How do you stabilize a virgin bass drum that jumps up and down?

harryconway said:
I use a cheap Home Depot carpet, that the velcro (on the bottom of my pedal) grabs. Almost have to tear the pedal off the carpet. I think it's mostly a carpet issue. Too thick (being 3 ply) and too slick. I currently have two 26x14's (Ludwig and Gretsch) and have had two others before ( 26x14 and 26x16 Ludwigs). And I always run 'em without mounted toms, virgin or not. Never had any hop. I think it's a carpet issue.​
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I would tend to think this the major contributing factor. I will also take a close look at the height if the front of the bass and bass pedal spurs. I am in a little bit if a learning curve with my new kit. First time with curved spurs, virgin bass drums, and large 26" bass drums. I will get it sorted.
 
Yep, sounds like the rug is too thick. Check the space for the hoop/grip on the pedal too, if it's moving on you.

Glad you are enjoying the kit!
 
Like GD, it really sounds to me like your pedal isn't clamping dead-center on the hoop. When I attach my pedal, I just loosely put it on there while kind of stomping on it and jostling things around (drum and/or pedal) until the batter-side bouncing stops. That's when I know I have it centered as good as it'll get, and only then do I tighten it down.

If you make any adjustments to your spurs after that, you'll need to go through this exercise again as the center of the hoop (or more accurately, its lowest point) will likely have shifted.

It doesn't take much misalignment before you can see the pedal torquing sideways and causing that characteristic bounce. Also, that torque can put a lot of strain on the hoop, so it's important to minimize or eliminate it.

Of course, thick carpeting probably doesn't help. I'd go through the pedal setup on a more stable surface before putting it on all that padding just to know that if it still bounces, I'd at least know the pedal connection wasn't the issue and that was as good as it will get without sand-bagging it.
 
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Just mount a couple of toms to it and it will settle down. :)
 
Take a a couple of 6" nails and a hammer then secure that kick to the floor. Problem solved. Come on don't be so precious.
 
MikeM said:
Like GD, it really sounds to me like your pedal isn't clamping dead-center on the hoop. When I attach my pedal, I just loosely put it on there while kind of stomping on it and jostling things around (drum and/or pedal) until the batter-side bouncing stops. That's when I know I have it centered as good as it'll get, and only then do I tighten it down.

If you make any adjustments to your spurs after that, you'll need to go through this exercise again as the center of the hoop (or more accurately, its lowest point) will likely have shifted.

It doesn't take much misalignment before you can see the pedal torquing sideways and causing that characteristic bounce. Also, that torque can put a lot of strain on the hoop, so it's important to minimize or eliminate it.

Of course, thick carpeting probably doesn't help. I'd go through the pedal setup on a more stable surface before putting it on all that padding just to know that if it still bounces, I'd at least know the pedal connection wasn't the issue and that was as good as it will get without sand-bagging it.
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The double pedal was centered just fine. But I think the up and down motion, caused by a drum carpet on a thick carpet, creates too much play and ability for the drum to travel up and down. Gradually this up and down motion wiggles the bass pedal clamp further back until it comes disconnected.

When practicing in the practice room I might get a hard surface, like a section of plywood or office desk-chair mat to lay over the carpet. Then I can put a "thin" drum carpet, like a entry door mat with rubberized back on that to keep it from traveling anywhere. Then I will just use the thin mat when I play out. Still thinking about adding a front-of-bass brake two-by-four. I have a practice and a show tomorrow, so I will see what I can come up with.

Here goes nothing. : )
 
UPDATE...

I have placed a 3x5 1/4" thick plywood over the room carpet. I placed a thin rubber-backed low-pile carpet on the wood.

I set the kit up with the front hoop a little over an inch off the carpet. I set my DW 9002 pedal up so that the retractable spikes just protruded slightly from the base plate. (they were not deployed whatsoever up until now). The Velcro on the bottom of the pedal is so strong that I have to give it a solid tug to get it to break free.

So, I started playing and before the first song was finished, the pedal had separated from the drum hoop completely. Now DW pedals aren't too aggressive with their clamp pattern or anything, but I have never had issues with any of my Tama bass drums so this one has thrown me for a loop. It happened about four more times during our practice.

We ended practice a bit early so I could go to Home Depot to pick up some 3M Industrial Strength Grip Tape. I put a small 2" strip on the inside of the bass hoop where the bass pedal clamp meets the hoop. That helped a little, but it was still breaking free.

I went to adjust the bass drum to pedal when I noticed that the pedal was still firmly anchored to the floor via the Velcro. I took a quick look at the front bass drum spacing in reference to where I started out at, and it looked like it moved forward ever so slightly. UGH!!! I am wondering if I made the wise choice by going curved spurs....

My guitar player will be attaching the bass brake, (a one foot section of 4x4) squarely in front of the bass drum) for our Saturday practice. In theory.. It shouldn't go anywhere! The DW is anchored pretty well and I can't say that it is backing out. I now believe that the bass drum is wiggling it's way free of the hoop through force and vibrations.

If the bass brake fails to work, I might get little metal fitting housings for the individual bass spurs where they meet the rug's surface. I saw this at a Big Business show recently. I will conquer this SOB if it kills me, or, it.

