Need a 16" bass drum head with a 5 " hole

Guys,

Don't want to do the cutting thing...tried it once and ripped my old head (it was a 7 year old head, so it wasn't a big loss...but still).

I got a Kickport and want to install it both on my 20" Yamaha Beech Custom bass drum and my Yamaha Manu katche 16" bass drum. For the 20", I'm sure I could find many pre-cut options from Remo and Evans...but...the 16"? The Aquarians seem like they have 4.5" holes precut...and I'm a little afraid of their natural design (apparently, they all seem to include some muffling, and the kickport people specify, remove all types of muffling on the front head and contents within the bass drum).

So...what are my options people? Who else has a 16" bass drum and installed the kickport and how did they do it?

P.S. - give me some info/suggestions on the Manu Katche bass drum head/tom head choice. I have the more modern Manu katche where the drums do NOT fit inside each other. Do I have to get a 16" tom head, or a 16" bass drum head, etc. Why or why not?
 
After you pass a certain percentage of head area removed, from what I've read, it's like having no reso head at all. For the 16" drum, to get a ported reso sound, you probably shouldn't go over a 3" hole, and probably should be more like 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter. Don't know if Kickport supports that. Cutting a 3" hole in a head isn't that hard with a razor and a glass. Or you could find a suitable sized metal cylinder, like a can or something, put it in the oven for 10 minutes, and quick take it out (with an oven mitt) and let the hot can edge melt a perfect circle into your reso head. (that you have positioned right near the oven so the can can't lose it's heat.
4.5" is too big a hole on a 16" BD for a ported sound from what I've read.
 
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Like someone above said I don't see the point in having a hole that big in a drum that small.
 
For the improved bass frequencies and attack that the Kickport provides. The kickport channels the air within the bass drum in a specific way, producing a better sound.

Without a head, there would be no air accumulated within the bass drum to "channel", and it would sound like a one-head bass drum (flat).

That's not the case from the videos I provided. I'm trying to improve the sound of my 16" bass drum, which sounds pretty good already, but those videos show it can improve. :)
 
For the improved bass frequencies and attack that the Kickport provides. The kickport channels the air within the bass drum in a specific way, producing a better sound.

Without a head, there would be no air accumulated within the bass drum to "channel", and it would sound like a one-head bass drum (flat).

That's not the case from the videos I provided. I'm trying to improve the sound of my 16" bass drum, which sounds pretty good already, but those videos show it can improve. :)

Well that's a cool thing. But remember: You have to play stuff people want to hear first.
 
Well that's a cool thing. But remember: You have to play stuff people want to hear first.

I'm totally confused by this comment. I'm a regular, working musician, playing latin, jazz, funk, pop, and other varied styles.

Without seeming in an anyway antsy :), I just posted here to see if anyone had a similar bass drum and had a working solution. I've looked into Remo, Aquarian, Evans heads, but none seem to provide what I need...before I go the route of buying a a regular Ambassador head and burning a 5" inch hole with a tin can, I wanted to know if there was a precut solution available.
 
To me it seems as if any type of port in a 16" head will be detrimental to the sound of the drum. Putting a 5" hole in a 16" drum is something I would never advise to do.

Good luck,
Dennis
 
I'm totally confused by this comment. I'm a regular, working musician, playing latin, jazz, funk, pop, and other varied styles.

Without seeming in an anyway antsy :), I just posted here to see if anyone had a similar bass drum and had a working solution. I've looked into Remo, Aquarian, Evans heads, but none seem to provide what I need...before I go the route of buying a a regular Ambassador head and burning a 5" inch hole with a tin can, I wanted to know if there was a precut solution available.

Sorry for the confusion. I'm all for scientific ways of getting a better sound. I was half-jesting that people that would eventually hire you for something will have to like what you play first before they get to appreciate the scientific steps you've taken to get a better sound out of your 16" bass drum.

Musical instruments, like cameras, and any other tools used toward an end result, basically just sit there waiting for you to do something. I'm sure you already know that.
I'm still confused why you'd cut a hole in a 16" bass drum head. It's not big enough to be loud on its own with only one head, and it sounds pretty dead with two full heads.
 
If you have to use the kickport on a 16" drum, so be it.

However, I've not yet seen a 16" head with a pre-cut 5" hole anywhere. If you want it, you're gonna have to cut it yourself I'd suggest. I don't get your aversion to this.....it's easy.

Buy a new 16" head of your choice. Find a can that's 5" in diameter, heat the can and burn through the head.....OR you can buy 5" hole markers from drum stores. Turn the head over, place the hole marker on (it sticks to the back of the head) and cut on the inside of the circle. It'll give you a 5" hole and leaves the template stuck to the head and stops any tears around the hole.
 
I'm probably gonna go that route...heat the can, burn a hole on a Remo Coated Emperor (they suggest thicker heads)...we'll see how it goes :)
 
Now that we're on the subject of heads, I've decided I'm going to get a regular tom-tom 16" Powerstroke 3 for the batter side and Ebony resonant head for the manu Katche bass drum. I'll cut a hole on it with a tin can (heating it).

I also need to get a 20 or 22" inch head for my bass drum. Anyone know the absolute cheapest place to find bass drum heads (obviously, I know of sam ash, guitar center, and all the other stores you can find on google...but I don't know if there's a place where either clearance items are sold or smaller name companies sell their heads).
 
I doubt you'd find a good deal on 20" or 22" heads, just because everybody needs them. There's no reason to blow them out on clearance. If you don't mind paying shipping, there are several places on eBay selling heads. But the one time I looked into it, it didn't come out much cheaper than paying the prices at Sam Ash or GC. Now, if you were into 15" drums, there's some heads you could find rather cheaply!
 
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