Does anyone play a 14" x 22" bass drum???

[pbm2112]

Hi - I know there was a time when all 22" bass drums were 14" deep, but now deeper drums seem standard. What experience have people with them - do they sound thin, or do you get the low pitch with more attack and less boom? Are they quieter than the equivalent shell that is 4" deeper? Any thoughts or opinions welcome! Thanks.

[Jusstickinaround]

Hi - I know there was a time when all 22" bass drums were 14" deep, but now deeper drums seem standard. What experience have people with them - do they sound thin, or do you get the low pitch with more attack and less boom? Are they quieter than the equivalent shell that is 4" deeper? Any thoughts or opinions welcome! Thanks.
Really, 14x22 is all you need, all my vintage kits were 14x22, and they sounded as good if not better than any 16x22 or 18x22 kicks I've owned. I think all this longer bass drum fad is just that, a fad, as well as a marketing scheme.

[harryconway]

In 1980 I bought two virgin clear Ludwig Vistalite 22x16 kicks. A few years later, I got my hands on two 22x14 kicks. Also Ludwig clear Vistalite. The 2" difference was basically a moot point. Except when it came to re-sale value 25 years later. Certainly there is much more difference between a 20 vs. a 22. Or a 24 vs. a 22. A 2" diameter change is much more drastic. Going to a 4" deeper (22x14 vs. 22x18) would probably give you a more noticable sound change, because of the more substantial interior volume increase (cubic inches). That would be the theory. But really, who has the time (and the spare cash) to buy twin kicks (same diameter, different depths) to prove and/or disprove theory. And if you tune the drums "the same" won't they sound "the same". Then there's the crew that fills their kick drums with pillows and laundry. I like the look of the traditional depth (14") now. From there, what kind of heads I put on the kick and how I tune the kick, to me, will give me the most radical sound changes.

[Jeremy Bender]

I believe that Steve Gadd plays a 14" deep bass drum. On the Yamaha web site we're told that the bass drum is very responsive account of its depth. The 24" heads are what gives it a lower fundamental pitch. I think that 2" difference in shell depth is not as signifigant a difference as is a 2" head size change. At least with snare drums I know this to be absolutely true ( although 16" snare drums with a shallow depth are pretty rare.)

[Wavelength]

Last night me and my friend experimented with our 20" Kumu bass drums; his is 15" deep and mine is 17" deep. We switched heads (PS3 clear or coated on the batter side, Ebony PS3 or coated Ambassador on the resonant side) and experimented with different tunings. My deeper kick always sounded bigger and had more low end it, whereas my friend's shallower kick had more attack definition. The two-inch difference on these 20" drums was always clearly audible -- even when we removed the resonant side heads altogether -- but I guess 22" kicks are different animals...

[onemat]

My '93 Luddies are the heavy 6ply. The kick is 14 x22 and it has great deep bass. It loves the AquarianSuper Kick I or IIs. I get comments on it all the time. I had PDP LXs and CXs for awhile and the 22 x18 also sounded great. It's hard to say one depth is better than another, because there are so many other factors, thickness of plies, wood, edges, heads... Just go out and listen to whatever you are considering. Make the drum shop set one up with decent heads. Also..very helpful, get in front of the drum at different distances and have someone else play it.
Matt

[drumbandit]

Both my Hoshino drum kits are 14" deep, one's 22" and the other 20". I use Aquarian SK1 and the regulator drum heads on the 22"/14" and it sounds great. I much prefer the sound of my drums compared with my friends 18" deep bass drums. Tuning is easy and the drum has a nice punch which is slightly different to the usual kits you hear nowadays.

Tom

[dharma bum]

I've got 2 14" deep basses - one's a Vistalite - and a newer 18" Mapex Pro M. The 18" does sound somewhat deeper, but I like my old drums just as much. I wouldn't stress out over it either way, if you're playing in a band any normal size will do the trick if it's tuned and miced right.