Aqua Coated Superkick I fell flat

Ethan01

Senior Member
Hey guys so I finally got a chance to switch from my coated PS3 to the coated Superkick I I ordered a while back for my 20x24" maple bass drum. I'm looking for a low-end punchy sound akin to Bonham and more recently Patrick Carney on the Brothers by Black Keys. I'm using coated emps over coated A's on all my drums save the snare, and love the character of a coated head. I had high hopes for the superkick but it kinda fell flat for me. It's got a lot of punch but very small sustain. It sounds wet for a coated head too... not very warm. I think it's just got too much muffling for my taste, which works better in a live setting but not what I'm looking for all-around.

So I'm stuck again now. I've tried a number of single-ply heads for this kit (coated ported reso). The coated PS3 made it sound like a canon and I wanted a bit more finess and muffling but the Superkick went overboard on that. I guess it's time to try a coated emp on the batter side, and felt stripes? Please let me know any other suggestions!
 
Oh yeah and I'm in the market right now for a proper 14x26" kick drum. If I get that I'll just skin it the bonham way anyways. Was just hoping I could get some more life outta my 20x24..
 
Try tuning the head up a little.

It seems the SK heads like a higher tuning. With the built-in muffling it will sound flat at lower tunings.

I use the SKIII with a non-ported Regulator. I tune them both at around the lowest tone at each lug; which works out to be higher than the common JAW. Tune them higher and it will really sing.

If it's still too muffled for you, just take the muffling ring off. It should save you from having to buy a new head.
 
Let the Aquarian secret do it's job ! Play that head the most you can and it will eventually open up.

From your description of desired sound, you should try the Aquarian Full Force coated, very nice tone and sustain if you want my opinion.
 
Can't go wrong with something from the EMAD line for a great out-of-box sound... EQ3 would be another great option for a more wide-open "thunder kick" sound.
 
I had no idea I could take the muffling ring out... it seemed pretty stuck to hte head and didn't want to take a knife to it just yet. Is it a matter of just pulling hard enough for it to come off? And it won't damage the head? That might be good enough, cause I feel like the muffling is too much for my liking.
 
I had no idea I could take the muffling ring out... it seemed pretty stuck to hte head and didn't want to take a knife to it just yet. Is it a matter of just pulling hard enough for it to come off? And it won't damage the head? That might be good enough, cause I feel like the muffling is too much for my liking.

I'm not sure. I just assumed if you pulled hard enough, it would peel off.

Another forum member (bobdadruma, I think) uses Aquarian Studio-X heads and will sometimes pull off the muffling ring after he's finished recording with them.
 
Update: I pulled off the inner mufling ring (it is lightly glued on) but it did leave a little glue residue. Anyways, I'm VERY happy I did because it just opened up the kit tremendously and I can now add just a tad of muffling to control. Man, this 20x24 kick now sings, and has a tone for a good couple seconds. I'm going back today to introduce a little bit of muffling using a rolled towel from the outside and take it from there. I pretty much have something like a coated A on this thing with a medium coated head on the reso.
 
The small rolled towel between the pedal and head will do the trick for what you want.
The towel thing has been my method of muffling for bass drums for many years.

Coated single ply batter and front is what I run on my different bass drums too. 4" hole for a mic.

If you want nice punch, but not a "click", try a piece of head (same as the batter) taped to the beater impact spot.

It's a cool method because #1, it free, because it's from an old head, #2, you can change it when you want without screwing up the head, #3, I've found it really extends the life of the head itself because of changing the patch every once in a while.

If you want to go the stick on patch route, Aquarian's impact pad isn't as "clicky" as a Remo falams.
 
I have the evans one slapped on there, it's clear and thin. I have a felt beater and didn't notice a tone difference between the patch on or off. I like your idea though, I'll give it a try.

As a small update, I'm going to check out a vintage kit w/ a 14x28" ludwig drum tomorrow and see if I like it. As a 3-piece the store is selling it at 1500 which I believe is steep. The quality looks good in the pics, so it's worth a try.
 
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