Gretsch Renown - Issue with 20" Bass Drum

Kenboy

Junior Member
I am guessing I'll have to buy a riser for my 20" kick to be able to use a standard pedal and strike the drum at the center. Why in the world would a company NOT supply a bass drum riser with their 20" or smaller kicks?
 
Perhaps they didn't want to include a cheap riser with a highly rated Renown and a quality one would have increase the price of the kit above the threshold line, compromising the quality/price of the kit against the competitors.

***
When I received my kit it was supplied with, apparently, a cheap riser and it turned out that I prefer the sound of the bass drum with the beater hitting over from the center, in a jazz context, to get more tonality and life out of the drum. Of course all of this is subjective, but IMO the drum looks cooler with the bass drum very close from the floor too.
 
You definitely don't need one and you can get a great sound by striking a 20" just above center. That said, The Dixson lift is fantastic. I use one with my Renown.

You can see the added height pretty clearly in this photo:

20200730_220727.jpg
 
I am guessing I'll have to buy a riser for my 20" kick to be able to use a standard pedal and strike the drum at the center. Why in the world would a company NOT supply a bass drum riser with their 20" or smaller kicks?
Well, maybe because: (i) not everybody wants to strike a bass drum in the center and (ii) it is always possible to adjust the beater's height ...
 
Well, maybe because: (i) not everybody wants to strike a bass drum in the center and (ii) it is always possible to adjust the beater's height ...
Absolutely true but in my experience, lowering the beater to strike a 20" kick in the center when the drum is sitting on the floor leads to a subpar experience as feel is greatly compromised. The better solution is to leave the kick drum where it is and lengthen the beater to strike above center, or lift the kick drum so that the beater strikes center without having to shorten it.
 
Last edited:
I am guessing I'll have to buy a riser for my 20" kick to be able to use a standard pedal and strike the drum at the center. Why in the world would a company NOT supply a bass drum riser with their 20" or smaller kicks?
A lot of people don't use them. Especially on 20's. It's certainly a more common item on 18's ..... and even then ..... probably most 18" drivers don't. The "bop kit" jazz guys seem to like the beater hitting above center. Does Gretsch even have a proprietary lift?
 
Last edited:
I have a Renown kit with a 20” bass drum. Never used a riser and the beater strikes a little above center. Sounds and feels great, never had even the slightest desire to add a riser.

BTW, I don’t know of a single drum company that ships 20” bass drums with risers. Why? They’re not needed. Don’t overthink it and just enjoy your kit.
 
Because most people won't use a riser with their 20" bass drums, and because it saves them money.
I'm currently using a few books to raise my current bass drum, and I'm modifying one of those cheap-ish supports that are sold under a lot of names, including gibraltar and millenium to allow them to go lower than it normally would, and I think Mapex makes a similar one that's smart and low enough to work properly with a 20", else it's the Dixson lift.
BTW, I don’t know of a single drum company that ships 20” bass drums with risers. Why? They’re not needed. Don’t overthink it and just enjoy your kit.
Yamaha does with their RC, and I'm not sure about the AHM and LCHO.
 
Because most people won't use a riser with their 20" bass drums, and because it saves them money.
I'm currently using a few books to raise my current bass drum, and I'm modifying one of those cheap-ish supports that are sold under a lot of names, including gibraltar and millenium to allow them to go lower than it normally would, and I think Mapex makes a similar one that's smart and low enough to work properly with a 20", else it's the Dixson lift.

Yamaha does with their RC, and I'm not sure about the AHM and LCHO.
Interesting. I’ve played a few of the RC reissues, but I guess all of them had 22” kicks. I didn’t know the 20”s came with a riser. I still don’t think they’re needed, but if you just have to have your beater hit dead center, then I suppose it makes sense.
 
I play a 20" kick without a riser and I'm happy with the sound I'm getting. It's also nice not having another piece of hardware to keep up with. I did use a riser with an 18" kick for a while, so I've dealt with them before.
 
If you have to raise a 20” bass drum for the beater to strike in the center, what does one do with pedals which strike offset to center?

