How High Is The Front Of Your Bass Drum Off The Floor ?

[unfunkyfooted]

1" ?

more ?

___________________

[GRUNTERSDAD]

no more..............

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

Less. I can just get my fingers underneath the hoop......roughly the same height as the batter side that is jacked up by the pedal. The shell would be parallel to the floor.

[BabyBob]

Half Inch I suppose.

[HipshotPercussion]

Half inch, maybe a fraction more.

Why?

[unfunkyfooted]

Originally Posted by HipshotPercussion

Half inch, maybe a fraction more.

Why?

the usual reasons.

mine is about an inch. i was thinking of going higher, to maybe 1.5"-2" and wondering if there are reasons for one's chosen height. do you find it benefit's you one way or the other - higher or lower. is there an ideal height for you ? do you get more volume or projection at a higher height ? or do you just want to get it off of the floor ?

and there's always the other option:

__ Other ? {please explain}

: )

[Dr_Watso]

I just level it out. I try not to have it leaning either towards or away from my position.

[harryconway]

Originally Posted by Pocket-full-of-gold

Less. I can just get my fingers underneath the hoop......roughly the same height as the batter side that is jacked up by the pedal. The shell would be parallel to the floor.

+1 .... I use my finger as a gauge, also. I basically just lift the front hoop off the floor/carpet.

[audiotech]

I also use the thickness of my fingers as a height gauge for the front of my bass drums.

Dennis

[larryace]

The same amount that my footpedal raises the hoop.

I know a guy, good drummer, his reso head is on like a 22.5 degree angle. I swear, 6 feet in front of that thing, you get a puff of air...in the face.

[unfunkyfooted]

Originally Posted by larryace

The same amount that my footpedal raises the hoop.

I know a guy, good drummer, his reso head is on like a 22.5 degree angle. I swear, 6 feet in front of that thing, you get a puff of air...in the face.

ha! and i was ashamed to admit that i was considering 3"-4". of course i may not move it at all, but i thought i'd throw it out there and see how it goes around the (drummer) world.

[larryace]

I always thought of his batter BD hoop...his pedal is level with the floor, clamped to the hoop...his hoop...has to be the same angle as his reso....I don't get it, maybe his clamp is loose. Plus you would think the beater is majorly denting the batter head on that angle.

I felt bad for the bass drum, it looked uncomfortable. Why do you want to raise it? For the look of it?

[Naigewron]

Originally Posted by larryace

The same amount that my footpedal raises the hoop.

This; my kick is completely horisontal. Raising the front of the kick doesn't make any sense to me, since the pedal clamps onto the hoop horisontally. If you raise the front of the kick, you'll strain the connection between the pedal and hoop.

Bob Gatzen seems to agree with me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0BVu...tailpage#t=62s
(Yes, there's an angled kick behind him, but that's because he mounts his whole kit, including his pedals, on a tilted platform)

[evolving_machine]

I used to do 3 or 4 inches off the floor. But that was only because of the limits of my pedals.

But back then, I was using Ghost pedals that had these two coil springs that were used for setting everything. Needless to say, not as adjustable as my pearl demon drives. So I adjusted the angle of the beater to the head by raising the bass drum.

So now my bass drum is parallel to the floor and the batter head is the same distance from the floor as the resonant head.

[jafo]

I have mine a good 2" high. I've tried parallel to the floor and just like it better raised like it is now. I have no issues with my foot pedal either. I did this because I was advised that having it off the floor helps with resonance of the bass drum. I see no reason to go back realy. It's been this way for over a year and a half. I say try it out either way and go with what you like.

[unfunkyfooted]

Originally Posted by larryace

I always thought of his batter BD hoop...his pedal is level with the floor, clamped to the hoop...his hoop...has to be the same angle as his reso....I don't get it, maybe his clamp is loose. Plus you would think the beater is majorly denting the batter head on that angle.

