Have You Seen This Tom Tuning Vid?

J-W said:
I know you guys are probably tired of hearing this from me, and I love that Rob's sharing this with the drumming community, but I really, really wish he'd credit who originated this concept: the great Bob Gatzen.

When he says "there are going to be a lot of hardcore 'experts' saying that this is actually the wrong way to do it", I'm thinking "No they wouldn't, because the one and only hardcore expert is Bob Gatzen, you know, the guy you got this, and many of your other concepts from! "

The more I see these videos, the more I start losing respect for Rob Brown. Give Gatzen the credit he deserves.
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Where is the Bob Gatzen version? It can't be this video, which clocks in at an hour and 34 minutes.

 
J-W said:
No. I'll see if an email address can be found.


True. Bob probably wouldn't care at all, so I really shouldn't either. And having been in the game long enough to know Bob personally and his contributions to the drumming community, I guess I mistakenly assume everyone should know where the ideas originated. I think what gets me fired up is when people say "Rob Brown's tuning method". That's not Rob's fault, if he doesn't know where it originated, but I still find that hard to believe. I doubt Rob sat around experimenting with all the possible ways to tune a drum and accidentally stumbled across this one. Again, he might not know where it originated, but considering this is what he does for a living, I think it's safe to assume he did his research.

Don't get me wrong, I love Rob and his channel, and am glad he's helping the drumming community, but I can't help but think that profiting off of someone else's ideas is wrong without giving due credit.

I'll try to reach out to Rob to see what he has to say, and shut up about it here.
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Are you sure Gatzen was the first? Maybe someone before him taught him. Not sure you can copyright tuning an instrument (unless you invent some gizmo).
 
Here's another one I came upon, I guess this guy is a John Bonham fan. He says something at one point (around 25:55) which I don't think I'd heard before...he doesn't listen for the pitches to necessarily be the same, but for a harmony or pleasing sound of the overtones. That really seems like a good idea, because getting overtones all perfect seems pretty impossible, let alone the fundamentals.

I think in the end, he gets pretty great results.

 
ricky said:
Where is the Bob Gatzen version? It can't be this video, which clocks in at an hour and 34 minutes.

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It's this one:
 
MrInsanePolack said:
So glad to hear someone else say this. I learned this way long ago from a jazz guy. All I ever hear now is "crank the reso" so I keep my mouth shut.
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That jazz kid Grayson NesomethingIcan'tspell said the very same thing in a video with Nick D'Virgilio
 
MG1127 said:
This method is great starting point to finding your desired tension ... unless that sound is what you desire......
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That's my thought too.

The method is good as far as it goes, but his ending point is my starting point.
 
I like the Rob Brown kick drum tuning method, but the tom method just doesn't work for my drums. It looks like he uses coated heads on the top and the bottom. I have clears on the bottom. I tuned my 16" Ludwig CM floor tom this way, and while it did resonate and sound good, the pitch was WAY too high for my liking. I tried his tuning-down method, and it simply didn't work for me. I love my drums pitched LOW.

I've been playing drums close to 30 years, and I've still not mastered tuning.
 
No doubt people are sick of hearing me talk up the Tune-Bot but this whole debate is precisely why I'm so bullish on using one.

I respect all of the different viewpoints and techniques people offer up but at the end of the day I just cut through the fog and use something that guarantees superb results. Even if a legendary drummer/tech walked up and tuned my drums to perfection using some secret method, I'd just slap my Tune-Bot on the kit afterwards and record the settings, preserving them forever. I just love the damn thing. 😁
 
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J-W said:
Now you're just messing with me, right? :unsure:

Update: I messaged Rob via his website regarding crediting Bob on Monday and have not heard anything back from him. I won't be pursuing it any further.
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why does he have to credit Bob?

this is a method that drummers have been using since the beginning of time

It is not something Bob Gatzen created

I spoke to Colin Hilborne a while back who was the drum tech for Kenny Jones with the Faces and Roger Pope with Elton in the 60s and 70s and he used this back then... he said it was taught to him by the guys at the Premier factory in the 60s
 
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I applaud Rob's brass-tacks approach toward tuning. He erases all the jargon and other erudite nonsense. His definition of an in-tune drum is one whose sound you like, plain and simple. Obviously, there are multiple ways to get from point A to point B with a drum key. How you go about it is up to you. Achieving the results you want is all that matters.
 
