Adjustable bass drum beaters

Larry

"Uncle Larry"
Meaning an adjustable hammer. I've searched older threads, and I can't believe I didn't see any thing on this. The beater on my DW 9000 pedal....it has to go past 12:00 before it makes contact with the head. I feel I am working too hard, and would like to find a beater with an adjustable hammer so I can close the gap with a hammer adjustment. My 9000 does not slide onto my bass drum hoop as far as I'd like, and as a result, when the beater is at the 12:00 position, the hammer is still like an inch away from the head. I saw only one adjustable beater on the net, and that's it. It had a plastic wing nut which didn't strike up my confidence so I was wondering if any of the good people out there has a beater with an adjustable hammer. Thank you.
 
Would this help your issue?

Musicians friend
 

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Well that's the style yes, thank-you, and although I don't see it that well, (could be the round thing) one review said that this exact beater has a plastic wing nut, which sounds like a disaster to me. So I was hoping there were more choices, which I struck out on locating. I think every beater should have this adjustment. If I could get it and upgrade the offending part with something that will work well and last...well, I do that on a regular basis with anything that needs a little help, so unless there are no other choices, I'd get it and mod it. (if it really needed modding)
 
From a user:

This is a great beater for specific applications, and it works great, if set-up correctly. The biggest complaint (among other reviewers) is the head loosening up. I spoke with the engineers at Axis, who explained the photograph shows the wrong set-up. The head (tightening knob) MUST be rotated off to the side (at either the 3 or 9'o'clock position ... simple enough)), NOT at the top (12'o'clock position), as pictured. This will alleviate ALL head-loosening problems. I play an 18" Gretsch Catalina bass drum, and with a 'normal' pedal set-up (because the head is so small), the beater strikes too close to the top. So, I got a Gibralter bass drum riser, which works (and looks)great, but the pedal now is too far away from the head. The Axis Sonic Hammer was the PERFECT solution (with its adjustable head extension). It is a touch on the heavy side, but (with the cork pad), packs a real whollop ... the neighbors are even noticing. The Axis tech suggested trimming the excess (back end) off the head rod, to save weight. The felt pad is 'warmer' sound, and also has a slight problem: It was impossible to cleanly peel the paper off the sticky part (from the back of the felt), leaving me with no choice but to glue it on. Also, there's no way to swap the felt/cork pads w/o ruining the stick'um. Overall, this is a VERY durable product, which was the PERFECT solution to my situation. It looks and sounds GREAT! The Axis people were VERY helpful, and I'd definitely recommend The Sonic Hammer.
 
From a user:

This is a great beater for specific applications, and it works great, if set-up correctly. The biggest complaint (among other reviewers) is the head loosening up. I spoke with the engineers at Axis, who explained the photograph shows the wrong set-up. The head (tightening knob) MUST be rotated off to the side (at either the 3 or 9'o'clock position ... simple enough)), NOT at the top (12'o'clock position), as pictured. This will alleviate ALL head-loosening problems. I play an 18" Gretsch Catalina bass drum, and with a 'normal' pedal set-up (because the head is so small), the beater strikes too close to the top. So, I got a Gibralter bass drum riser, which works (and looks)great, but the pedal now is too far away from the head. The Axis Sonic Hammer was the PERFECT solution (with its adjustable head extension). It is a touch on the heavy side, but (with the cork pad), packs a real whollop ... the neighbors are even noticing. The Axis tech suggested trimming the excess (back end) off the head rod, to save weight. The felt pad is 'warmer' sound, and also has a slight problem: It was impossible to cleanly peel the paper off the sticky part (from the back of the felt), leaving me with no choice but to glue it on. Also, there's no way to swap the felt/cork pads w/o ruining the stick'um. Overall, this is a VERY durable product, which was the PERFECT solution to my situation. It looks and sounds GREAT! The Axis people were VERY helpful, and I'd definitely recommend The Sonic Hammer.

My Catalina Club Jazz kit came with this Gibraltar riser. It sounds like it was the same as yours, the plate stuck out too far from the riser. I solved that by unscrewing two main pieces from each other (the bracket that mounts to the drum and the L-shaped part that the pedal attaches to), swapping them so that instead of the pedal mount being "in front of" the bass drum mounting bracket it was "behind" it, and screwing them back together.

