Need help tuning a DW Collectors bass drum

J

jkosh1

Member
Hi All,

I have a DW Collectors 18*22 bass drum, circa 1995, that I cannot seem to get the sound I'm looking for out of it.

Right now I have a solid logo front head, and a DW Coated/Clear Bass Drumhead on the batter side.

I've tried a number of combination. Before this batter head, I tried an Evans EMAD Clear.

The result with the pillow that came with the drum is a very choked sound, regardless of the tension of the lugs. Without the pillow, the drum is way too open and hollow sounding.

Looking for any suggestions from head choices to muffle options.

Any and all advise is much appreciated!!

Thanks,

J
 
jkosh1 said:
Hi All,

I have a DW Collectors 18*22 bass drum, circa 1995, that I cannot seem to get the sound I'm looking for out of it.

Right now I have a solid logo front head, and a DW Coated/Clear Bass Drumhead on the batter side.

I've tried a number of combination. Before this batter head, I tried an Evans EMAD Clear.

The result with the pillow that came with the drum is a very choked sound, regardless of the tension of the lugs. Without the pillow, the drum is way too open and hollow sounding.

Looking for any suggestions from head choices to muffle options.

Any and all advise is much appreciated!!

Thanks,

J
Click to expand...

Did you try the different muffling rings on the Emad to tune out some of the boomy sound? Generally, I go with a looser batter head and a tighter reso head for the bass drum. You could try using the pillow with just a little bit of it touching both the batter and reso heads. With the full reso head it does make for a lot of trial and error in your damping. Cutting a hole in the reso head will tame a lot of the boomy sound as well. And it gives you some access for adjusting your muffling without having to take off any heads.
 
I just lean a folded towel between the kick pedal and the batter head. Adjust as needed, including size of towel and number of folds.
 
Tommy_D;e535735 said:
Did you try the different muffling rings on the Emad to tune out some of the boomy sound? Generally, I go with a looser batter head and a tighter reso head for the bass drum. You could try using the pillow with just a little bit of it touching both the batter and reso heads. With the full reso head it does make for a lot of trial and error in your damping. Cutting a hole in the reso head will tame a lot of the boomy sound as well. And it gives you some access for adjusting your muffling without having to take off any heads.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much Tommy D!

I was actually too hasty with the Emad, I took off the plastic that held the rings.

I did just change the way the pillow touched the heads and got a significant improvement! I also have a vented DW head, but that seemed to make the boomy sound worse.

The resonant head I have is probably 20 years old. Seems to make sense I get a new one, but every thing I've tried has been +$40. Would a new front head help more? I've been looking at the Evans 56 calftone..

Thanks again!!
 
Push pull stroke said:
I just lean a folded towel between the kick pedal and the batter head. Adjust as needed, including size of towel and number of folds.
Click to expand...

Thanks PPS. Do you mean cutting a piece of towel and taping it to the head, or just leaning it against?

Thanks for your help!
 
I've always had the best tone when I used a PowerStroke 3 on the batter side, and if you want to keep the logo head, putting a felt strip like drummers did back in the day. It rang a little bit, but it had a lot of punch. The ring is ok because at ten feet away to the audience, they don't hear the ring.

If you use the coated PowerStroke 3 (or 4), the pitch is noticeable lower as well. Have you tried any other head combinations other than the one you mentioned? The stock DW batter head is like a PowerStroke 3, so just adding a felt strip to the front reso head is exactly what I would do.
 
What kind of sound do you WANT out of a kick drum?
 
Bo Eder said:
I've always had the best tone when I used a PowerStroke 3 on the batter side, and if you want to keep the logo head, putting a felt strip like drummers did back in the day. It rang a little bit, but it had a lot of punch. The ring is ok because at ten feet away to the audience, they don't hear the ring.

If you use the coated PowerStroke 3 (or 4), the pitch is noticeable lower as well. Have you tried any other head combinations other than the one you mentioned? The stock DW batter head is like a PowerStroke 3, so just adding a felt strip to the front reso head is exactly what I would do.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! I've not (knowingly) used Remo for many years. The best sound I had out of this drum was an Aquarian, but that was back when I used to hit a lot harder. I'm pretty sure I have an old felt strip from my first set.

