Design Issue with Tama Silverstar 18" Kick Riser

[Davo-London]

Message for Bo really.

Bo and I had the same trouble with the bebop Silverstar kit in that the riser that comes bolted onto the 18" kick drum is set too far forward. So, when you attach the kick drum pedal (my kit came with the Cobra Junior) the beater hits the batter head on the downstroke ie at about 100 degrees from the horizontal position from the floor. It still works quite well but seems an odd design.

I wrote to the UK distributor who checked my story and agreed it wasn't right. He then mailed Tama in Japan. After a couple of weeks Tama agreed that I and a few others had noted this same design fault and they are working on a revised 18" riser design. The distributor asked if they could do anything for me in the meantime and I said it was fine as long as the new riser fitted and worked! Clearly it will take several months, but at least Tama acknowledged the problem.

So kudos to Tama for accepting there's a issue with the design and to the UK distributor for actually assessing and desling with the problem.

My experience with large companies is not good and I thought this was worth noting.

Peace
Davo

[BradGunnerSGT]

I had a similar issue with the Gibraltar riser that came with my Catalina Jazz kit. It consisted of 2 plates, one bent at a 90 degree angle to attach the pedal to, and one bent at a 90 degree angle with a mount to attach to the hoop. These 2 plates had 2 grooves cut into them and a bolt w/ a wingnut and lock washer to hold them together. The grooves allow you to adjust the height of the riser.

When I put the riser on and attached the pedal it did just what you described and put the pedal a little bit too far away. I took the riser apart and put the plates back together reversed (the bottom plate forward of the top plate) with a little washer in between them on each bolt, and that made the bottom plate just the right distance for the pedal to strike cleanly.

[mediocrefunkybeat]

Good on Tama. Admitting there's a problem is great to see, especially after production has been going for quite a while.

Nice post, Davo!

[Bo Eder]

That's excellent news Davo! I'm glad they've acknowledged it and are working on it! Maybe I'll give 'em another try when the new ones ship!

What would really solve the problem though, is if they just substituted the 14x18 bass drum for a 14x20 ;)

[Davo-London]

Ha ha that would indeed. Perhaps that's what I should have said. Darn it.

Davo

[mikeo]

i don't understand how things like this are not figured out before they ship these new products out... put the kit together and have someone test it out... oh! this riser doesn't allow the kick pedal to function properly!... well we can't have that, let's fix it before we ship out thousands of them.. i just don't get it

[bobdadruma]

The best riser that I have found is this one by dw. http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/part_number=DWCP9908CR/1845.0?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=googleshopping

[RobertM]

That's excellent news Davo! I'm glad they've acknowledged it and are working on it! Maybe I'll give 'em another try when the new ones ship!

What would really solve the problem though, is if they just substituted the 14x18 bass drum for a 14x20 ;)

I wish they had a 14x20 too. Only way to solve that one is to buy the 18x20, ship it to Precision Drum, and have them cut the shell down to 14x20. But is it worth the hassle and extra money?

For bass drum risers, don't forget the D'Amico bass drum cradle:

[Davo-London]

The best riser that I have found is this one by dw. http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/part_number=DWCP9908CR/1845.0?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=googleshopping

How does this work Bob, I can't work it out from the photo. Does it require holes to be drilled???

Davo

[Bo Eder]

How does this work Bob, I can't work it out from the photo. Does it require holes to be drilled???

Davo

Yes. And not only two holes - but four! It looks like its based on their bass drum tom mount - the device can slide forward or backward. Which is cool, but I think the one on your Sonor Safari does it better, Bob.

[bobdadruma]

How does this work Bob, I can't work it out from the photo. Does it require holes to be drilled???

DavoYes it requires mounting holes. It is fully adjustable.
Like any hardware that dw makes it is strong to the max.
I was going to buy the dw riser a few years back but I wound up making my own riser instead.
I have a metal hoop Tama18 inch bass drum.
I simply drilled two holes in the bass drum hoop and I made a bracket out of a 1 inch wide x 1/4 inch thick strip of metal by bending it in a vice in the shape of a U with a flat bottom and mounting ears at the top. I bolted the bracket to the hoop.
The whole project cost me under $10 USD and it took me about 1/2 hour to make.

[babyboomer]

The best riser that I have found is this one by dw. http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/part_number=DWCP9908CR/1845.0?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=googleshopping

Has anyone tried this riser which appears to be new on the market?

http://www.bassdrumlift.com/?s

It looks like a very good non-invasive solution. I've bought one in anticipation of getting my new bebop size set. Right now, I am still using a 22" bass drum with my Sonor 3003 kit.