I hope that makes sense, I don't have that kit any more so I'm not able to take pictures of it.
 
Larry, is your bass drum slightly raised from the ground at the front of the drum (reso side), as it help reduce the course of the beater to strike the batter head.

You can also adjust the angle of the beater on the pedal without changing the angle of the footboard and the spring tension, this would displaced the course of the beater without affecting the feel of the pedal, ie: with the same amount of foot pressure, what was previously the 12:00 position will become the 13:00 position of the beater, if you get my meaning.

These 2 suggestions added together could resolve your problem.
 
Larry, is your bass drum slightly raised from the ground at the front of the drum (reso side), as it help reduce the course of the beater to strike the batter head.

You can also adjust the angle of the beater on the pedal without changing the angle of the footboard and the spring tension, this would displaced the course of the beater without affecting the feel of the pedal, ie: with the same amount of foot pressure, what was previously the 12:00 position will become the 13:00 position of the beater, if you get my meaning.

These 2 suggestions added together could resolve your problem.

Thanks for the suggestions Henri. I don't like my bass drum raised up in the front. I want equal pressure on my counter hoops. I want my batter head perpendicular to the floor as much as possible. I don't want my beater traveling past the 12:00 position. Waaa lol. Even though your suggestions would probably work, they offend my sense of...well I'm not sure what sense they offend, but something would be offended lol.

I like the Sonic Hammer solution. Heck, I could even adjust it so the beater doesn't even make it to 12:00. I'm not sure that's necessary, but for all I know, I might like that.

Mainly, I wanted to see if there were any other beaters that have a similar solution, to select the one that's best engineered.
 
I don't like my bass drum raised up in the front. I want equal pressure on my counter hoops.

Fair do Larry, it was exactly that: ...only suggestions :)

However, you do realise the batter hoop is raised from the ground because of the pedal attachment going underneath it, just ensure the front end of the shell is raised of the same amount, you can check it with a spirit level :)
 
Fair do Larry, it was exactly that: ...only suggestions :)

However, you do realise the batter hoop is raised from the ground because of the pedal attachment going underneath it, just ensure the front end of the shell is raised of the same amount, you can check it with a spirit level :)

Yea, I do raise the front hoop up about 3/8ths of an inch, or just under 1 cm so it sits even. I want my hammer to strike on a 90 degree angle too. I never really addressed this issue before, but I am now. Trying to be as efficient as possible. I am working harder than I have to sometimes. I have been noticing the fatigue when I play a driving heel down shuffle pattern on the bass pedal. I mean it's always been there, but I am trying to re think things a bit. I never really experimented much. I only noticed that my beater goes past 12:00 just last week. I understand that the DW beater is heavy by comparison to others. So I want a lighter beater that doesn't go past noon. Anything to make my job easier, without sacrificing anything, is all good to me.
 
that's one feature I really like about the Malleus pedal. You can adjust the beater mounting position, & also adjust the entire pedal orientation to the hoop. That's what you get when stuff is designed by drummers :)
 

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that's one feature I really like about the Malleus pedal. You can adjust the beater mounting position, & also adjust the entire pedal orientation to the hoop. That's what you get when stuff is designed by drummers :)

Actually, the Malleus pedal thread is the thing that made me start re-thinking things. The adjustment you point out is a great consideration. If I am able to do do my job with less fatigue, well that's the goal. I was thinking of getting a Malleus, but TBH, I could achieve the same goals with the Sonic Hammer. I still may get a Malleus in the future, but for now, I'm gonna try this route. Your opinions are very influential to me Andy.
 
Actually, the Malleus pedal thread is the thing that made me start re-thinking things. The adjustment you point out is a great consideration. If I am able to do do my job with less fatigue, well that's the goal. I was thinking of getting a Malleus, but TBH, I could achieve the same goals with the Sonic Hammer. I still may get a Malleus in the future, but for now, I'm gonna try this route. Your opinions are very influential to me Andy.

Heck, stubborn Larry, changing the angle of your beater will do exactly the same, no change in feel and less fatigue... and free!!!

What's that proverb again? you can take a horse to the river... :):):)
 
Heck, stubborn Larry, changing the angle of your beater will do exactly the same, no change in feel and less fatigue... and free!!!

