Best heads and tuning for a 26x16 kick

PQleyR

PQleyR

Platinum Member
Hi guys, what do you reckon about this? I'm playing metal, so I need it to be pretty deep, but I'm not a fan of the ultra-clicky metallic sound. Just a nice high-end slap will do.
What I'm hoping for is to get more of a 'boom' out of it, away from the natural 'bang' of a drum wider than it is deep. It's currently got an Evans EQ2 on the batter (I think) and the original 80s resonant head with a great big hole right in the middle, which probably doesn't help.

Any thoughts? It's a 26x16 maple Ludwig from the mid-80s, so quite a thick shell.
 
Big first step: solid front head. Then I would recommend following the Bonham tuning method.
 
PQleyR said:
It's currently got an Evans EQ2 on the batter (I think) and the original 80s resonant head with a great big hole right in the middle, which probably doesn't help.
Click to expand...

A great big hole in the center of a 20+ something year old head is certainly not helping your sound at all.​
If you want to stick with Evans, get a G1 for a reso. .... if you want to go Remo, then Ambassador for a reso.​
That's a good place to start. Tune your drum. Listen to your drum. You can always add a felt strip ... or a t-shirt ... a small towel ... a blanket ... all this stuff is cheap and/or free, and experiment with tuning and muffling.​
Once you "narrow" down where you want to take your sound, then you can change your batter or reso head to the direction you want to go.​
 
Thanks for the responses, guys.

Al, I'd certainly go that route if I was playing hard rock or something a bit slower but this is some seriously fast bass drum stuff I'm doing, and I need a quicker sound, so an unported reso head is probably not going to work unfortunately. Plus it'll need to be mic'd internally for the sound I'm going for (I used to be a Bonham tuning purist, so I wouldn't say that if it really weren't the case!). Where do you think a port could go, and what sort of size should it be? Looks like Evans heads typically have an offset 5" port.

You can see pictures of it in this thread. Setup's changed since then but the kick is as it was then. You can see the reso port isn't quite central but it's very big, and that's a very thin head (it's the original display head I think, not really even supposed to sound good).

Harry, I'm having a look on the Evans website right now, and the G1 isn't listed under resonant bass drum heads, there's Onyx, EMAD, EQ3, EQ1, Resonant Black and a mesh head. The variations are between 7 and 7.5 mil thickness, some have internal dampening rings, some don't. From their descriptions I'd probably go for either an Onyx or an EQ3, which also seem to be the only pre-ported ones available in a 26" version.
 
PQleyR said:
Harry, I'm having a look on the Evans website right now, and the G1 isn't listed under resonant bass drum heads, there's Onyx, EMAD, EQ3, EQ1, Resonant Black and a mesh head. The variations are between 7 and 7.5 mil thickness, some have internal dampening rings, some don't. From their descriptions I'd probably go for either an Onyx or an EQ3, which also seem to be the only pre-ported ones available in a 26" version.
Click to expand...
Yeah .... I'm mostly a Remo guy .... and from the looks of it .... it's gonna stay that way. Evans really limits your choices, on what you can put on a 26. Looking further into their web site, I can see that. Right now, I'm running Evans Genera HD heads on my Yamaha Recording Custom toms. Evans markets that head as a snare head, and only makes those heads in 12, 13, and 14 inch sizes. That works alright, on my Yamaha RC's, 'cause I only have 12, 13 and 14 inch toms.​
That, however, wouldn't work at all on my Ludwig kit. There, my working tom sizes are 13, 16, and 18 inches. My Luddie kick is a 26x16. I think I'll stick with Remo.​
Maybe you should switch to Remo.​
 
I like Remo heads personally. I use a Power Stroke 3 clear with a DW pillow. I really suggest the DW pillow. It muffles the drum nice but leaves it fat sounding. I tune just above wrinkle stage front and back of drum. I usually use a Ambassador on the front with a 4" port.

keep it simple.
 
Aquarian SuperKick l or ll with a regulator on the front with some muffling inside the kick should do the trick.
 
harryconway said:
Yeah .... I'm mostly a Remo guy .... and from the looks of it .... it's gonna stay that way. Evans really limits your choices, on what you can put on a 26. Looking further into their web site, I can see that. Right now, I'm running Evans Genera HD heads on my Yamaha Recording Custom toms. Evans markets that head as a snare head, and only makes those heads in 12, 13, and 14 inch sizes. That works alright, on my Yamaha RC's, 'cause I only have 12, 13 and 14 inch toms.​
That, however, wouldn't work at all on my Ludwig kit. There, my working tom sizes are 13, 16, and 18 inches. My Luddie kick is a 26x16. I think I'll stick with Remo.​
Maybe you should switch to Remo.​
Click to expand...

