Pearl VISCOUNT User manual

Instruction Manual
Congratulations on your purchase! To get optimum performance from your
VISCOUNT MARCHING DRUM,
please read this Instruction Manual first before playing.
THE PEARL VISCOUNT MARCHING DRUMS
VISCOUNT MARCHING DRUM
High tension Aluminium hoop with aluminium counter
ring Heavy Duty high tension construction.
Low tension hoop construction alike the Viscount
drums Wooden hoop is not constructed for high tension
like the aluminium hoop construction on the left.
This range of drums has been devised, designed and manufactured to produce the traditionally British corps of drums unique
tone and sound. It must be emphasised that these instruments are NOT high tension drums and have not been designed or
constructed to produce the high pitched, dry sound of those drums more familiar to the pipe band or the drum corps in the
American idiom.
Warning
Under no circumstances should these Viscount drums be tensioned too high.
Over tensioning will invalidate any manufacturer’s or suppliers’ guarantees.
You are still entitled to your statutory rights under the Sale of Goods Act 1979.

CHECK FREQUENTLY THAT THE HEAD IS EVENLY TENSIONED BY LOOKING ACROSS THE COUNTER HOOP.
ANY DISCREPANCIES WILL BE INDICATED BY THE HOOP BEING DISTORTED. THIS IS RECTIFIED BY ADJUST-
ING THE ROD TENSION AT THE POINT WHERE THE HOOP IS DISTORTED.
SIDE DRUM - INTERNAL & EXTERNAL SNARE MODEL
TENSIONING & TUNING
TUNING A VISCOUNT DRUM
The Pearl ‘Viscount’ single and double snare Military Pattern Side Drums
Warning
Under no circumstances should these Viscount drums be tensioned too high.
Over tensioning will invalidate any manufacturer’s or suppliers’ guarantees.
You are still entitled to your statutory rights under the Sale of Goods Act 1979.
BASIC CHECKS
1. Check both the top and bottom heads for any signs of damage during delivery.
2. With the Drum Key provided, check to make sure that all of the tension rod bolts are free from damage and turn easily
within the tensioning lug nuts. (Each time the head is replaced the threads on the tension rod bolts should be lightly
lubricated with grease to prevent them from corroding and seizing within the lug nuts).
TENSIONING THE BOTTOM (SNARE) HEAD
1. Place the drum upside down on a stand or hard surface.
2. Make sure the snares are set to the OFF position.
3. Number the tension bolts 1 to 8.
4. Press with your thumb into the Drum Head about ¼” in from the rim of the head at numbers 1 to 8.
(for guidance only, your thumb should be able to be pushed into the bottom head to a depth of around 3 to 8mm,
depending on how you wish your drum to sound). If the bottom head is at the required tension, then please move to the
section for tuning the top head, if not move on to step 5.
5. Starting at tension bolt number 1. Using the drum key provided, turn the tension bolt clockwise, a ¼ of a turn.
6. Repeat step at tension bolt number 5
7. Repeat step at tension bolt number 6
8. Repeat step at tension bolt number 2
9. Repeat step at tension bolt number 3
10. Repeat step at tension bolt number 7
11. Repeat step at tension bolt number 8
12. Repeat step at tension bolt number 4
13. Repeat steps 4 to 11 until the required tension is reached. By tapping the drum at each stage, you should be able to
hear the pitch of the drum getting higher as the bolts are tightened.

TUNING THE BOTTOM SNARE.
The bottom snare wire should be fixed securely in place between the snare strainer lever and the butt end by either snare
cords or plastic ties.
The snare wires should be positioned so that when they are raised up to the bottom head, they sit in a central position
between the snare bed / rim of the drum.
Please ensure that the top snare is in the off position.
1. Raise the bottom snare lever so that the snare wires are raised against the snare head.
2. Turn the adjusting thumbscrew on the snare lever to raise (clockwise) or lower (anti-clockwise) the snare wires until the
desired sound is reached (by tapping the drum with a stick when making adjustments, you should be able to hear the
change in snare sound until the required sound is reached). The thumbscrew also stretches the snare wire across the
snare head and caution should be taken to not over tension the snare wires. This will not only cause damage to the
snare wires but also affect the tone of the drum (A large percentage of time, a dull tone or an over- ring on the drum is
caused by under/over tensioning the snare heads and wires)
CHECK FREQUENTLY THAT THE HEAD IS EVENLY TENSIONED BY LOOKING ACROSS THE COUNTER HOOP.
ANY DISCREPANCIES WILL BE INDICATED BY THE HOOP BEING DISTORTED. THIS IS RECTIFIED BY ADJUST-
ING THE ROD TENSION AT THE POINT WHERE THE HOOP IS DISTORTED.
SIDE DRUM - INTERNAL & EXTERNAL SNARE MODEL
TENSIONING & TUNING
TENSIONING THE TOP (BATTER) HEAD
1. Place the drum (the right way up) on a stand, hard surface or preferably wear it in the playing position.
2. Make sure the snares are set to the OFF position.
3. Number the tension bolts 1 to 8.
4. There are no specific guide lines for how tight the top head needs to be as this is down to the individual player to
decide depending on how high or low they want their drum to be pitched. If the top head is at the required tension then
please move to the secion ‘tuning the snares’, if not move to step 5.
5. Starting at tension bolt number 1. Using the drum key provided, turn the tension bolt clockwise, a ¼ of a turn.
6. Repeat step at tension bolt number 5
7. Repeat step at tension bolt number 6
8. Repeat step at tension bolt number 2
9. Repeat step at tension bolt number 3
10. Repeat step at tension bolt number 7
11. Repeat step at tension bolt number 8
12. Repeat step at tension bolt number 4
13. Repeat steps 4 to 11 until the required tension is reached. By tapping the drum at each stage, you should be able to
hear the pitch of the drum getting higher as the bolts are tightened.
Warning
Under no circumstances should these Viscount drums be tensioned too high.
Over tensioning will invalidate any manufacturer’s or suppliers’ guarantees.
You are still entitled to your statutory rights under the Sale of Goods Act 1979.

