valkyrievf2x
Senior Member
Hi!
To start off, my daughter (7) is wanting to learn the drums like me. So, yay! However, only issues I have are:
1) Her size: She is a tiny little girl for her age. I have had her sit at my kit (Ludwig Rocker II), and even with everything lowered as much as it will go, it is HUGE for her. Plus, I’d hate to have to change everything anytime either one of us wanted to play.
2) Cost. Don’t wanna pay $300 for a Ludwig Jr set…
So, my current idea is to make a 16” bass drum out of a floor tom (just not MY floor tom). Given her size, it seems like a good compromise (plus most of those junior kits use 16” bass drums anyway). I’ve read as much as I could on the matter. I know if I want to use the Pearl jungle kit thingamabob, I’ll need an ISS mount for the tom. Head selection seems to be a hit or a miss; I see that some suggest a bass drum head, while others swear by regular coated heads and muffling. That part will probably be trial and error. Is there anything I am missing?
Pricewise, I don’t want to spend more than $150 on it. I already have a cymbal set for her to use (ZBT’s all around, lol) that have been sitting for a while. She will be using a Ludwig Standard Aluminum snare. Not worried about a rack tom yet. Just want her to get the basics to start off (snare, bass, and hats). IF the snare is too big for her to sit at the kit, she can also use my 6x10 PDP popcorn snare. Might sound like a lot of work, but I think she’d appreciate her own custom little kit.
As far as the donor drum, I am looking at this one: http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/msg/4031386320.html
Would a 14x16 be a good depth for a bass drum? I figure for the asking price, it doesn’t seem too bad to experiment (and I like the color…).
Any suggestions and hints are welcome!
To start off, my daughter (7) is wanting to learn the drums like me. So, yay! However, only issues I have are:
1) Her size: She is a tiny little girl for her age. I have had her sit at my kit (Ludwig Rocker II), and even with everything lowered as much as it will go, it is HUGE for her. Plus, I’d hate to have to change everything anytime either one of us wanted to play.
2) Cost. Don’t wanna pay $300 for a Ludwig Jr set…
So, my current idea is to make a 16” bass drum out of a floor tom (just not MY floor tom). Given her size, it seems like a good compromise (plus most of those junior kits use 16” bass drums anyway). I’ve read as much as I could on the matter. I know if I want to use the Pearl jungle kit thingamabob, I’ll need an ISS mount for the tom. Head selection seems to be a hit or a miss; I see that some suggest a bass drum head, while others swear by regular coated heads and muffling. That part will probably be trial and error. Is there anything I am missing?
Pricewise, I don’t want to spend more than $150 on it. I already have a cymbal set for her to use (ZBT’s all around, lol) that have been sitting for a while. She will be using a Ludwig Standard Aluminum snare. Not worried about a rack tom yet. Just want her to get the basics to start off (snare, bass, and hats). IF the snare is too big for her to sit at the kit, she can also use my 6x10 PDP popcorn snare. Might sound like a lot of work, but I think she’d appreciate her own custom little kit.
As far as the donor drum, I am looking at this one: http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/msg/4031386320.html
Would a 14x16 be a good depth for a bass drum? I figure for the asking price, it doesn’t seem too bad to experiment (and I like the color…).
Any suggestions and hints are welcome!