20" bass drum

TheDrummerBoy95

Junior Member
Hey everyone :)

I've got a Yamaha Stage Custom with a 20" bass drum. I just can't make it sound right!
I mainly play rock,but when I ordered the kit I didn't pay attention to the sizes. Even with a mic in it,the bass drum just doesn't sound!

I was thinking of buying a 22" Yamaha bass drum,but I can't find the exact color!
I could also paint the bass drum if it doesn't have the exact color of my kit,but all Yamaha bass drums are very expensive!

I dont know what to do!

Btw,I have a Remo powestroke 3 on it.
 
Hey everyone :)

I've got a Yamaha Stage Custom with a 20" bass drum. I just can't make it sound right!
I mainly play rock,but when I ordered the kit I didn't pay attention to the sizes. Even with a mic in it,the bass drum just doesn't sound!

I was thinking of buying a 22" Yamaha bass drum,but I can't find the exact color!
I could also paint the bass drum if it doesn't have the exact color of my kit,but all Yamaha bass drums are very expensive!

I dont know what to do!

Btw,I have a Remo powestroke 3 on it.
It may just be that what you want from a bass drum isn't possible with a 20, have you played other 20's that sounded to your liking? If you have, then experimentation is your only way out.

I've used 20's in the past and I found they just don't have what I want in a kick drum tone. At the time I also found PS3's to be too muffling for the size of the drum. But there are a zillion ways you could set up a drum, you've tried only one.

MY METHOD?? Glad you asked . . . L0L!!
Well, I found the PS3 to be a bit too controlled for my liking, SOO, I tried a clear emperor, but I made my OWN control ring from another old remo head, I made it MUCH smaller than the stock PS3 one, so it didn't dampen the head as much. That, coupled with a Ludwig 1000mil Single Ply reso head (which in my estimation lessens the "ping" effect that a thin reso head can sometimes have on a kick drum) and a handful of cotton balls just for good measure. (this has the benefit of sucking up the "basketball tone" out of the drum, just a good sized handful should be plenty) and after all of that it sounded much bigger than it did BEFORE I tweaked it.

But that being said, I ended up going with much bigger kick drums as a rule, the smaller ones just don't do it for me even at their best.

Hope this helps!!
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__________________
Most respect the badge, but all fear the drum.
 
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I've got a Yamaha Stage Custom with a 20" bass drum. I just can't make it sound right!
I mainly play rock,but when I ordered the kit I didn't pay attention to the sizes.

Three things wrong here...

1. yamaha
2. birch kick for rock
3. 20" x 17"(!!!) dimensions

In my experience, Yamaha has made great studio and "pop" kits, but not powerful rock kits. Birch fits right into this equation, as maple will have a warmer, beefier sound more suited for rock. 17" deep is not a good quality in a 20" kick--it will make the sound too clouded with internal reverberation, and lack the punch and focused huge sound that a shallower shell would.

I'm totally expecting to get attacked by the Yamaha fans, but I'm just telling what I have come to know for myself from my own experience. If you decide to get another kick drum from Yamaha in the Stage Custom series, I would recommend the 24" if you want a more "rock" sounding kit. If you're going to stick it out with the 20", I would tune it properly with an EMAD batter and a single-ply resonant head with no hole and nothing in the drum. That's the biggest and meatiest sound you'll get out of it.

Too bad you didn't pay attention to the sizes when you got it. Live and learn, right?
 
I've had no problems tuning 20" Stage Customs for rock... Ditto for my 20" x 17" Kumu (made of birch). A PS3 batter coupled with a slightly muffled Ambassador (or another PS3) does it for me.
 
Couple of options: I use a EQ3 batter and reso on my 22", which gives me exactly the tone I want. I added a Aquarian KickPad to get back some "click"... and I also use a flastic/felt beater.

On my 20", I use a single ply on both sides, and have a pillow in it to keep the ring under control. I use a round felt beater to warm it up some, and it's tuned about as low as possible and still get a tone.

What kind of a bass drum beater are you using?
 
Three things wrong here...

1. yamaha
2. birch kick for rock
3. 20" x 17"(!!!) dimensions

In my experience, Yamaha has made great studio and "pop" kits, but not powerful rock kits.

WHAT?!

1. What's wrong with Yamaha? They make "pop kits" but no "rock kits"? We're assigning brands to styles of music now? Wow, never heard of that!
2. Why not? Maple and Birch are pretty similar anyway, and in no way as different as you imply. So we're assigning types of woods to styles of music now? Well, many, if not most drummers use maple drums for jazz, so maple seems to be a "jazz wood".. And birch? A "funk wood"? Oh boy, I suggest you learn how to tune properly, that makes 90% of the difference IMO.
3. You may be right here, in my opinion everything deeper than 16" kills tone and punch.

Back on topic:
I think you should tune your batter head as low as possible and your front head just a little bit higher. No hole in the front head. As little dampening as possible, preferably none. If you use dampening, dampen only the batter head. Dampening the front head will kill tone and deep frequencies. At least my 20x16 kick sounds deep and punchy this way. I use PS3, but that's a minor factor. Of course a 20" kick will never sound as deep as a 22" or a 24". But I'd give it another try before getting rid of the 20".