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yammyfan said:
You're not one to shy away from investing in quality gear. I think you would love what a Tune-Bot could do for you.
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I may watch some videos on this. I use a Drum Dial on my snare sometimes, but I don't use it too often. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
 
J-W said:
I know you guys are probably tired of hearing this from me, and I love that Rob's sharing this with the drumming community, but I really, really wish he'd credit who originated this concept: the great Bob Gatzen.

When he says "there are going to be a lot of hardcore 'experts' saying that this is actually the wrong way to do it", I'm thinking "No they wouldn't, because the one and only hardcore expert is Bob Gatzen, you know, the guy you got this, and many of your other concepts from! "

The more I see these videos, the more I start losing respect for Rob Brown. Give Gatzen the credit he deserves.
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Gatzen has great videos and techniques. BUT he did not invent tuning drums. He may have been one of the first on YouTube.
For the record, Bob’s videos are great and I’ve learned from them, but I believe his method is more involved than Rob’s.
 
Okay okay okay!
I tried the technique shown in the video on two of my kits the last two days. Not only did I love the way my toms sounded, but I also got compliments on them specifically from the sound guys and some other drummers I knew at the shows!! I didn't even tell them I tried a new trick ahead of time. They all came up to me at some point with the whole "Man! I love the way your toms sound!"
 
J-W said:
All that said, after using this method on my 6" toms, I'm no longer convinced that it even works. I can't even see the wrinkles in the beginning stages of the procedure. ;):)
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I do think it's easier to see wrinkles on some heads more than others. I found that shining a light on an angle at the head helps you to see them pretty clearly.

Having said that, I used the method, and I think the rack tom turned out fine, but I didn't like the floor tom...though I suppose it was fine.

Went back to my tunebot. :p
 
J-W said:
That was never said, nor even implied. I believe you may have skipped over 22 posts and/or taken things out of context. No big deal; it happens occasionally all the time here.

The air was cleared and I was politely corrected. Bob wasn't the first on Youtube (since youtube didn't exist when he first went public with it) and this particular method apparently been has used for roughly 15 billion years, possibly even longer.

All that said, after using this method on my 6" toms, I'm no longer convinced that it even works. I can't even see the wrinkles in the beginning stages of the procedure. ;):)
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Come on man…seriously? You implied that this was “Bob’s method”. Why else would you get bent that Rob didn’t give him credit?
And anyone who saw this, viewed it on YouTube. As far as the 6” tom goes….that’s really what you are using as your example? You have to know that a tom that small can’t be tuned just beyond wrinkle. It probably doesn’t even have a reso head.
 
PorkPieGuy said:
I may watch some videos on this. I use a Drum Dial on my snare sometimes, but I don't use it too often. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
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It's a game-changer, brother. Perfectly tuned drums in minutes - no wonky overtones to mess with and intervals between toms that make your kit sound like Simon Phillips tuned it himself.

Better still, when you find tones you like you simply write them down and return to them at will. Head changes are a breeze and you can experiment freely without worrying about screwing up your kit and never getting it sounding the same again.

These guys used a Tune-Bot while testing 5 different kits. The consistency between them is striking. You may prefer to tune your drums differently but the point is that once you find something you like, you can repeat it endlessly and effortlessly. That's a huge plus in my books.

 
yammyfan said:
It's a game-changer, brother. Perfectly tuned drums in minutes - no wonky overtones to mess with and intervals between toms that make your kit sound like Simon Phillips tuned it himself.

Better still, when you find tones you like you simply write them down and return to them at will. Head changes are a breeze and you can experiment freely without worrying about screwing up your kit and never getting it sounding the same again.

These guys used a Tune-Bot while testing 5 different kits. The consistency between them is striking. You may prefer to tune your drums differently but the point is that once you find something you like, you can repeat it endlessly and effortlessly. That's a huge plus in my books.

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I love that video. It verified my choice in picking Classic Maples out of their entire inventory, including the more expensive Legacy kits.

I ordered a tune bot last night! I should have a chance to work with it before my next gig! I’ll let you know how it goes.
 
PorkPieGuy said:
I love that video. It verified my choice in picking Classic Maples out of their entire inventory, including the more expensive Legacy kits.

I ordered a tune bot last night! I should have a chance to work with it before my next gig! I’ll let you know how it goes.
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The Classic Maples were my favourite too. I can only imagine how happy they must make you.

Like anything, there is a learning curve to using the Tune-Bot but once you master it, you'll likely love it. Your tuning skills won't atrophy either; if anything they will get better.

When science meets art, the results can be amazing.
 
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