Kick batter patches?

C

cdstockard

Junior Member
im wondering if these patches are actually something that is needed. ive seen players who IMO are accomplished and knowledgeable players not use them. i actually dont know if i've ever noted one of these players using these patches on their heads.

why should i?

ive never broken a batter head on my kick drum...although ive run one on the same head for about 4 years now..its time to re-head my whole kit and i want to know why i should use one of these patches if its not actually worth the possible deadening or whatever may come.

thanks for any input :D
 
I use one to prolong the life of my batter head. I've not gone through a bass drum head yet whilst using a falam slam patch.

Some argue that they change the feel or even the tone of the heads. I'm sure it's true to some degree, but for mine, the effects have been minimal and by no means adverse. For every accomplished player that doesn't use one though, there will be another one who does. The concept is not new either. In days gone by, guys would cut a square out of an old head and tape it where the beater hits....in fact, many still prefer this option today. Check youtube vids etc.....you'll find they are very common.....even amongst "name" players.

Much like every aspect of drumming, the choice to use or not use is yours.
 
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I use the piece of head taped to the batter.
I cut 3" x4" pieces of a coated Ambassador, and I can change it any time I want, unlike a stick on patch.
I've run batter heads for 7 years without loss of sound or feel (because I can change the patch) .
 
In the interest of science, I played for an hour without a patch. Trick Dominators, metal beaters.

The result was a pair of rather gnarly looking wear marks that would definitely turn into holes if left un-tended to. So... on went the patch.
 
MisterMixelpix said:
Trick Dominators, metal beaters.
Click to expand...

Slightly off topic...my apologies to the OP. But I've often wondered about those metal beaters. How do they sound/feel? I imagine they'd create quite an impact. Are they exceptionally heavy? I've never seen a Trick pedal in any store here in Oz to try out for myself. So they've often left me wondering. They look absolutely brutal.
 
They're pretty light since they're aircraft aluminum, but the sound they make? WHEW, it's gnarly. I adore 'em. Never gonna switch 'em out.
 
Pocket-full-of-gold said:
The concept is not new either. In days gone by, guys would cut a square out of an old head and tape it where the beater hits....in fact, many still prefer this option today. Check youtube vids etc.....you'll find they are very common.....even amongst "name" players.

Much like every aspect of drumming, the choice to use or not use is yours.
Click to expand...

Very true. I read an interview with Fred Below (Chicago blues drummer) years ago and he mentioned how he would use a Dr. Scholl's pad on his bass drum head. When it would wear out, he would simply replace it. Dirt cheap too.

You could probably accomplish the same thing with a patch of moleskin since it usually has a sticky back. It just depends on what sound you're going for.
 
For those not wanting to spend the 5 bucks for the pad, a coupla inches of duct tape will do it.
 
well then i guess its my time to experiment :D thanks for the input guys!!

Pocket-full-of-gold said:
Slightly off topic...my apologies to the OP. But I've often wondered about those metal beaters. How do they sound/feel? I imagine they'd create quite an impact. Are they exceptionally heavy? I've never seen a Trick pedal in any store here in Oz to try out for myself. So they've often left me wondering. They look absolutely brutal.
Click to expand...

and no problem!! ive definitely wondered about these too
 
The patches don't just protect the batter head, they also add punch to the sound. I like my bass drum boomy and without muffling, but also like plenty of attack. I made my own beater out of jarrah wood (a dense Australian hardwood) and added a patch to the batter head.

Wow!! Instant super-punchy, gut-churning boom boom. In fact last night my kit was the gig kit for three bands and the other two drummers both commented on how much they liked the sound of my bass drum (the words awesome and amazing featured heavily - I was especially happy to hear this from an insanely talented jazz dude). Hearing it for the first time from the other side brought tears of joy to my eyes.

The heavy jarrah beater wouldn't be any good if speed is your prime objective, but I don't need speed so it's perfect.
 
I like the patches (tape or taping cut up drum heads works just as well). They help the head last longer and I like playing EMADs so replacing them often gets expensive.

I just tore through my 18" Emad with a Danmar because I didn't notice that the patch had worn through. Bummer.

I could have gotten another 6 months out of that head if I had noticed the worn patch and replaced it.

Check your patches people. ;-)
 
Hello all!

I play an ekit (Medeli/Yoki DD908), and my kick pad is absurdly loud. Like, it drowns out the drum sounds when I'm wearing headphones. It has a really thwappy mylar head.

dd502mk2_03.jpg


I ordered an 8" mesh head for it. It's a Pearl MFH head, and apparently, they're really crap.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Pearl-MFH-Mesh-Tom-Head-for-Rhythm-Traveler-Drum-100940907-i1140520.gc

My pedal is a Tama Iron Cobra Jr, which has a reversible felt/plastic beater. I've heard it's not good to use felt on mesh (but not sure which is bad for which).

My question is, what can I do to make the head last longer? I was thinking about using a beater pad, or even a piece of duct tape, but would that help, or would it defeat the purpose of having a mesh head by making it louder?

With my kick pad, there's a layer of foam directly behind the mylar, so it's not like a standard kick drum where it's just air back there. Would that reinforcement make it last longer? I don't play very often, so it's not going to have to withstand 3 hour marathon sessions daily. I just wanted to get the most out of my $6 investment. LOL
 
If this had been it's own thread, someone probably would have seen it by now.

Have you tried, or is it possible to use a regular/heavier head on it and still have as much sensitivity on the pad?

A standard type head will last longer, but I don't see why you couldn't put a beater patch on the mesh head. I'd attach it BEFORE you put the head on the pad so you can make sure it's pressed on there really good.

Aquarian's beater patch isn't nearly as "clicky" as others.

Good luck!
 
My pedal is a Tama Iron Cobra Jr, which has a reversible felt/plastic beater. I've heard it's not good to use felt on mesh (but not sure which is bad for which).

My question is, what can I do to make the head last longer? I was thinking about using a beater pad, or even a piece of duct tape, but would that help, or would it defeat the purpose of having a mesh head by making it louder?



Felt is nadda so good on mesh heads, if you have to use felt, just wrap it with aluminum foil.

The PEARL mesh heads are pretty good actually.
 
I ordered a emad head today and it came with a patch. My friend sold me a pedal and he gave me a evans nylon patch. what is the difference?
 
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