Bass Hammers

[TwentyEightyFive]

Hey guys,
I wanted to know what kind of beaters you use/prefer. Axis has some pretty crazy marksman beaters and there are those regular ol' round ball felt beaters. I'm just curious to see what you guys like.
I like the Speedballs and Iron Cobras.

[hadley]

http://image.bizrate.de/resize?sq=60&uid=343841712&mid=115086
This is all I use. You can even turn it around and use the back. 'wink'

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I am using a Taye XP-1 pedal with the beater from my DW 7000 pedal. Using the felt side.

[Deathmetalconga]

I've tried a lot of different beaters over the years. Now I make my own out of those jumbo superballs. I bore out a hole almost all the way through on a drill press, then glue them to a shaft. On one side I put a bit of fuzzy Velcro, which acts kind of like felt. The rubber side gives a very fat, punchy sound sound with controlled rebound - you would think the rebound would be high, but it's less than wood or plastic or felt. I turn it to the Velcro side to get a little less definition. So far I haven't had one break apart or slip off, but I am not a hard player.

The trade off is that superballs aren't too loud compared to wood or plastic, but as I'm fond of saying, I've been playing nearly 25 years and I've never, ever heard anyone ask a drummer to play louder.

[xush]

Hey guys,
I wanted to know what kind of beaters you use/prefer. Axis has some pretty crazy marksman beaters

actually the Marksman beaters are pretty standard, not much different from most basic beaters:
http://www.axispercussion.com/images/X-L_300.jpg

now, the Sonic Hammers, those are pretty unique. I like these, they're what I use with my Axis pedals:
http://www.samash.com/images/items/ASHMRXXXX.jpg

[Ryanthedrummer]

danmar red wood beaters!

[KarlCrafton]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h257/KarlCrafton/Bassheadmuffle.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h257/KarlCrafton/Pedal.jpg

I use the DW hard plastic side.

I went through about 6 different beater types with one of my bands and asked which one they thought sounded best.

They picked this one.... which happened to be the one I liked best too.

I put a small beater weight right under the beater head too, which gives me a good, even throw for my foot, and a solid sound even when I play quieter.

The only thing crazy is it's the 'old' style DW beater.
This one is angled in sharper toward the felt, and the newer ones are more square.

I got one of the 'new' beaters, and I could totally tell the difference, so I went back to the store, exchanged it for an old style one, and bought the 3 other remaining angled version beaters they had.

Hey, 'ya gotta get what 'ya gotta get.....

[Deathmetalconga]

actually the Marksman beaters are pretty standard, not much different from most basic beaters:
http://www.axispercussion.com/images/X-L_300.jpg

now, the Sonic Hammers, those are pretty unique. I like these, they're what I use with my Axis pedals:
http://www.samash.com/images/items/ASHMRXXXX.jpg

Xush, I know you are a drum gadget fan. Have you ever tried Slug beaters? I looked into those but they don't make any with a short enough length. Their beater shafts are tapered and wouldn't fit into the pedal cam at the length I wanted. But I would like to try Slugs.

[xush]

Xush, I know you are a drum gadget fan. Have you ever tried Slug beaters? I looked into those but they don't make any with a short enough length. Their beater shafts are tapered and wouldn't fit into the pedal cam at the length I wanted. But I would like to try Slugs.

you know, beaters are one of the few aspects I really haven't experimented with much. Once I found the Sonic Hammers I was so happy with them that I just stopped trying other stuff. I don't mind the beater that came on my Trick pedal, but the Hammers just do it for me.
sorry, not much help there I guess~

[Les Ismore]

What I've found is, if you're into precision playing, like doing mad heel-toe and single foot quads, simple round beaters offer an 'even balance of weight' which makes the stroke more precise and consistently predictable to your foot.

Beaters that are unevenly weighted (Sonic Hammer, DW etc) don't offer 'even' feedback to both directions of the stroke (forward and back). As an example, the Sonic Hammer is light on the back stroke, so there's a slowing of the pedal board after impact on the return stroke, which you have to adjust to.

Keep in mind we're talking minute differences, although when doing high-speed, precise playing, your feet become aware, any difference in feel front to back interrupts flow and makes playing that much harder. All front heavy beaters will have the same effect to some degree. Ditto the opposite, a DW beater with plastic in the rear will produce a slower forward stroke.

Self adjusting beaters compound the problem with their ability to move when impacting the batter head. Where self-adjusting beaters complicate balance is when stroke dynamics are frequented. Depending on head tension, if the beater is laid hard into the head, it will tilt on the shaft adjusting itself. When a lighter hit is applied, it will tilt-adjust again. These weight shifts don't facilitate precision playing. It forces you to make (minute) adjustments with your foot. If you could imagine a self adjusting tip on a drum stick, same effect on a different scale.

When strokes become more uniform, precise, consistent, it becomes easier to play, its more efficient. A beater with equal weight distribution 'around' the center of the shaft offers the most consistent, predictable feel. A simple round beater-head produces this effect.

[Chonson]

Check out the Vater Vintage Bomber... gets an amazing sound out of the drum.