Bass drum resonant head- want more attack.

octatonic

Senior Member
Hi ppl,

I have a 24x16 Gretsch Renown maple bass drum.
It has a Powerstroke 3 batter and a Fibreskyn 3 resonant on it at the moment, which is how I bought it.

I am struggling to get much attack from this combination- it is very boomy and has no top end to it- even if I crank it.
I am guessing this is down to the Fibreskin, right?

Can anyone suggest a good resonant head to match the Powerstroke 3?

Many thanks.
 
Is the reso head ported? If you really want more attack, less boom, increase the size of the hole. This will no doubt get you there. Unfortunately you will loose the deeper tones that resonance creates in bigger drums(why I don't like ports). It's all sliding scale. Also use patches for more slap(attack) or a harder beater(plastic, wood) than felt.

Btw, Also as Bob Gatzen states - a hole in the center of the reso is in effect like having no reso head at all.
 
Is the reso head ported? If you really want more attack, less boom, increase the size of the hole. This will no doubt get you there. Unfortunately you will loose the deeper tones that resonance creates in bigger drums(why I don't like ports). It's all sliding scale. Also use patches for more slap(attack) or a harder beater(plastic, wood) than felt.

Btw, Also as Bob Gatzen states - a hole in the center of the reso is in effect like having no reso head at all.

Thanks Birdman,

It has a port- you can see the size of it here:

orangerenown.jpg
 
Ok- thanks.

Would a different resonant head be an option as well?
What about a coated Ambassador?
 
Btw, I don't know Remo fiberskyns too well, does the fiberskyn 3 have a built in internal muffling ring like the powerstroke 3?

If it does not have a muffle ring, you will get some boing (and a lot, if tuned for it).

FYI. Right now I have an Evans EQ4 on batter and reso on 24" Starclassic Bubinga. No port, not other muffling other than what's built in to the head. Now "boing" at all. But I do have some boom, and a very deep tone.
 
Do you have any muffling in your kick drum?

I use curtains,cushions,pillows and duvets, any kind of padding would work well. Using muffling will increase the attack and 'punch' of the drum, and make it less boomy.

Also, the material in which your beaters are made from can affect the tone of the kick drum. Felt beaters give a soft, warm and boomy sound, where as wooden or plastic beaters produce a punchier and higher pitched sound.

To get more attack, you should consider your beater material and muffling in your kick drum.
Apart from that, experiment and go for trial and error, you could make a breakthrough!

Hope that helps,
Daniel
 
Do you have any muffling in your kick drum?

I use curtains,cushions,pillows and duvets, any kind of padding would work well. Using muffling will increase the attack and 'punch' of the drum, and make it less boomy.

Also, the material in which your beaters are made from can affect the tone of the kick drum. Felt beaters give a soft, warm and boomy sound, where as wooden or plastic beaters produce a punchier and higher pitched sound.

To get more attack, you should consider your beater material and muffling in your kick drum.
Apart from that, experiment and go for trial and error, you could make a breakthrough!

Hope that helps,
Daniel

Yes I have a couple of pillows in the BD for muffing.
I'm using a felt beater Demon Drive pedal.
Try the wood beater, maybe?
 
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