20", 18", or less Bass Drum Thread

byebyepanda · #1 07-02-2007, 03:14 AM

The forum feels pretty dead lately so lets just have fun showing off our kits with 20" or less bass drums!

20"-or-less bass drums have always intrigued me. I love the compact size and sound. Take some new pictures!

Also, lets talk about why you chose your size bass drum over the larger drums, BUT LETS NOT MAKE THIS A BASHING THREAD.

Lets do this!

EDIT: haha i didn't realize I forgot the NOT part

crlujan · #2 07-02-2007, 03:32 AM

I love my little bass drum. 14X18 Ludwig Classic Maple. Here it is...

And here's how I muffle it. It's perfect.

byebyepanda · #3 07-02-2007, 03:57 AM

Beautiful! Is that the Ludwig Fab 4? How are they treating you?

Haha, love the muffling technique!

#4 07-02-2007, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crlujan

I love my little bass drum. 14X18 Ludwig Classic Maple. Here it is...

And here's how I muffle it. It's perfect.

What did Chip (or is that dale?) do to deserve this? Does it get in the way of the footboard coming down?

Which cowbell is that? I'm still trying to find the right one for me.

It's not here yet but I'll have this Gretsch Catalina Jazz w/ 14x18" on Tuesday

Here is the Gretsch Catalina Birch I had with 16x20"

and here is the Yamaha Oak Custom set I had with 17x20"

I end up going back to smaller bass drums because they're more responsive, have a better feel for me, and have a larger, more musical tuning range. Plus it's easier to set the drums lower the way I like it.

crlujan · #5 07-02-2007, 04:20 AM

It's not the Fab 4 kit. I ordered my kit in the same color wrap though, so I understand the confusion. My kit has the Gibraltar Vintage Rail Mount combined with the RIMS mount for the rack tom and the folding bass drum spurs. And they don't offer an 18" bass drum with the Fab 4 kit. But I must say that I did strongly consider the Fab 4 kit with the 20" kit. Glad I didn't though.

The cowbell is an LP Black Beauty. Not the Sr. Just the Black Beauty. Sounds great within the kit.

Chip (or Dale; I'm not sure either) didn't do anything to deserve what he got. I've got 2 boys and went into their rooms looking for a stuffed animal around this size (don't worry. they've got plenty of stuffed animals). I checked out the muffbone (http://www.paulkreibich.com/muffbone/home.html) and figured I could do the same thing with what I had around the house. My teacher always tells me he loves the sound of my bass drum.

#6 07-02-2007, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crlujan

It's not the Fab 4 kit. I ordered my kit in the same color wrap though, so I understand the confusion. My kit has the Gibraltar Vintage Rail Mount combined with the RIMS mount for the rack tom and the folding bass drum spurs. And they don't offer an 18" bass drum with the Fab 4 kit. But I must say that I did strongly consider the Fab 4 kit with the 20" kit. Glad I didn't though.

The cowbell is an LP Black Beauty. Not the Sr. Just the Black Beauty. Sounds great within the kit.

Chip (or Dale; I'm not sure either) didn't do anything to deserve what he got. I've got 2 boys and went into their rooms looking for a stuffed animal around this size (don't worry. they've got plenty of stuffed animals). I checked out the muffbone (http://www.paulkreibich.com/muffbone/home.html) and figured I could do the same thing with what I had around the house. My teacher always tells me he loves the sound of my bass drum.

Besides the chipmunk, how else are you muffling the bass if at all? What styles of music do you play? With my 14x18 coming I"m just trying to find the best combination for it.

crlujan · #7 07-02-2007, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

Besides the chipmunk, how else are you muffling the bass if at all? What styles of music do you play? With my 14x18 coming I"m just trying to find the best combination for it.

That's it. No other muffling at all. I play jazz mostly. A little but of funk but still in the Lou Donaldson/Idris Muhammad soul-jazz vein.

byebyepanda · #8 07-02-2007, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

Besides the chipmunk, how else are you muffling the bass if at all? What styles of music do you play? With my 14x18 coming I"m just trying to find the best combination for it.

I heard the EMAD works great.

somedrummer · #9 07-02-2007, 05:30 AM

My main set uses a 20" bass drum. I guess it probably seems strange to have a "small" bass drum on such a "big" kit, but that's what came with the original set and I haven't bothered purchasing a 22" because I love the sound. That said, I'm just finishing up 2 vintage kits, both with 22" basses.

byebyepanda · #10 07-03-2007, 04:58 AM

What kind of music do you play?

somedrummer · #11 07-03-2007, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byebyepanda

What kind of music do you play?

On that set I've played everything, from rock to jazz. It's been delightfully versatile in that regard. But now that I've got my 2 vintage kits I've got one outfitted for rock and the other for jazz, so I'm in good shape there too.