DWCP3002-1-1000x1000.jpg


both beaters seem way off to me and even if the above was a single pedal, it’d be as far off center as the difference between a 22 and a 20.
I’ve had about 4 different pedals mounted up to my current set and the head shows markings from all. My current Yamaha is the most centered, but all others have been to the left or right, so much so, a single standard sided patch wouldn’t cover the wear marks.
 
I am going to use a lift (Dixson). At least it gives me the OPTION to hit close to dead center. I get that some don't mind kicking above center. But, obviously without a lift, there is no other way. So, I get that most just accept it and move on. Shortening the "throw" of the beater doesn't work for me either. I loose a lot of "feel". Who knows, with a lift, I'll be able to adjust the beater to kick above, below, and dead on center. Now, those are options I like.

Really, it just seemed to me that the manufacturers should come up with a simple solution to offer their customers on this issue. I see that Yamaha does with the RC's. Then again, as some have suggested, it's not a big deal. They're probably right. Then again, if I were aiming at a target...
 
Interesting. I’ve played a few of the RC reissues, but I guess all of them had 22” kicks. I didn’t know the 20”s came with a riser. I still don’t think they’re needed, but if you just have to have your beater hit dead center, then I suppose it makes sense.
the reissue RCs have a cutout on the bass drum hoop so that you can use a riser (included). I think it's a neat idea. Also comes with 10 lugs on a 20 inch which is something other brands don't usually do.
 
the reissue RCs have a cutout on the bass drum hoop so that you can use a riser (included). I think it's a neat idea. Also comes with 10 lugs on a 20 inch which is something other brands don't usually do.
The Yamaha 9000 18x14 I just sold had 10 lugs on it. Yamaha don't go cheap on the RC/9000's. But then $3400+ isn't cheap, either.
I see that Yamaha does with the RC's. Then again, as some have suggested, it's not a big deal. They're probably right. Then again, if I were aiming at a target...
Yamaha has had a proprietary lift for quite a long time. I think the Daxdad first used it. A 12" diameter shell 22" long. They put their standard tom flange on the underside of the drum, and the duckfoot slips into that. The HipGig ..... and the Manu Katche Jr. also use the same system. Works like a champ. I'm probably gonna mount one onto a Yamaha 18x15 Stage Custom kick that I have. I've got a 1st gen Manu Katche Jr. kit, and I really like the "duckfoot" system.

On the 20" RC ..... Yamaha states "Steve (Gadd) prefers a 20-inch, lifted bass drum, so we adopted this specification." Gotta keep Steve happy;)
 

Attachments

  • yamaha daxdad.jpg
    yamaha daxdad.jpg
    54.3 KB · Views: 13
  • yamaha duckfoot.jpg
    yamaha duckfoot.jpg
    43.2 KB · Views: 12
  • yamaha duckfoor and tom mount.JPG
    yamaha duckfoor and tom mount.JPG
    141.4 KB · Views: 12
I have three kits with 20’s - I don’t use a riser on any of them. I have the beater shortened a fraction (half inch?), but with a sliding weight to keep the momentum right. The beater hits just above centre. Sounds great to me, and much easier than balancing on a riser every gig.
 
I've had a 20 for about 15 years now. I loved the sound of this drum right out of the box. With just a Superkick I, standard single ply reso, and nothing inside the shell, it sounded wonderful to me. I happily used it without a riser for about 10 years. But more recently, I've been trying to squeeze the best possible sound out of each drum I have. The only other thing I could think of trying for the kick was a riser. I tried a couple that you clamp onto the hoop. I liked the result, but they were fiddly and a little bit unstable. I like everything to be rock solid. I finally said screw it and drilled my kick for a DW lift. Once I had it installed and gave it a try...oh oh yeah! Sounds so good. Could definitely hear more resonance of a woody sort, and it seems like the elevation lets the sound waves flow around the drum more. The feel and sound of the beater hitting the head dead center was so satisfying. And the DW lift is so stable. The drum somehow seems more stable now than when I was clamping it to a pedal on the floor. Drilling was a fairly easy decision for me with a Keller shell kick that I never plan on selling. Maybe not so much with a Renown. I'd totally recommend giving the Dixson a try though. Another downside with a riser is you have to mount rack toms a bit higher, but that's also not an issue for me personally.


DWlift.jpg
 
Back
Top