Bass Drum Beaters. Tell me your favorite!

nathaniel_h

Junior Member
What bass drum beater do you guys recommend/use? Mine is wearing out.. and starting to get very close to the plastic casing that's around the felt.

Have any of you used/found a review of the Promark Crystal Ball? I saw it in one of their catalogs... but I cannot find if it's actually made of glass or plastic. If it's glass.. it sounds very interesting to me. Here's the link.
http://www.promark.com/products/view/cb/
 
i just use the standard beater until i get a quality pedal,
but i did hear that the ball was made of acrylic
 
The crystal ball is made of acrylic. And I use the the felt side of my beater (Pearl) because it gives the warmth I need.
 
Most of the time I use the Tama felt beater. If I'm using a smallish bass drum such as a 20" or smaller diameter, it's then a puff ball. I believe it's made by Vater.

Dennis
 
I really like the DW Hardcore beater and the beater that comes on the Trick Dominator pedal.
 
I use the Tama Iron Cobra but I swapped out the beater for the standard hard felt one from Gibraltar. I like the weight/feel of it a little more than the IC beater.
 
. I just use the plastic side of my dw beater..

sounds fine to me..

that seems more consistent anyway seeing as how the felt is going to keep running down to the plastic
 
I've got the PureSound Speedball Beaters (felt). They're much lighter than my worn-out DW beaters, but they have the little weights so you can adjust the feel of them, which I like a lot. They seem a little bit punchier than other felt beaters I've used, although if you want a really punchy sound you'd probably be better off with rubber/plastic beaters. The downside is the price, around $22 each, so you may want to try before you buy (if possible). I was lucky enough to find a guy on my local craigslist selling 2 of them for $20.
 
For me it's all about the DW standard beater on the plastic side. Seems to give me enough volume, and speed. I've tried wooden, and even that danmar skate wheel (hunk of junk!). I always go back to the DW's. I will say the plastic does seem to wear down, and I change them about every 2+ years. I've always wanted to try the promark crystal ball, but I haven't seen one in person for me to check out ever. Let me know if you get one and like it.
 
I have Iron Cobra felt and wood beaters.

My favorite right now is the IC wood beater. I get more volume and attack compared to the IC felt. I slip a wrist sweatband over each beater to soften the attack without changing the beater, Perfect for jazz or a low volume acoustic arrangement.

I have used both sides of the two-sided DW beater. I like each side depending on the situation. Like others have said, a good all-around beater.

I also have a Silver Slug beater that I like a lot. But the tapered shaft is a little too thick to get far enough into my Iron Cobra pedal to be centered on the batter head. When I use that beater I play just above center on a 22 inch. Still gives a great sound but I wish the taper was designed to go into the IC a bit more. The ad's claim about more low end sound is not hype, in my opinion. If I switch to a different pedal or if played a 24 or bigger kick Silver Slug would be my favorite beater. (I could reduce the diameter of the Slug's shaft but the IC wood beater sounds almost as good from the throne and every bit as good - in my opinion - from the audience.)

If you play the IC wood beater, be sure to use a patch.

I hope that helps someone.
 
Wood beaters for me...I've got danmar wood beaters on one kit and Yamaha wood beaters on my other kits....
 
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I really like the DW Hardcore beater and the beater that comes on the Trick Dominator pedal.

You like the Trick Dom on there? I have been considering getting some Trick Doms for my DW 9002 pedals because I think I want them to feel a little lighter and more modern, without sacrificing power, but the Doms are EXPENSIVE. Is it worth my money???
 
I've got the PureSound Speedball Beaters (felt). They're much lighter than my worn-out DW beaters, but they have the little weights so you can adjust the feel of them, which I like a lot. They seem a little bit punchier than other felt beaters I've used, although if you want a really punchy sound you'd probably be better off with rubber/plastic beaters. The downside is the price, around $22 each, so you may want to try before you buy (if possible). I was lucky enough to find a guy on my local craigslist selling 2 of them for $20.

Same here. I played another guys kit that had one of these on the same DW5000 pedal, and I couldn't believe the things I could pull off.

He eventually went away from them as touring with very loud bands the felt would peal off after awhile. I don't kick that hard or play as much as he does and my first one is holding up fine after about 3 years.
 
You like the Trick Dom on there? I have been considering getting some Trick Doms for my DW 9002 pedals because I think I want them to feel a little lighter and more modern, without sacrificing power, but the Doms are EXPENSIVE. Is it worth my money???

I really like them, they are lightweight and have lot's of oomph when your really lay into the bass drum.They look cool to boot. :)
 
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