I felt bad for the bass drum, it looked uncomfortable. Why do you want to raise it? For the look of it?

no...definitely not for the looks. i'm just thinking and experimenting. there are sooooo many adjustments that can be made on a drum kit and i read a post the other day mentioning how that it may add to projection. so i was kinda wondering what the standard is. of course there are no standards but there is a generally accepted range. i guess i'm safely within the range according to what's been posted so far.

when learning a new instrument there's a certain amount of Seeing What It Will Do. ie. What Will Happen If I Do This ?

when i got my first guitar, i went through...what will happen if i take the frets out ? what will happen if i raise the bridge wayyyyyy up ? hmmm. what will happen if i lower the bridge real low ? hmmm. what if i move these intonation saddles forward and backward ? hmmm. what would happen if i put DiMarzios in a Kay [first on my block to customize]. what if i wire the tone control backwards, so that it adds bass instead of adding treble. what if i install push button on/off switches ? but then, i was 14 at the time. : )

so in the continuing interest of Seeing What It Will Do, i figured i would ask The Experts who've been there and done that.

i agree with yourself and Naigewron that raising the front end too much would add unnecessary stress to the hoop. no one has said yet taken the Pro (Do Raise Their Front High) position and offered reasoning. i'm sure someone besides your bud does. : )

what is his reasoning, btw ? (if you know)

[larryace]

Not sure why he raised it.

[HipshotPercussion]

Originally Posted by unfunkyfooted

the usual reasons.

Okay, I give up. What ARE the usual reasons?

I have Asperger's. I have no idea why other people do most things. Can someone fill me in?

[unfunkyfooted]

Originally Posted by HipshotPercussion

Okay, I give up. What ARE the usual reasons?

I have Asperger's. I have no idea why other people do most things. Can someone fill me in?

i wanted to know what the Pros and Cons are of doing so.

[audiotech]

The standard reason or excuse that I hear for just about anything is that "so and so does it". It should be all about the individuals personal choice but their idol usually has a hugh influence on their decision making process whether it's technically right or wrong.

Dennis

[Midnite Zephyr]

Exactly 5 centimeters. How's that?

[Toolate]

The higher you go teh more the batter side is moved into the beater. Also cant imagine its too good for the hoop to be clamped at an angle and never heard of anyone say it made a difference to the sound.

Anyone notice a difference in the sound?

[RBD1]

Many years ago I found that the kick seemed to have a better sound when elevated just off the deck, 1/2 " or so.

[jackie k]

I use a bass drum riser on my 18" & 20" bass drum. I lift my bass a few inches off the ground. The higher you go, the more your beater will hit the bass drum head flush. This means your bass drum will sound louder and will sound better and I think the set looks and sits better. So far this setup works for me.

[AndyMC]

In a tuning video I saw awhile ago, might have been Bob Gatzen's, they said that having your bass drum level gives a lower fundamental. I imagine it is something to do with gravity acting equally on the pressure wave as it bounces back and forth. Haven't tried A/Bing it though

Mine is about 1/2" off the ground as well. As for hiting the bass drumhead evenly with the beater I prefer and iron cobra style beater with adjustable angle of the beater head.

[Zickos]

You mean it is supposed to be off the floor? Darn.

[Nodiggie]

Just high enough so my beater strikes the batter @ 90 degrees. If the front of the bass drum is level horizontal; the beater is traveling past 90 to strike the batter head. To me, this equates to a longer stroke needed till impact. It is easier for me to play at 90 degrees with less effort and motion of the foot board.

[marko138]

Mine is as high as the spurs allow. Why? I don't know. I read somewhere once that it increases resonance so I've always done it that way.

[wsabol]

My bass drum is level.

Bob Gatzen does a good thing on this. Tilting your bass drum warps your batter hoops and if you do it too much it'll really kill your tone.

[unfunkyfooted]

Originally Posted by marko138

Mine is as high as the spurs allow. Why? I don't know. I read somewhere once that it increases resonance so I've always done it that way.

just checked mine to be sure. mine is finger thickness in height on a medium thickness carpet. on level flooring, i still don't think it would be one inch.

[AxisDrummer]

Well I learn something new all the time, but then again that's why I'm here. I've always had the front hoop of my bass drum resting on the floor (carpet). Never thought about elevating it a tad to make it level with the batter side. I'll do this next time at rehearsal.

I just bought a new kit with wood hoops after using a crappy entry level Gretsch (with metal hoops) for almost 19 years. I obviously don't want to unknowingly damage these wood hoops. Can the front hoop be damaged by resting it on the floor?

[marko138]

I leveled mine last night. It's perfectly level and I notice absolutely no discernible difference in sound.