it!

[@flacche]

Glad my video helped you.

[@DanMowry]

Clever work. May I ask? Would you figure there's a decent way for a guy to be even more frugal and just black-finish the existing chrome vent? Paint and sealant, since it's a non-moving component?

[@flacche]

Sure you could paint it, but they only cost around $3 each.

[@Continuum1]

+Matt Flacche I own a Pearl Session Studio Classic 12 in Tom that has a loose air vent and "rattles" anytime I have my snares off, what do you think would be the best solution for this? Thanks!

[@flacche]

That's the same type of press-fit air vent. Use the 2nd part of my video to tighten your air vent. It starts at 2:07. Make your own "vent press". You can tighten the vent. Just do a little at a time, until it doesn't rattle anymore.

[@Continuum1]

+Matt Flacche Thank you for your response back! I will check that out!

[@datballer9564]

Hey Matt when is your next video on the actual kit being out together coming. Also, are you selling the old one?

[@flacche]

Datballer95 Video will be soon. I have the MWA kit for sale... but I won't sell it for an unreasonable price. If I can't get my price for it, I will gladly keep it.

[@drumphills]

Awesome tutorial 👌

[@flacche]

Glad you think so!

[@ldcalhoun5436]

Great video Matt! It's one of those solutions that after you see it you wonder "Why didn't I think of that?" Now I need to find a drum that needs this kind of work ;)

[@flacche]

I knew it could be done, but was afraid to try it. I didn't want to break the shell or the vent. Now that I've done it several times, it's a piece of cake!

[@keithwilliams5949]

Hello sir. I wanted to know how did you remove the logo on your Pearl Joey Jordison Signature Snare?

[@flacche]

I used non-acetone nail polish remover, and taped off all the holes in the shell from the inside, and completely taped the panel where the badge is. You will get a subtle line in the finish from that pair of tape marks, but it will never be noticeable.

[@GK0321]

Thanks for posting this video. You saved me a lot of time and prevented me from potentially damaging my drum.

[@flacche]

I'm glad you found it useful!

[@fightdodo.r3d242]

where can i buy one of these. I can´t finde air vants anyware.

[@flacche]

Simply contact your favorite authorized Pearl drums dealer... like Drums on Sale in Hagerstown, MD. FYI, I see them on eBay right now for $3... pretty easy to find.

[@sandalkoyak]

Nice tutorial! It really helps!! thanks sir!

[@flacche]

I'm glad you found it useful!

[@datballer9564]

Can you post a vid of your new kit please?

[@flacche]

Datballer95 I will very soon... the first video shows the kit arriving from UPS Freight!

[@bodhisattvatg]

Thank´s,very helpfull

[@flacche]

Thanks for watching!

[@tonynelson7]

When did pearl use plywood?

[@flacche]

That's a loaded question that could take on at least two meanings. If you mean "plywood" in the sense of what it is... shells made of wood in multiple plies, that's basically all Pearl makes. Occasionally, they make solid wood shell snare drums, but that is MUCH rarer than their typical shells, which are all plywood. If you mean "plywood" like sub-flooring in a house, Pearl's African mahogany is a much nicer wood than the luan you were trying to parallel it to... no comparison. If you think Pearl makes metal shells, think again. Their metal shells are farmed out to other companies in Taiwan and/or China.

[@Sauron191]

Yo Matt! I’m going to rewrap my Pearl Masters MCX so I’ll need to take all the vents out. Will I be able to re-use and re-fit them?

[@flacche]

Absolutely. Just follow the procedure I illustrated in the video. They are meant to reuse.

[@Sauron191]

Matt Flacche Cool!! I’m so bloody nervous of doing it though!! Do you know what the diameter of the bit of your pin that catches the lip as I’ll probably have to buy a drill bit or something to use.

[@flacche]

No I don't. Just try different parts you have in your garage, until you find something that fits. It's not that complicated. The key is to tap it with a dead blow hammer. Don't try to use a regular hammer, you can hurt the shell or your hand ;)

[@Sauron191]

Matt Flacche I don’t have a garage or any type of tools/items like that. What I’ll do is strip down a shell, take it to a DIY shop and find a drill bit or something that fits it. 👊🏻👊🏻

[@flacche]

I would try a few different size bolts until you find one that fits in the hole, but catches the lip.

[@eugeneokamoto8737]

Excellent video Matt!

[@flacche]

Thank you Gene! That means a lot coming from one of the legends in the drumming community. Your knowledge of Pearl drums is vast and unsurpassed!