Appreciate all the advice. I think I'll remove the pillow inside and apply some muffling until I get the optimal resonance. Still a bit curious if replacing the front head would improve the sound at all, just given that it is about 20 years old.
 
jkosh1 said:
Matt Cameron is my favorite drummer, so I would aim for his tone on Superunknown.
Click to expand...

If you can't get that sound with a DW 22" Keller kick, an Emad with the foam insert, and a logo head with hole in it, I really don't know what to say.
 
I have a DW performance set, not a Collector's. However, I could NOT get the sound I wanted out of my bass drum with the DW batter and logo heads. I replaced them Acquarian SK batter and front heads, and the drum sounds far deeper, punchier, and lower, to the point where my bandmates have commented on it.
 
DrummerCA35 said:
I have a DW performance set, not a Collector's. However, I could NOT get the sound I wanted out of my bass drum with the DW batter and logo heads. I replaced them Acquarian SK batter and front heads, and the drum sounds far deeper, punchier, and lower, to the point where my bandmates have commented on it.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Are you using any sort of muffling, like a pillow in the drum? Does the front head have any holes in it?
 
jkosh1 said:
Thanks for the info! I've not (knowingly) used Remo for many years. The best sound I had out of this drum was an Aquarian, but that was back when I used to hit a lot harder. I'm pretty sure I have an old felt strip from my first set.

Appreciate all the advice. I think I'll remove the pillow inside and apply some muffling until I get the optimal resonance. Still a bit curious if replacing the front head would improve the sound at all, just given that it is about 20 years old.
Click to expand...

Good God replace the heads. Please. Then you can start fresh.
 
jkosh1 said:
Thanks! Are you using any sort of muffling, like a pillow in the drum? Does the front head have any holes in it?
Click to expand...

NP! The front head is ported and is this one: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...MIxbnooN7z1wIVCAZpCh1j0A5BEAQYASABEgIMzfD_BwE and for the life of me, I have NEVER been able to deal with a non-ported front head and I've tried.

The batter head is this: https://www.amazon.com/Aquarian-Drumheads-SKII22-Super-Kick-22-inch/dp/B0002E2UCA

I have some kind of evans pillow (small) inside something similar to this: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...MIhKrTz97z1wIVy4KzCh1dKAUREAQYASABEgL87fD_BwE but mind is really old. However, I don't think the pillow is crucial.

I HAD the DW pillow that came with my set. I'm sorry but the bass drum sounded like shit (to me) with the heads that came with it. I tried different tunings, I tried porting the front head, I tried adding the kick port. Nothing satisfied me until I went back to the Acquarian head system I was using before. I know sound is subjective and all, but my bass player commented on how much better it was with the Acquarian setup.
 
DrummerCA35 said:
NP! The front head is ported and is this one: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...MIxbnooN7z1wIVCAZpCh1j0A5BEAQYASABEgIMzfD_BwE and for the life of me, I have NEVER been able to deal with a non-ported front head and I've tried.

The batter head is this: https://www.amazon.com/Aquarian-Drumheads-SKII22-Super-Kick-22-inch/dp/B0002E2UCA

I have some kind of evans pillow (small) inside something similar to this: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...MIhKrTz97z1wIVy4KzCh1dKAUREAQYASABEgL87fD_BwE but mind is really old. However, I don't think the pillow is crucial.

I HAD the DW pillow that came with my set. I'm sorry but the bass drum sounded like shit (to me) with the heads that came with it. I tried different tunings, I tried porting the front head, I tried adding the kick port. Nothing satisfied me until I went back to the Acquarian head system I was using before. I know sound is subjective and all, but my bass player commented on how much better it was with the Acquarian setup.
Click to expand...

Really appreciate the time and details!
 
Thank you all for your help!

I changed the front head to a vented logo and turned the pillow sideways so just the tips of the wings are touching the heads and the drum sounds great!

Really appreciate the assistance!

Matt
 

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