I've tried both, and never been happy with Remo heads.

For the record, I think I'm going to go with an Onyx, and see how it sounds with no muffling at all.
 
We have the EMAD series in 26" sizing now and it sounds incredible. Definitely consider checking it out. Using the thinner of the two rings will still allow you to get plenty of resonance out of the drum while also focusing the tone for better response from the fundamental. Enjoy!
 
EvansSpecialist said:
We have the EMAD series in 26" sizing now and it sounds incredible. Definitely consider checking it out. Using the thinner of the two rings will still allow you to get plenty of resonance out of the drum while also focusing the tone for better response from the fundamental. Enjoy!
Click to expand...

+1

I was going to mention the EMAD but I didn't know if it was in that size. So there you go
 
Kg_lee said:
I like Remo heads personally. I use a Power Stroke 3 clear with a DW pillow. I really suggest the DW pillow. It muffles the drum nice but leaves it fat sounding. I tune just above wrinkle stage front and back of drum. I usually use a Ambassador on the front with a 4" port.

keep it simple.
Click to expand...

Thats kinda what I do for my 26" but with the Aquarian version of the P3.....


Aquarian Full Force I on the batter and Full Force II on the front. Both are like a Powerstroke 3. I use a DW pillow inside for to muffle it a little. The reso head has a 4" hole at the 3:00 spot for micing .

I tune both the front and the back exactly the same, real loose. Just enough to take the wrinkles out. With a drum that big, the batter can feel a little mushy to play on, but DAMN does it sound good. I also use the hard side of my dw beater with a Falam patch on the batter.

Try this out, It should give you the exact sound your looking for.
 
If you want to stick with Evans, I'd stick with the EQ2 beater, or maybe the EQ3 if you want something more open. If you want to go remo, then any of the PS4's will work, just choose one of the finishes. I'd be careful with the PS3's because they'll break sooner than you think with that monster bass drum. I'd also recommend EQ4's, but those like the PS3's are one ply, so you'll be safer with the EQ2's or 3's.

Don't know much about reso bass heads, I usually just stick with the stock head.

As for tuning, you'll probably have to tune higher than you think, especially with that size. I'd say at least medium on batter and reso (maybe medium/low on reso), higher if you want.
 
I have several 26" bass drums in various depths, here's what I've used...

The OP didn't want a clicky sound, so for that, I would use a Coated Ambassador, or Coated Emp, with a felt strip and a less clicky beater patch such as the Aquarian patch.

For a slightly deeper pitch I can recommend the Evans EQ1 frosted (large ring removed).

For those looking for some snap/click--
For more punch and less click, a Coated PS3, for more snap, but a little click, a Clear PS3.
More click, you could use a Danmar patch or a Remo Falams patch.

As for the wood beater, they sound nice. A heavier punch than a hard felt, and depending on the beater patch, the more or less click.
Some people like click, some don't. I hate it.

I use a 1" piece of Poly foam just at the bottom of my bass drums, not touching the batter, & barely touching the front head. The foam just soaks up and sound bouncing, and it's held in place.
To muffle the batter, I mute from the outside with a muffle roll I made about 8 or 9 years ago.

I use a 3" x 4" beater patch made from a Coated Ambassador taped to the head.
This patch enables me to change it when I want, and it keeps the head feeling and sounding new for years. I had one batter on for about 7 years. Still sounded great, so I never changed it.

It's a no muss, no fuss system all the way around, and I never have to adjust anything.

My batter is a Coated Ambassador, reso is a Smooth White, or Ebony Ambassador.
4" HOLZ for the mic hole (never any bigger) in either 9, or 3 o'clock position.

My main bass drum for the last several years is a 20x26. Nothing but great resopnse and compliments on it's sound from sound engineers/ FOH, & pro touring drummers such as Simon Phillips, and Steve Riley of LA Guns (who uses one of my kits when they come to Detroit). There are others but whatever...
I have recorded with this size bass drum more than once with fantastic results (sound examples? PM me).
The size is obviously not for everyone (ha!), but it's for me.

I use a 16x26 in another band with the same heads, patch and muting.
Always sounds great.

The muffling/head/patch works on any size bass drum.
 
uniin said:
i agree with this. but a lot of muffling on the inside. 2 pillows i think. and use wooden beaters. especially if you want the clicky sound. i don't know if a 26" will get as good of a click as say a 22 or 24 though. might be bit big
Click to expand...

Yeah, the idea seems weird to me. I use a felt beater and really dig the tone but imagine it could be much louder & punchier with a wooden beater. However, it seems the tone would be radically different.

Who knows. Maybe I should actually just go and try it instead of speculating to strangers over my morning coffee.
 
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