Allegra Big Baby...

Very cool. I like what Allegra is doing.

I do like how the industry seems to have picked up on the idea that shallow bass drums is really the more space-saving element, and not so much the diameter of the drum. I guess we can credit with Pearl with their little Rhythm Traveler kit for kinda' hippin' people to that. But in this youtube video of the Big Baby, I swear, since the player is taller, he's shifted a little farther back from the kit, probably making the front-to-back distance the same as me playing my Ludwig Classics with a 14x24 bass drum! So I'd be able to fit into his space with my full kit ;)
 
Cool drums and sound pretty good. Also awesome hardware--solid aluminum lugs.

Anyone "worried" about the thinness of the tom shells? They're 6-ply maple but only 4 mm (3.87 mm actually) thick. A wrap finish would make them close to 5 mm thick--bit stronger. Is 4 mm too thin, especially without rerings? High tunings on toms a problem on a 4 mm/6-ply shell?
 
Very cool. I like what Allegra is doing.

I do like how the industry seems to have picked up on the idea that shallow bass drums is really the more space-saving element, and not so much the diameter of the drum. I guess we can credit with Pearl with their little Rhythm Traveler kit for kinda' hippin' people to that. But in this youtube video of the Big Baby, I swear, since the player is taller, he's shifted a little farther back from the kit, probably making the front-to-back distance the same as me playing my Ludwig Classics with a 14x24 bass drum! So I'd be able to fit into his space with my full kit ;)

Well, Gretsch and Slingerland were both doing 10x20 and 10x26 or 24 bass drums years ago. And I believe Allegra's founder, Dave Peterson, worked for Slingerland back in the day. So, not so sure about crediting Pearl for that. And don't forget Taye's GoKit with the 7x18 bass.
 
I like the concept, & of course, we released our 20" x 12" bass drum over 2 years ago now. During the R&D phase, we experimented with many depth, edge, & thickness variations. Of course, we chose what we consider to be the optimum specification, & anyone who listens to our zero processing recordings, or even better, played it themselves, will testify to the depth of tone across all dynamics & tunings. Granted, they're at a totally different price point though.

I quite like the sound in the video, except for two elements. I think the mounted tom sounds a bit thin, & the player is only tickling the kit. It's fairly easy to get a nice enough sound with shallow drums at low dynamic. The trick is to get full rich tone when you lay into them a bit more. With most shallow drums on the market, it's the medium - high dynamic playing that shows their limitations. The shells tend to choke tonally fairly easily, especially at lower tunings. Nothing against Allegra, I think they make great drums, & in their price range, much better sounding than most :)
 
It's fairly easy to get a nice enough sound with shallow drums at low dynamic. The trick is to get full rich tone when you lay into them a bit more. With most shallow drums on the market, it's the medium - high dynamic playing that shows their limitations. The shells tend to choke tonally fairly easily, especially at lower tunings. :)

This........ exactly my thoughts. Well said KIS.
 
This........ exactly my thoughts. Well said KIS.
I don't want my comment to come across in a negative way. With standard constructions, you have to work within the limitations of basic sizing physics. Heads, tunings, edges, & thicknesses can only get you so far, no matter how diligent you are in the design focus. Allegra have gone for the thinnest possible ply shell. Within that construction constraint, it's absolutely the right thing to do. Less shell area means less shell involvement & more head dominance in the resolved sound. Less depth means less overtones, both the ones you want & the ones you don't. You have to do some special stuff to bring those lower overtones & enhanced shell involvement back into the picture with "over shallow" drums. It can be done, we've proved it time & time again, but not at the price point Allegra are pitching at.

I think they've done a great job for the price.
 
Allegra have gone for the thinnest possible ply shell. Within that construction constraint, it's absolutely the right thing to do. Less shell area means less shell involvement & more head dominance in the resolved sound. Less depth means less overtones, .

You did'nt come across negative.. don't worry.

FYI.. They use the same shell for toms on ALL their drums.. That 6 ply keller.

The 8 ply keller is MUCH MUCH more rich IMO..
 
Well, Gretsch and Slingerland were both doing 10x20 and 10x26 or 24 bass drums years ago. And I believe Allegra's founder, Dave Peterson, worked for Slingerland back in the day. So, not so sure about crediting Pearl for that. And don't forget Taye's GoKit with the 7x18 bass.

Ah yes. I was thinking more in terms of what was available on the market for the last few years and Pearls sorta been in that position.
 
So, would the tone have more richness if the shell is thicker?

I've talked to a professional gigging drummer in the Boston area who plays Eames Drums, and he uses 9-ply/9mm tom shells and feels that he gets more wood tone out of the drum. He told me the more standard 6-ply/5 or 6mm shells tend to weaken out the drum's tone, causing the drum head to affect the tone more than the shell.

There seems to be so much marketing babble regarding shell thickness and tone/sound that I find it's easy to get lost.

I wonder if Allegra and other boutique shops will consider experimenting with the new Keller Magnum shells??
 
So, would the tone have more richness if the shell is thicker?
No, but, depending on shell construction, there is a tipping point where going thinner is counterproductive in terms of overall tone.

"Richness" is a subjective thing too. To some, it's a pronounced clean fundamental, to others, it's a heavy layer of lower overtones.
 
These drums look great but (and I know this is a topic for another thread) I always find it a bit disingenuous when people advertise "hand crafted," "custom built," etc., but they don't make their shells. Maybe there's something about the Keller shell build thing that I don't understand?
 
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