Ekim · #12 07-07-2007, 08:10 PM

I would love to find a 20" BD for my 80's Tama Superstars.

I have a 18" ex-marching band drum that I've put on a Danmar cradle w/ just a snare and a few small cymbals for working on jazzy stuff. It sounds great.

And one of the best live BD sounds I ever heard was J.D. Blair playing for Victor Wooten about 6 years ago. He was slamming on a small BD. I thought it had to be at least a 20" since the sound was so big, but he told me after the show it was just a little 18".

Mendozart · #13 07-07-2007, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ekim

I would love to find a 20" BD for my 80's Tama Superstars.

I have a 18" ex-marching band drum that I've put on a Danmar cradle w/ just a snare and a few small cymbals for working on jazzy stuff. It sounds great.

And one of the best live BD sounds I ever heard was J.D. Blair playing for Victor Wooten about 6 years ago. He was slamming on a small BD. I thought it had to be at least a 20" since the sound was so big, but he told me after the show it was just a little 18".

Good luck finding that 80's Tama 20" bass drum. Those are pretty rare. Every once in a while you'll see a 20" floor tom conversion. I played an 83 Superstar set for 23 years, kind of miss it now. But, I'm going to do a little living room jam today with my 16"x18" DW floor tom/bass drum conversion. I picked up a DW cradle, and slapped a Remo PS4 (coated) on the batter side. If I can get a decent sound this way, I might be using this set-up on some small gigs. Here's a pic.
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/a...2&d=1183617330

ermghoti · #14 07-08-2007, 01:57 AM

How 'bout 2 x 20?

The toms aren't actually cockeyed, it's just the perspective in that shot. They are, however grouped to the right/ride side, as I generally play single bass.

Porker69 · #15 07-08-2007, 02:54 AM

how 'bout a 16x16 with a home made bass lift. Sorry for the messyness. I bring this to family reunions over July 4th. I want to stream line it more by cutting down on hardware by getting an L cymbal arm to go in the would be leg holder.

byebyepanda · #16 07-08-2007, 03:09 AM

Sweet drums everyone!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porker69

how 'bout a 16x16 with a home made bass lift. Sorry for the messyness. I bring this to family reunions over July 4th. I want to stream line it more by cutting down on hardware by getting an L cymbal arm to go in the would be leg holder.

That's actually a great idea!

Mr. Pasquini · #17 07-08-2007, 03:28 AM

18" I'm around 5'10" for comparison purposes. I love this kit.

18" is so controlled and punchy. I hate the huge echoey empty sounds of huge drums (unless you do real high quality stuff...

Anyways this gets a beautiful sound. I can tune it to sound huge or really jazzy.

Porker69 · #18 07-08-2007, 03:28 AM

Thanks Panda, but it all comes down to my extreme lazyness.
I was going to make one myself from some metal rods so it would be perfect for me, but my blow torch might not get hot enough.

Mikecore · #19 07-08-2007, 05:20 AM

Though my primary bass drum is a 22", I have a 16" that I made from the kit's floor tom that's a little slammer. The new kit will get a smaller main bass as a result of this little experiment.

bojangleman · #20 07-08-2007, 05:53 AM

(1) the first one is when i had my old set up but it shows the small drum.
(2) old set up agian with the band name and small drum agian.
(3) later but still old set up ;).
(4) new set up.
(5) new set up.

mofle · #21 07-09-2007, 12:11 AM

Here is the setup I use for jazz. I have it set up in the room where my computer is, so I can record myself, and learn from my mistakes. It is really tight!
16x14 bass , 10x9 tom and 14x12 floor, 13x5 and 10x5,5 snares. 20'' Sabian AA Raw ride, 20'' Paiste 2002 Medium, and 14'' Paiste 2002 hats.
Pictures taken with phone, but you get the deal. Cool thread, btw.

Front:

Drivers:

Top:

Deathmetalconga · #22 07-10-2007, 12:01 AM

Here is my set with an 18-inch bass. In fact, all my drums are small, 18 bass and 8-10-12-14 toms. They're solid-shell ironwood, so they weigh as much as large drums and sound like large drums, but they're fairly small given that the average smallest rack tom is now approaching 13 inches and 18 and 20 inch floor toms are getting more common.

#23 07-10-2007, 12:21 AM

New pics of my Gretsch Catalina Jazz with a 14x18.

Fat Elvis · #24 07-10-2007, 07:47 AM

here is my DW with an 20 x 17 inch kick. I love it. Right now i have a DW resonant head on it and it is terrible. I am going back to the emad resonant -- maybe the aquarian. Anyway, i have this kit with a 20 and my others have a 22. The 20 not only is punchier, but it is easier to move, set up and you get plenty of room for tom adjustment.

i wish all my kits were 20s.