I'm the other way around - I feel like I have to work much harder to get the air pushing through an 18". I've played 14" deep and 16" deep for most of my life, and an 18" just feels sluggish to me. Add in the extra space it takes up in the car and on the stage and I'll probably never get one.
I'd thought about getting my Ludwig "beer can" 20" x 20" cut down to a 20" x 14".
There’s so much marketing about “gigging” kits, we’re starting to see 12” depths and less becoming a thing. As if we can’t possibly be gigging with anything deeper
I have to be honest, this was the inspiration for the thread.
Sorry Martin!
I played a "travel" kit by a high-quality drum maker which featured a 20" x 12" kick at a friend's house. The kick doesn't sound that great IMO.
I'm always impressed by the sound of the 20x12 on my Sonor Player SE (EMAD batter, P3 reso, nothing inside). But of course I have very little expectation from it so I'm easily impressed.
Took a while to dial in the tuning though, had to tune it tighter than I expected. Sure my Ludwig 22x18 is better on all accounts, but with a mic inside at a gig they both work very well!
I used to be a big fan of 18" deep bass drums.
Now, they just look re-diculous to me. I'm still more than fine with the sound though.
I have a DW exotic kit with a 22 x 20 BD. That looks even more re-diculous.
16" deep is my limit these days, but I'm gravitating more to 14's.