dwforever

Junior Member
Okay guys, this is my first post on drummerworld.

Should I bother getting an actual carpet for my drums when gigging, or should I just use small squares of carpet for the legs of my bass drum?

I have played on a slippy, woody surface before and I can`t do it again.

;_;
 
I use the Protection Racket drum mat. Works great and rolls up nicely. Separate carpet squares sound like a pain in the backside to me but would probably work okay if you're on a budget, providing they are "sticky" enough not to slide around by themselves.

I too have played on slippy floors.. not fun!
 
You should at least have a carpet that allows your kick and hi hat as well as your throne to keep it all still.

Use a scrap of old carpet or whatever- doesnt have to be a drum rug specifically. At the very least, use a strap or rope to attach your kick to your stool to keep it from walking away and scratching the floor as it does.
 
Okay guys, this is my first post on drummerworld.

Should I bother getting an actual carpet for my drums when gigging, or should I just use small squares of carpet for the legs of my bass drum?

I have played on a slippy, woody surface before and I can`t do it again.

;_;

The point of the bigger carpet is that the bass drum, pedal and your stool all on the high friction of the mat stops movement. Little squares beneath the bass drumm spurs are likely to make things worse, not better!

Sorry Toolate, didn't realise you'd said much the same thing!
 
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The bar that im in the house band for has slippery wood floors. i used to take the door runner carpet and put it under my bass and throne. however my hi-hat would always slide away during some songs. I went to walmart and bougt a 5x6 rug for 20 bucks and i roll it up and bring it to every gig. waaaay cheaper and better made than any drum rug out there. I looked for a while at all of them and this turned out to be the best value.
 
just buy a 2x2metre square of Chalfont Cord - tough industrial carpet. that's what i use - found mine in a skip years ago so it was the best price - free.
see here (with handle holes and spur holes cut in):

also note the central taped section - that is so it folds in half. the hand holds mean i can drag my whole kit around a stage during set up easily.
close up:
186779201Chalfont%20Cord%20Nascot.jpg
 
When I was in the car business a long time ago, there was a guy who came by with laundry and carpets every week. I slipped him a twenty for a walkway carpet with the rubber backing, and it has lasted me 20+ years and still going strong. Using little squares sounds a bit crazy to me and kinda amateur looking. A nice advantage to the carpet is you can put down duct tape markers at each stand foot, and be set up quickly the same every time.

A full carpet versus little squares lets your weight and the weight of the whole kit keep the pieces that want to travel in place. It also marks your territory so to speak on the stage. So yeah, rubber or gel backing, pile on top. You don't want to be the guy that scratches up the floor at a venue, right?
 
I just went and bought a thin indoor outdoor rug. The indoor outdoor material holds the bass drum spurs. I buy them big enough to fit all my equipment on, except maybe a stand leg here or there.

You can then use masking tape, or duct tape. (I've even used sharpie) to mark and label locations so people can help you set your drums up. This is also great for remember the exact way your kit is setup that is most comfortable. When I'm arriving at a gig, I used to just throw my drums together quick and semi comfortable. I didn't have time to really adjust them. These days, I just go by the labels!
 
When I was in the car business a long time ago, there was a guy who came by with laundry and carpets every week. I slipped him a twenty for a walkway carpet with the rubber backing, and it has lasted me 20+ years and still going strong.

That's what I use as well, a dust control mat or something like that. I keep it on the bed of my truck so I never have to think about it unless I need a rug for a particular gig. It's always right there for me.

Bermuda
 
thank-you Mark_S, will look into but will try carpet squares first lol

You're waisting your time and money with carpet squares.Your hats and bass will still walk away from you.A cheap piece of outdoor carpet is the best and cheapest solution,usually under 20 bucks,and it will outlast yor drums.

Steve B
 
thanks for all the help guys

what if I were to bring duct-tape and tape the squares to the floor before sticking my bass legs in them? would this work?
 
I use a protection racket drum mat,

I set my kit up on it and used a permanent highlighter to mark the location of different stands, and i used three colours for my different kits, Makes getting the position great and very easy.
 
Since you're so bent on the squares, use them. Only then will you realize that you're overcomplicating things. Everybody uses 1 full piece of carpet, it's easier and better. So go ahead with the squares, you'll see. Why ask for advice and not use it? Why would you duct tape squares to the floor? That's re-diculous. You don't have to do that with one full piece. But have at it man, tape away!
 
thanks for all the help guys

what if I were to bring duct-tape and tape the squares to the floor before sticking my bass legs in them? would this work?

Did you ever try to get duct tape glue residue off of a floor?Is 20 bucks too much money? Is that why you insist on duct taping carpet squares to a wood floor?if you want to piss off mom and dad,go right ahead

You just got a bunch of free advise from experienced,gigging and one professional drummer.Why you choose not to follow it just a mystery.You seem like you started this thread just lookin for someone to agree with you.

Steve B
 
When the last bit of outdoor carpet I've been carrying around for 15 years started to look a little ratty, I went down to Home Depot and found some black outdoor carpet that is exactly the same as the stuff sold by various drumming companies. Flat black with a rubber backing. Folded up it's about the same size as a cymbal bag. The black looks clean and non-obnoxious (the old stuff I had was green). The rubber backing keeps it still. I've thought about cutting it down to just the throne-kick-hat area to make it smaller, but it's not bad as it is.

Of course there's always the old trick of running a rope from the stool to the kick drum. I've seen one heavy hitter literally lift his kick drum 6-8" into the air doing linear fills with sustained kick double strokes using what looked like a dog leash tying his throne and kick together.
 
I use a Kaces Crash Pad. It doesn't have rubber backing but the weight of everything holds it in place. It has weighted corners and a small vertical block in the front center, covered in carpet, for the bass drum. My preference is a full rug under your whole kit. Like you guys have already said, it can be marked and keeps everything padded underneath. Mine is just big enough for my kit and all my cymbal stands, rolls tight and stuffs in bag that I can throw on my cart with my drums. I never go to any gig without it, I can stash it if it's not needed, although it almost always is.
 
Or you can be like Charlie Watts and use a red velvet rug!
 
Just a regular inexpensive area carpet or a rubber bottomed floor mat has always worked for me.
Carpet is the easiest thing about drumming!
Just screw a piece of wood to the carpet in front of the bass drum and it will never move.
 
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