Hi there,
Jesse Bradman here from Future Percussion Concepts - The KickPort company. I sure appreciate all the discussion about our product! We have had a wonderful week with Gerry Brown and Kenny Aronoff letting us know how much they "love the KP" among others. I can assure you the KP is no gimmick - we spent over four years working on it. It has been used with wonderful success in the studio - I recently received a note from Curt Bisquera with a recorded groove telling us how great it sounds recorded.
A comment about Matt McGlynn's review. At the time Matt used the product, he was using it in conjunction with a felt pad on the inside of the head which basically took away all the qualities the KP offers. The 'Getting the Most Out of the KickPort document which can be downloaded from our website clearly advises against any dampening/muffling materials touching the resonant head. that includes mufflng rings of felt of plastic although the plastic rings can be taped down to reduce unwanted noise caused by rings, NOT the Kickport.
Matt communicated to me that he was unable to provide a head without muffling/dampening. As an accommodation, FPC has provided him with a head so he can use the KP in the manner it was designed to be used. As he is a drummer I can assume he understands that adding weight to the res head will make the res head react differently. Thus, one would likely want to tune the head a bit different as well, not to mention removing most or all dampening materials in the interior.
The KickPort is a tool and to enjoy the dramatic improvement it can offer, one must use it in the manner it was designed to be used - just like any other tool. And just like any new piece of gear, one usually must make adjustments to existing setup. I know this from playing keyboards with four platimum bands when I received a new piece of new gear...it took some work to really get the most out of it. As Jotan Afanador told me a couple weeks ago; "When I first tried the KP it was really cool, a solid improvement. Then I really spent some time with it, fooling around with different head combinations, taping off the plastic muffling ring as Jesse suggested etc., then I played around with tuning and internal dampening materials. Now I have this down, and I find it is amazing - truly an incredible product!"
If you want, email Jotan - he has a website and would likely be more than glad to respond.
the KickPort is a complex tool. It may look simple to copy but believe me it would not be as easy as one thinks - not to mention Patent Infringement
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We have professional drummers out on the road (Dennis Chambers with Santana for one) and in the studio having tremendous success with our product. The Testimonials on our website are a small sample.
I would be pleased to have anyone me directly if any of you have specific questions!
kind regards,
Jesse Bradman, Business Development/FPC-The KickPort Company
[email protected] o/707 789 0737[/FONT]