Ion Mesh Head Mod

karmajack · Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 6:11 am Post subject: Ion Mesh Head Mod

Stop the noise and go mesh.
I went from the Goodwood Stealth kit to the Ion's and the noise factor kicked me in the ear. This had to be done. I initially replaced my snare with a Roland PDX-8, but that wasn't enough. My poor toms were bugging me out. Our Resident Drum Guru and Playtester introduced me to a video of this mod. I went full steam ahead with it. The results are very gratifying.
EDIT* After some sensitivity issues arose, this mod was altered. It's now updated for a much better version. Since this was edited, some of the immediate reply's may not make much sence.

Supplies needed:

8" mesh head (Pearl MFH $5.99ea @ MusiciansFriend.com)
Philips head screwdriver
5mm Allen wrench
10' Roll of Hanger Tape 3/4" wide (lowes $2.17)
Tin cutting scissors (or equivalent cutting device)
Utility Knife
Sharpie marker
Wide electricians tape
Double sided tape
Ear plugs
Tape measure

Using your black sharpie marker, paint the ear plugs black. Don't worry about pinching them, they will return to shape.

Using your 5mm Allen wrench, remove the bolts on the top of the Ion pad. Pull off the rim and the rubber pad.

Remove the inner foam rubber pad/metal disc/foam pad and unscrew the jack.

Turn those guts over and peel away the foam rubber pad from the metal disc. Use a utility knife to scrape away the tape that binds them together as you do this.

Thread the jack assembly through the black foam.

Carefully separate the metal disc from the plastic disc.

Cut small pieces of double sided tape and place it in the pad housing like so...

Screw the jack back into place and place the plastic disc back in the pad housing on the tape like so...

Place the thin foam pad on the plastic disc and glue the ear plugs on the foam pad making sure they're going to be resting through the foam and on the plastic disc.

Get your hanger tape and cut a 27" lenght piece. Wrap it around the inner vertical lip on the pad housing tightly and mark where the piece overlaps itself.

Remove the hanger tape and line it back up to that mark.
Use your electrician's tape and wrap a layer around the mark and the overlap. Continue wrapping the hanger tape with the electrician's tape.

Put the wrapped hanger tape back on that lip.

Put on your 8" mesh head followed by the rim.

Replace the Allen bolts and tighten them down in a criss cross pattern until they are snug.
Mount the pad back on your Ion and you're ready to rock.

Footnotes:
I went with the Pearl heads initially as they were cheap. They seem to work fine with this, but I'll personnally upgrade to Pintech or Roland in the future.
This greatly reduces the noise of the Ion pad's but is not dead silent. Massive improvement though.
No sensitivity loss has been noticed.
Belated UPDATE: I've since upgraded to a more reliable Roland MH-8 head. I didn't encounter any issues with the Pearl's, but the Rolands are superior and more ideal for this application.
There are some added steps involved in using a Roland or Pintech head. They fit differntly and demand you to trim away some plastic in the housing around the bolt holes for a propper fit. See the pics below.

The result...

Special thanks to: stratocaster539, DavidSheck, DocSocal and Bobert3222[/img]

mikejl46 · Hardcore Band Member Joined: 08 Dec 2008 Posts: 200

Did you take off the sanding surface off the foam block. doesn't look like it from the image. I would think you would burn a hole very quickly through your mesh with the sanding surface left on.

karmajack · Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:00 am Post subject:

Actually I didn't. Didn't think of that either. Thanks for pointing it out. It might not affect it, but better safe than sorry.

KillerQ · Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:18 am Post subject:

Jack,

Nice Job! It looks very clean and professional!

Well done,

Matt!

nouse · Band Member Joined: 17 Jan 2009 Posts: 5

Nice post, thanks for the detailed info. I just went and bought the materials for 1. Finished building my first drum in under 15 mins.

now going to buy 3 more mesh heads.

nouse · Band Member Joined: 17 Jan 2009 Posts: 5

Hi again,

I converted all 4 pads. But I noticed something. I kept losing my combos because of missed notes.

I then realized that if I don't hit on the foam, my hit doesn't get registered.

Is there any way to fix this to allow me to hit a bit further from the foam?

I did try different foam heights .... but no luck.

davidshek · Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:10 pm Post subject:

karmajack · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:31 am Post subject:

I found I had a dead spot on my blue pad. I raised the width of the sponge block and it and tightened the screws a bit more and it seemed to correct the issue.
Look into what David said. It has to be one of those.

nouse · Band Member Joined: 17 Jan 2009 Posts: 5

Thanks for the info, I'll be working on this today.

Some questions about the foam block.
I bought this exact model. http://paint-and-supplies.hardwarestore.com/50-268-sanding-sponges/multisand-sanding-sponge-222877.aspx

I am using a utility knife, but I am having trouble cutting straight lines.

Any tips for cutting and trimming the foam? Or is it like drums.... practice? Smile

Also, the double sided tape I put it is giving me trouble when trying to remove the base. Is the tape really necessary?

Thanks again for the info.

oh and David, I did see your video on how to do this a while ago, but wasn't sure it was for the Ions. Maybe put a youtube note when displaying the dd5 something and mention works for ion drum rocker. For noobs like me.

davidshek · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:33 am Post subject:

KillerQ · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:35 am Post subject:

jgrills · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:04 pm Post subject:

Another tip for cutting any kind of foam is to use an electric kitchen carving knife. I find that the moving blades cut the foam so easily that I can focus my all attention on where the blade is cutting. The long blades make long straight cuts easier as well.

To be fair, I need to give credit for this idea to my father. He gave me this tip like 10 years ago, and it's still coming in useful today. I've used it primarily for cutting out holes in foam for important gear I keep in Pelican cases, like the Oxygen sensor that I built for measuring the percentage of oxygen in my scuba diving gas mix. And yes, I've literally trusted my very life with electronics that I've personally assembled from parts.

nouse · Band Member Joined: 17 Jan 2009 Posts: 5

Thanks for the tips matt and jgrills. I see what your are saying.

I guess I'll go buy a jigsaw for this.
I don't see any future use for a electric kitchen knife compared to a jigsaw.

I have tried a sharp pair of scissors but it keeps making a curve in the foam.

Luckily the foam sanding pads aren't that expensive.

mikejl46 · Hardcore Band Member Joined: 08 Dec 2008 Posts: 200

tut seals · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:30 pm Post subject:

karmajack,

have you noticed any wear or holes starting up in your mesh heads? Some of the reviews for those pearl's aren't really that great, just wondering if you have had any problems yet. That sure is a nice price though. Roland mesh heads are $35 a piece at axe music.

And, is there any particular reason to use the foam sanding block? maybe because of the density of it? When i take this project on i am thinking of trying 2" wide circle cut-outs of said foam or something similar. I guess mainly for ethstetics but i figure the extra coverage of foam on sensor will help to avoid any miss-hits, ect. Maybe a Mr. Clean magic eraser would work?

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