Just my 0.02$.

Greetings,
d.
 
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I would continue to try different tunings before I went out and spent money on a new bass drum. I have heard plenty of 20 inch drums on this site that had great sound. Keep trying. There is nothing to say that a 22 is going to solve all of your problems.
 
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...told you! :p

Just my personal experience. I know that music genres shouldn't be assigned to different woods and brands, but in my experience with Yamahas, I think of them having a "certain" sound. The sound that I think of when I compare them to other brands--lines, series, companies, whatever--makes me think of a drum kit that would sound great on a pop or R+B album. They have a certain "smoothness" to them. That's just my perception of them, though.
 
...told you! :p

Just my personal experience. I know that music genres shouldn't be assigned to different woods and brands, but in my experience with Yamahas, I think of them having a "certain" sound. The sound that I think of when I compare them to other brands--lines, series, companies, whatever--makes me think of a drum kit that would sound great on a pop or R+B album. They have a certain "smoothness" to them. That's just my perception of them, though.

Funny, because to me Yamahas feel - if at all - like jazz drums. At least that's what I associate Yamahas with.

BTW, sorry for my above post, which might have sounded a bit rude.

Greetings,
d.
 
I've got a Yamaha Stage Custom with a 20" bass drum...... buying a 22" Yamaha bass drum,but I can't find the exact color!
......Btw,I have a Remo powestroke 3 on it.
At one time I had 20x14, 22x17, 24x14, 26x14 and 28x14 kicks all living together under one roof. You won't get a 20 to be as loud as a 22. But loose the P3 (one of my favorite batters, by the way), and use Ambassador weight batter and reso. Or maybe Controlled Sound. That will get you the most boom. And keep searching eBay for a 22........on the "other" topic of rock/jazz Yamaha's. Maple Customs and Oak Customs make awesome rock kits. Seems to me, was this guy, named Colin Flooks (you might know him as Cozy Powell) drove some Yamaha's http://www.geocities.com/cp_hammer/drums.html
 
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At one time I had 20x14, 22x17, 24x14, 26x14 and 28x14 kicks all living together under one roof. You won't get a 20 to be as loud as a 22. But loose the P3 (one of my favorite batters, by the way), and use Ambassador weight batter and reso. Or maybe Controlled Sound. That will get you the most boom. And keep searching eBay for a 22........on the "other" topic of rock/jazz Yamaha's. Maple Customs and Oak Customs make awesome rock kits. Seems to me, was this guy, named Colin Flooks (you might know him as Cozy Powell) drove some Yamaha's http://www.geocities.com/cp_hammer/drums.html

Just wondering. Why wouldn't a 20" be as loud as a 22" ? All other things being equal, doesn't the bigger size just ensure a lower possible pitch (or note) ?
 
Dont forget Tommy Aldridge :)

Probably you never heard the Oak Customs, wich have a great dynamics on them (some call it ''loud'')

Im playing a 20x17 and its by far one of the deepest and powerfull kicks that ive played with (ok the Tamaha starclassic Warlord was bigger in sound, but thats another thing ;) )
 
Tim Alexander used a 20x18 kick with Primus.

I can't guarantee he's using a 20" kick in this video clip, but it's likely. It does sound like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWjp7NqNksk

Pretty rawkin sound if you ask me.

I use a 20x18 kick and I love the sound of it. I've found it to be quite versatile.

By the way, I'm using a Aquarian Superkick batter head. Highly recommended.

One more thing I like about it is you can mount your rack tom(s) lower over it (easier to reach).
 
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Just wondering. Why wouldn't a 20" be as loud as a 22" ? All other things being equal, doesn't the bigger size just ensure a lower possible pitch (or note) ?
Well, I consider the quality "loud" to be a drums ability to be heard, usually over "other" instruments. Not some decibel meter reading. And after having comments like "dude, I could hear that kick downstairs and down the hall" when I had my 26 and 28 "online", comments that the 20 was being swallowed up, and that the 22's were the, well, seem like the "industry standard". The minimum if you wanna rock 'n' roll. So, I have "another" 22x14 now, and hopefully soon a 26x14 again.
 
o_o

I have a 20 x 22 Tama Superstar (Birch with one inner ply of Basswood) with an Ambassador-esque batter/reso and I get a great tone out of it for Rock.

Maybe I just got lucky, according to you guys that say 14"ish is the biggest with tone..?
But hey, maybe it's just my ears.

:p
 
Tim Alexander used a 20x18 kick with Primus.

I can't guarantee he's using a 20" kick in this video clip, but it's likely. It does sound like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWjp7NqNksk

Pretty rawkin sound if you ask me.

I use a 20x18 kick and I love the sound of it. I've found it to be quite versatile.

By the way, I'm using a Aquarian Superkick batter head. Highly recommended.

One more thing I like about it is you can mount your rack tom(s) lower over it (easier to reach).

off topic... but he's using a ZXT ride there...
I think it sounds like crap, but hey, Tim Alexander and ZXT, who would of thought?...
 
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