What's that proverb again? you can take a horse to the river... :):):)

But I don't like the beater hitting on anything other than a 90 degree angle. If I am going to spend time with this issue, I want the end result to be: bass drum batter head on a 90 degree angle in relation to the floor, pedal hammer to strike the batter head so the beater shaft does not go past 12:00, pedal hammer to strike the bass drum batter head at a 90 degree angle, so as not to prematurely wear the batter head by an angled hammer.

Will changing the beater angle accomplish this? I'm being serious, because maybe I don't quite understand what you are suggesting. If my DW pedals could move closer to the batter head, this wouldn't be an issue. But the casting is designed in such a way that my pedal can only go so far onto the hoop. It doesn't go on the hoop all the way, and as a result, the beater shaft has to go past 12:00 to make contact. Not good enough. And the proverb is: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Either way, I'm a horse in this scenario lol.
 
Well, when my lower back was making my playing painful and uncomfortable, I broke all my rules and applied new ones... if I knew the benefit it would make, not only the painless experience it achieved, but to my playing in general, I would have done it ages ago, despite the kit looking a bit funny now :)

It's only a mean to an end, and no one will ever noticed you've changed slightly your pedal setting...

...pedal hammer to strike the bass drum batter head at a 90 degree angle, so as not to prematurely wear the batter head by an angled hammer.

I hear you Larry, for this you simply use the Tama beaters, they come in felt, wood and rubber, the beauty of them, you can adjust the angle of the beater on the shaft, so even if the beater travel past the 12:00 position, it still hit the head at 90° angle.

Here's the Tama beaters...
tama-iron-cobra-bass-drum-beater.jpg


They have a sliding weight on the shaft, so you can easily reproduce the same feel and weight of your DW beater.


You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Either way, I'm a horse in this scenario lol.

I wasn't implying you're a horse Uncle Larry, just saying you were a bit stubborn (in my eyes only, of course)

:)
 
OK the Tama beaters...good idea to have the hammer angle adjustable. But if the shaft still has to go past 12:00, it's still not good enough for me. Unless I'm missing something. Also, I'm not looking to replicate the feel of the DW beater, I'm actually looking to lighten my load.

So the 3 criteria that must all be met for me to be satisfied... 90 degree head, 90 degree hammer strike angle, and the beater shaft not going past 12:00. Does the Tama beater do all that? I think it will fail on the beater shaft angle. The Sonic hammer has all that covered it seems. I appreciate your help Henri. But I believe I need all 3 of those things to have a truly satisfying foot pedal experience.
 
The Sonic hammer has all that covered it seems. I appreciate your help Henri. But I believe I need all 3 of those things to have a truly satisfying foot pedal experience.

You're most welcome my friend...

... yes, the Sonic hammer seems to fit the bill, you can even adjust the beater angle on the horizontal shaft (ball adjustment), so you could even set slightly to the right or the left if the needs arise.

Only time will tell Larry... good luck with the experiment :)
 
I'm totally with you on this idea Larry. MAD himself even proposed this idea to me initially, that the way our hands and sticks work, could be transferred to our feet. And ideally, the stick would hit a drum head at a 90 degree angle for the most natural rebound, likewise should the bassdrum beater hit the head at a 90 degree angle! By the way MAD, if you remember our conversation regarding not burying the beater, it's getting easier and easier ;)
 
I'm doing it from an efficient standpoint first (less fatigue) and a head standpoint 2nd. You want that hammer parallel to the head when it strikes for maximum head life, and I think an added benefit would be the best tone. I already ordered some, and I will post my results. I've been using a 5000 for 10 years straight at the gigs, with the stock DW beater, so there ya go. I do have a 9000 at home. A lighter hammer would probably be enough right there to eliminate fatigue, but I want to go all the way with it and rethink all of the factors.
 
I'm doing it from an efficient standpoint first (less fatigue) and a head standpoint 2nd. You want that hammer parallel to the head when it strikes for maximum head life, and I think an added benefit would be the best tone. I already ordered some, and I will post my results. I've been using the same DW 5000 for 10 years straight now at the gigs, with the stock DW beater, so there ya go. Pretty used to a heavy beater. A lighter hammer would probably be enough right there to eliminate fatigue, but I want to go all the way with it and rethink all of the factors.
 
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