It's done. No turning back.

lsits

Gold Member
I bought a Kickport last week. I've been putting off installing it and finally took the plunge. Cut a hole in my stock Yamaha reso head so if I change my mind I'll have to buy a new one. It's for my gigging kit so I didn't have time to tear down my practice kit and set up the Yammies. Just by tapping on it it feels like it has a lower pitch. I'll try to run it through its paces tomorrow.

Right now I'm using a felt strip front and back for muffling. The heads are PS3-type with the Yamaha brand. Not sure who makes them. I like the sound to be more of a boom and not so much of a thud. Hopefully I'll get it dialed in before my next gig on 12/14.
 
You can still use the cut reso head, ya know. Many drummers use bass drum heads with a hole - it lets out more air and makes it easier to mic. Anyway, hope you like the kickport.
 
I tuned up the drum and tried it out. Sounds a little beefier (for lack of a better word) from behind.. Not a lower pitch but more body. The literature that comes with the kickport says that it somehow broadens the sound spectrum that the bass drum produces. Not sure about the sound out front. I put my ear against the reso head and reached around and operated the pedal with my hand. Not the optimum, I know. Still have to get the whole kit set up and see how it sounds then.
 
I'm convinced the only way to test your kick drum (heads, settings, etc. with or without kickport) is to record it 'out front' with no eq etc. That is the sound you want to know about and ultimately the one you're after.

The sound from behind the kit is very deceiving. Honestly, I don't really like the sound of my kick drum from where I sit, but when I hear it from out there, its exactly how I like.
 
It didn't do much/anything for me but I'm told it makes more of a difference in an unmuffled drum.
 
Tried out the Kickport for the first time in a band situation. It was a rehearsal for a gig coming up on the 14th. I guess the best way for me to describe the sound is: solid. I play the bass drum by having the beater rebound from the head instead of burying the beater. For that reason I've usually gone with a full front head. I was interested to see how the port would affec the rebound. To my surprise the difference wasn't noticeable. I have the tension on my Speed King fairly tight so maybe it was a non-issue.

From behind the kit the bass drum sounded, you guessed it, solid. My bandmates really make any comments bu I took the lack of phrases like "that sounds horrible" and "you suck" to be a good sign.
 
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