New Resonant Bass Drum Head Help Please!

Migaluch

Senior Member
Hey i need some help because i bought a used Tama Rockstar set and the bass drum is in good condition but the resonant bass drum needs to be replaced because of a tear in its side, which causes a ringing sound when hit. Thing is, this head is an open head, not a single head or one with a porthole.
Im wondering what i should do at this point, do i buy a normal head or porthole because i cannot find one that has the one large hole.
Will this change the sound or does it not matter? I like that you can get easy access to muffling the bass but you can do that when you remove the head anyway right?
Lastly, what is a good deal on a resonant head? I dont wanna spend too much...
 
just buy a replacement, something single-ply. slap it on and tune up. if you don't like it, cut a hole in it. there are different methods (heating up a can on a stove and melting through, cutting w/xacto, etc.) it's not as scary as it sounds. as far as heads, i dig a simple black remo. just experiment a little.
 
the main reason for cutting a hole in the head is to allow access for a microphone. usually the sound guys will put a bass drum mic on a small stand and point it at the spot where the beater hits the head. the idea is to pick up the attack sound of the beater. i like the hole because i can easily reach in there and adjust the towel i use. it also makes the head a little less resonant, which you may or may not like, and lets some of the attack sound project forward. it's not a dramatic difference, but it does make a little difference in the sound.
 
HUGE drifference in feel, tho. i never played a kick without a port until my current set-up. it has great rebound and feel without a port. i'll never port again!! plus, it has great resonance.
 
Yeah i dont exactly like a lasting bass sound, no echo is good for me, just a simple boom sound, you know? I like the way Mike Portnoy's bass sounds, so what a non ported head is best???
 
Yeah i dont exactly like a lasting bass sound, no echo is good for me, just a simple boom sound, you know? I like the way Mike Portnoy's bass sounds, so what a non ported head is best???

A non-ported head will give you an echoey sound unless you give it some muting. Experiment with it. Try a pillow, felt strips, a towel against the batter head--whatever. If you still have too much boom, then you might want to consider a port hole.
 
HUGE drifference in feel, tho. i never played a kick without a port until my current set-up. it has great rebound and feel without a port. i'll never port again!! plus, it has great resonance.


That's funny, I DO port mine for they very reason you don't port yours. I like the way it feels when ported.
 
That's funny, I DO port mine for they very reason you don't port yours. I like the way it feels when ported.

yeah, i really didn't like it at first, having played only ported kicks previously. but after buying a kick without a port (too lazy to cut one,) i found going back to a ported kick a little hard, since it didn't have any rebound. i find it easier to play doubles (single pedal player, here,) and the BOOM is way more pronounced. haven't had any trouble at gigs with mic'ing, but i am thinking of putting an internal inside.
 
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