TUNING THE TOP SNARE.
The top snare wire is held in place inside the drum by the internal snare mechanism.
By looking through the bottom head you should be able to see that the top snare is in a central position between the
internal support ring and seated correctly on the snare bed.
Please ensure that the bottom snare is in the off position.
1. Raise the top snare lever so that the snare wires are raised against the batter head.
2. Using the drum key provided, turn the bottom of the 2 adjusting bolts (closest to the bottom head) next to the top snare
lever clockwise to raise the internal snare wires up to the top head or anti-clockwise to lower the snare wires down away
from the head (this should be done if the snare wires are seen to be protruding through the top head). The top snare
wires should be raised until they sit flush against the inside of the top head.
3. Using the drum key provided, turn the top of the 2 adjusting bolts (closest to the batter head) next to the top snare lever
clockwise to stretch the internal snare wires or anti-clockwise to slacken them, until the de sired sound is reached (by
tapping the drum with a stick when making adjustments, you should be able to hear the change in sound until the
required sound is reached). Caution should be taken to not over tension the snare wires. This will not only cause
damage to the snare wires but also affect the tone of the drum (again, a dull tone or an over-ring on the drum is often
caused by under/over tensioning the snare wires).
TUNING THE WHOLE DRUM.
Ensure that all of the previous steps have been adhered to and checked at each stage.
Turn off both snare wires to hear when tapping whether the Drum is tensioned to the required pitch (repeat the stages for
tuning the drum heads if required). Turn on the bottom snare wire and tap the drum to make sure that it is now set to give
the required bottom snare sound (repeat the section for tuning the bottom snare wire if required).
Turn off the bottom snare wire and turn on the top. Tap the drum in the centre of the head to make sure that it is now set to
give the required top snare sound (repeat the section for tuning the top snare wire if required). Turn on both Snares at the
same time and play your drum. It is advisable that this whole sequence is carried out in the environment in which you will
be playing as your drum may give a different tone when played indoors as opposed to out.
When tuning a number of drums, it is advisable to tune one drum first and then one by one tune all of the other drums to
the first. It is also advisable to make sure that they are all tuned in the same environment and at the same height and angle
(try and keep all of the drums parallel to the floor when tuning a quantity, as each drum will sound different as the sound
reverberates from different angles).
We wish you lots of pleasure playing Pearl’s Viscount drums!

VISCOUNT SERIES SNARE DRUM SCHEMATIC
2
3
5
6
7
8
9
8 S-19JK Top Strainer Assy. Complete
8-A ME-783A Top Strainer Lever ONLY
9 TSP-12/C Lug
10 SR-015 Bottom Strainer, Throw-Off Side
11 SR-18E Bottom Strainer, Butt Side
12 RIM14VC-SS Snare Side Hoop
13 S-022 Bottom Snare
1 RIM14VC-SB Batter Side Hoop
2 C-14RIMVI 14” Drum Hoop Tape, Inside
3 C-14RIMVO 14” Drum Hoop Tape, Outside
4 PR-669 Sling Hook Assy. Complete
5 SC-136W Tension Bolt (M6 x 110mm)
6 CW-300 Claw
7 S-505TC-PRC Top Snare
11
13
12
1
4
8-A
10

VISCOUNT SERIES BASS DRUM SCHEMATIC
4 SC-136W Tension Bolt (M6 x 110mm)
5 CW-300 Claw
6 TSP-12/C Lug
7 EB-1 Eye Bolt Assy. Complete
1 RIM26VC-SB Batter Side Hoop, 15”
RIM28VC-S Batter Side Hoop, 16”
2 C-26RIMVI 26” Drum Hoop Tape, Inside
C-28RIMVI 28” Drum Hoop Tape, Inside
3 C-26RIMVO 26” Drum Hoop Tape, Outside
C-28RIMVO 28” Drum Hoop Tape, Outside
2
5
3
1
7
4
6

VISCOUNT SERIES TENOR DRUM SCHEMATIC
4 SC-136W Tension Bolt (M6 x 110mm)
5 CW-300 Claw
6 TSP-12/C Lug
7 EB-1 Eye Bolt Assy. Complete
8 RIM15VC-SS Bottom Side Hoop, 15”
RIM16VC-SS Bottom Side Hoop, 16”
1 RIM15VC-SB Batter Side Hoop, 15”
RIM16VC-SB Batter Side Hoop, 16”
2 C-15RIMVI 15” Drum Hoop Tape, Intside
C-16RIMVI 16” Drum Hoop Tape, Intside
3 C-15RIMVO 15” Drum Hoop Tape, Outside
C-16RIMVO 16” Drum Hoop Tape, Outside
4 PR-669 Sling Hook Assy. Complete
2
6
3
1
4
7
8
5

http://www.pearldrum.com
Products and specifications are subject to change without notice.
Printed in Taiwan.
-1310-