Any other advice? Think it's worth it to put grip tape on the other side of the bass hoop? That seems a bit extreme to me. I think the bass drum just wants to slide forward. Hell, it might even work better with NO Carpet. At this point, I am ready to try just about anything to make it work.
 
sounds like it's a pedal issue. You're probably missing a piece of rubber on part of the clamp, and the thing can't grip the hoop properly, or the clamp itself could be defective. Try another pedal to see if you get the same issue. And, with the curved spurs, make sure you take the rubber things off the ends. They will grip a lot better with just the spiky ends. I have a 22X14 with the curved spurs, and it will creep forward if I leave the rubber things on. I don't have any issues with them off. I only put the rubber things on for transport to avoid ripping the drum bag.
 
drumhammerer said:
sounds like it's a pedal issue. You're probably missing a piece of rubber on part of the clamp, and the thing can't grip the hoop properly, or the clamp itself could be defective. Try another pedal to see if you get the same issue. And, with the curved spurs, make sure you take the rubber things off the ends. They will grip a lot better with just the spiky ends. I have a 22X14 with the curved spurs, and it will creep forward if I leave the rubber things on. I don't have any issues with them off. I only put the rubber things on for transport to avoid ripping the drum bag.
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Thanks for the reply. Oddly, I have not removed the rubber feet just yet. I wanted to believe that the rubber feet on the curved spurs would work. So that sounds like a next step for me I suppose.

My DW 9002 has just a metal clamp, so no rubber grip there. I did add a small patch of 3M grip-tape to the part of the hoop that makes contact with the clamp.

I am also adding a bass drum brake just in front of my bass drum that should put this issue to rest. At least, that's the hope...
 
I'm new,but I've set up many a kit for studio recording and live performance.
Everybody is right about the thin carpet thing.You got that covered.

Now theres a rubber piece that goes on the hoop right where your 9002 pedal clamps on.If you don't have that,your kick will always shift or jiggle or move.

Do you hve that gasket/rubber piece?
 
Low tech / Low brow fix.

I got tired of half measures. I got a one foot section of 4x4 along with a metal backing plate and some SS nuts and bolts. My guitarist drilled some holes to match the metal backing plate, drilled through the rug, and created an effective bass brake. HA! Not getting away so fast NOW are you? That's right... Stay put!

The wood section is very soft treated wood and only makes contact with the two bass drum claws. At some point I might cover the wood in a felt of some type or another. But for now, it is a welcomed fix to an annoying problem.

Although I was pretty sick today, I wanted to rehearse and make this fix happen. And happen it did.

I also took the rubber feet off the curved spurs as was suggested. I was tempted to try with just the mean looking spikes. Man! Those things are evil looking. I may put the rubber boots back on the spurs now because I don't want to poke holes in my Protection Racket bag. It's either that, or I would just have to take them out entirely for travel. I am not sure I want to be fussing with it that much.

And for shows, I will just roll the mat up and go.
 

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yes, those spikes are really what keep the thing from moving. I guarantee that was part of your problem. Just put the rubber feet on before you put it back in the case, and you'll be fine. That's what I do, and it works fine, and only takes a couple of seconds. And, most pedals I've used have had a rubber piece either under the movable part, or on the part that goes under the hoop. Without that piece, the pedal won't ever clamp properly. You really shouldn't have to deal with issues like this these days. This is the kind of crap we had to deal with in the 80's and before. The only solutions were the 'ol cinder block, tying the kick to the throne, or nailing something in front of it. Haven't had to deal with that in a long time luckily.
 
Is this about jumping bass drums or walking bass drums? It seems like the later.

I have an Axis Petal. On the petal floor plate is what looks like industrial strength vecro epoxied on to it. On those office type carpets, it takes a lot a effort to pull the pedal off the carpet. So with the Axis pedal, it you attach the pedal to the bass drum correctly,the bass drum will not walk.

I never really looked at how other vendors pedals are built (I'm happy with what I have in that regard) but if there is a floor plate on the petal I would think you could epoxy the same type of velcro. However, as others said, you don't want to over-tighten especially on a wooden hoop, but having the pedal too loose can cause an issue as well. I looked for a solution and found that Axis makes a 'dock' for it pedal (as does Sonor I think, and I am sure there are others). The dock is permanently attached to the hoop and the pedal slides into it. No more screwing around with attaching the pedal directly to the hoop. Its pretty cool actually and seems rock solid..

So you may want to give the 'industrial' velcro a shot. But it has to be epoxied or it could come off quickly under medium or heavy use.
 
My new Bass Brake worked as intended. No bass travel. I put the rubber feet back on and forgot to take them off again, but still, no movement. Worked like a charm.

I have one of the older DW9002 double pedals. It has plenty of Velcro on the bottom plate, but it doesn't have anything in the way of a rubberized grip on the hoop clamp. Come to think of it neither did my old DW5000, or WAY older (90's) Tama pedal. The next pedal that I purchase will have a cleverly though out hoop clamp for sure.

Issue solved.
 

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I've had many kits over the years -- most in the same room and with the same pedal. I've had 2 of those 'jump' just as you described. One was a Ludwig and the other was a Sonor. I'm not sure what was different about those two kits, but they sure didn't like my pedal and carpet.
 
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