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View Full Version : How to tune your toms to John Bonham sound?

Drummer Kid
09-19-2009, 02:11 PM
Hey there, I'm a massive fan of John Bonham, he is my favourite drummer and I love the sound of his toms, they are awsome! I'm just wondering how to get that great legendary sound, any tips on tunning for the sound?

Thanks heaps,
Drummer Kid =Þ
ParadiddlesAteMyHomework
09-19-2009, 02:26 PM
It would help to be John Bonham, play on his drums, using his sticks... using the mics he used, in the same room with the same sound engineers... you get the picture.

If you haven't done so already, do check out the drum tuning bible at http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/index.html

Also, YouTube is great. Check out Bob Gatzen, he has some nice advice for you, I'm sure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ9Unab1OzU
drumtechdad
09-19-2009, 05:43 PM
This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMqHqADnREY) may be of interest.
Mendozart
09-20-2009, 08:57 AM
This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMqHqADnREY) may be of interest.

I'm going to be helping Jerry Jenkins and Joe Voda at their booth at the Hollywood C&V show this year. Jeff Ocheltree is sharing their booth this year, so I will get to pick his brain all weekend. ;-)
jjmason777
09-20-2009, 07:34 PM
I'm going to be helping Jerry Jenkins and Joe Voda at their booth at the Hollywood C&V show this year. Jeff Ocheltree is sharing their booth this year, so I will get to pick his brain all weekend. ;-)

Good luck with that. I emailed him after buying his DVD, to ask him what the what the exact interval is that he uses between top and bottom heads. (3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.). Instead of telling me he said that he was going to update his DVD to explain it further, but if I bought him a plane ticket, he would come tune my drums! He seemed like a nice guy, but a simple answer would have sufficed. Anyway, after some careful experimenting, I came up with tuning the top head to it's natural first open tuning, then tuning the bottom head to a perfect 4th higher than the top. That sounds pretty good.

Anyway, if you DO get some useful info from him, PLEASE share it with the rest of us!
PQleyR
09-20-2009, 08:02 PM
It would help to be John Bonham, play on his drums, using his sticks... using the mics he used, in the same room with the same sound engineers... you get the picture.


Don't forget, though, that Jimmy Page insisted on having a different engineer for every album, not to mention that despite the variety of recording locations, there's still a very distinct Bonham sound that is the result of the tuning and mic positioning more than the room or mics. Consider the differences between the drums on Led Zeppelin II, the live show at Madison Square Garden in 1973 featured in The Song Remains The Same, and the drum sound on In Through The Out Door. All different, but all easily recognisable as the Bonham sound.
harryconway
09-21-2009, 03:04 AM
......massive fan of John Bonham,..... any tips on tunning for the sound?



Indeed, the video link (given by drumtechdad) for the Ocheltree DVD is the ticket. All the info. about what kind of drums and what kind of heads Bonham used is on the internet (and indeed, this site already). The closer you get to the correct drum brand, shell types and sizes, and head choices, the closer you'll get to "that sound". And as Ocheltree's DVD is named, "Trust Your Ears". You won't be able to get a Pearl forum (22, 12, 13, 16) kit to sound like a Bonham kit. You will be able to get a vintage Ludwig (26, 14, 16, 18) to sound like a Bonham kit. And any kit in between, is, well, in between.
whatwhatwhoa
09-21-2009, 06:07 AM
John likes to tune his resonant head tight, and his batter lose, giving him that long sustained ring. You're also gonna need a ludwig in order to get the sound, but that's the style of his tuning.
Skitch
09-22-2009, 08:55 AM
John likes to tune his resonant head tight, and his batter lose, giving him that long sustained ring. You're also gonna need a ludwig in order to get the sound, but that's the style of his tuning.

I don't think a Ludwig brand is necessary, but the sizes 26, 14, 16, 18 are.


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TTNW
09-22-2009, 05:07 PM
Somebody also mentioned that Bonham's drums were tuned a little tighter than you would think. Everybody seems to go for the low "just as soon as the wrinkle comes out of the head" style tuning and that isn't the only way to get a great Rock sound.

Bonham was really into Buddy Rich and had a lot of jazz influences so, keep that in mind.
Bruce M. Thomson
09-22-2009, 08:04 PM
He had over sized drums-He tuned them up tight-He was recorded by Glynn Johns and used the 4 mic system, checking what the overheads sounded like recorded first and then made the mental adjustment as to how to play the kit. He did not bury his bass pedal beater into the drum but instead had a very quick release allowing him to be ready at all times for the next hit and also allowed him to heel-toe those bouncing bass beats.
He had a unique style that I assume was developed over time while playing with the band.
If John Bonham had not played with Led Zeppelin would he have sounded the same with any other band? Other than that he was John Bonham; and nobody else is.
harryconway
09-23-2009, 01:00 AM
If John Bonham had not played with Led Zeppelin would he have sounded the same with any other band?

I have to disagree. Bonham wanted to play double bass. Jimmy and Robert would have none of that. Perhaps, if he had been allowed to keep 2 kicks, things would have turned out different.
TTNW
09-23-2009, 02:57 AM
I have to disagree. Bonham wanted to play double bass. Jimmy and Robert would have none of that. Perhaps, if he had been allowed to keep 2 kicks, things would have turned out different.

This is a legendary rumor I have heard before. Some say he was a big Louie Bellson fan.

Hence the tight tunings and frequent disregard for his second floor tom. (sort of like Buddy Rich)

Such speculations are always fun. What might have been.
Bruce M. Thomson
09-23-2009, 07:03 PM
I have to disagree. Bonham wanted to play double bass. Jimmy and Robert would have none of that. Perhaps, if he had been allowed to keep 2 kicks, things would have turned out different.

That is true but his technique would have remained the same so he would have been doubly quick.
Vipercussionist
09-23-2009, 08:42 PM
Who knows if I'm right, but Bonham didn't strike me as the type too tune his drums to exact 3rds, 4ths or whatever, he just got them to SOUND good. A bit higher tuning than most too, with big toms. Tuned them more like the Big Band cats of yesteryear.

Basically, use big drums and wide open tunings and you'll get close as you need to, because as stated in an earlier post, it took John himself to sound like that.

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