How long do you get out of your bass drum pedal protectors?

JimmyM

Diamond Member
From what I'm reading online, not much if you play enough. I got these old CB 700 drums a buddy of mine had for his first set, stepped up with Premiers, then went to Yamaha, and he gave me two toms and a bass drum for helping him record a song for his wife's college project on the digestive tract with lyrics she wrote and I tweaked a little to sing it in rhythm, and got her an A :D

But being a kid with not much money in those days, he broke thru the batter bass drum head and was using a piece of drum head held on with double sided carpet tape cut to fit the resonant head, and I don't know how long he used it before scoring the Premier kit but it's held on for decades now and nary a dent in the head. But it was for a single pedal and I want to use this double DW5000 I got last week after I get it cleaned and new beaters put in. So I was think of doing the same thing, but wanted to know what the big advantage of commercial protectors over a piece of head is, because I'm not seeing the downside, especially when so many people say they don't last long at the rate they use them..
 
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From what I'm reading online, not much if you play enough. I got these old CB 700 drums a buddy of mine had for his first set, stepped up with Premiers, then went to Yamaha, and he gave me two toms and a bass drum for helping him record a song for his wife's college project on the digestive tract with lyrics she wrote and I tweaked a little to sing it in rhythm, and got her an A :D

But being a kid with not much money in those days, he broke thru the batter bass drum head and was using a piece of drum head held on with double sided carpet tape cut to fit the resonant head, and I don't know how long he used it before scoring the Premier kit but it's held on for decades now and nary a dent in the head. But it was for a single pedal and I want to use this double DW5000 I got last week after I get it cleaned and new beaters put in. So I was think of doing the same thing, but wanted to know what the big advantage of commercial protectors over a piece of head is, because I'm not seeing the downside, especially when so many people say they don't last long at the rate they use them..
It depends on which patch you buy. I like Remo Flam Slam patches, they last several yrs. If you use felt beaters I don't think you need a patch. Do not use a rough patch like the flam slam with felt beaters, it will wear out the beaters real fast. I use heavy wood beaters and the flam slam works real good.
 
....... especially when so many people say they don't last long at the rate they use them..
A bass head patch wear out ????? I've never worn one out.

I used to burn thru Pinstripe heads (at least 1 ply), before I started using an "impact patch" on 'em (way back in the day) ..... but in the last 30 or so years, I've never burned thru a patch, or broken a head. I tend to replace them waaaaay before that happens.
 
It depends on which patch you buy. I like Remo Flam Slam patches, they last several yrs. If you use felt beaters I don't think you need a patch. Do not use a rough patch like the flam slam with felt beaters, it will wear out the beaters real fast. I use heavy wood beaters and the flam slam works real good.
Haven't decided yet. The DW beaters I'm getting for the DW5000 double are reversible, and right now all I have on my other single pedals is felt. Weird talking about pedals...last week I had none, all of a sudden I had 3 pop into my life...two given to me and one I had but forgot I had. Pretty nice early 80's Premier single, too.
A bass head patch wear out ????? I've never worn one out.

I used to burn thru Pinstripe heads (at least 1 ply), before I started using an "impact patch" on 'em (way back in the day) ..... but in the last 30 or so years, I've never burned thru a patch, or broken a head. I tend to replace them waaaaay before that happens.
I hear you on that, Harry, but I'm not planning to gig drums for quite a while (need my skillz back first), so I'm not under any pressure to change heads, though I did change the rack tom head and the snare drum heads, but only because they broke or looked like they were going to if I tried to use them much longer in the case of the snare side head. Anyway, I was just going by what others have said about them on here and the net, and some play so hard that they do burn through the patches. Except for the Falam Slam, which seems to get the best reviews for longetivity, though some say it changes the sound to something they didn't care for.
 
I literally can’t think of a single case regarding wearing through bass drum patches on this forum. Even in the wild, the only time I’m aware of that kind of thing happening was with the taping quarters or metal discs to the pads or beaters, and, well, duh.

I haven’t punched through a patched bass drum head in over 20 years, and I’ve been a frequent player in projects utilizing double kick for most of those. Typically using wood, plastic, or rubber beaters. I still replace the head every few years because they do lose some life, as an excuse to try new heads, and maybe for precautionary reasons. The reality is, I have a solid collection of very usable 22” bass drum heads.
 
It depends on which patch you buy. I like Remo Flam Slam patches, they last several yrs. If you use felt beaters I don't think you need a patch. Do not use a rough patch like the flam slam with felt beaters, it will wear out the beaters real fast. I use heavy wood beaters and the flam slam works real good.

^This

I have the Evans EQ Patch and that things eats felt. Switched to wood beaters too (Tama) since they give added attack and punch.
I can even see some wear on the wood beaters, so maybe it's time to remove them and put the Remo Flam Slam on.
Had a Danmar double pedal patch, but i don't recommend those; came loose after a couple of months while the aforementioned stayed on for eternity.
Anyway, never went through a bass drum head since using kickpads.
 
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Thx for the replies, folks! I'll tell you, though...even though it's comforting to hear that it's not as big a deal as some of the reviews made it out to be, I gave a couple different pieces of drum head a try by taping them on with blue painter's tape. I really thought both did a good job, but I liked the sound of the coated CS batter flipped over the best over that hideous Gretsch head. So I will cut out the CS dot as neatly as I can and apply it permanently with double stick carpet tape, and it should be really pretty, though it'll be a little cockeyed since I don't like the beater hitting dead center for some reason. Not sure why...just doesn't seem to have the sound I'm looking for while dropping or raising it an inch does.
 
Thx for the replies, folks! I'll tell you, though...even though it's comforting to hear that it's not as big a deal as some of the reviews made it out to be, I gave a couple different pieces of drum head a try by taping them on with blue painter's tape. I really thought both did a good job, but I liked the sound of the coated CS batter flipped over the best over that hideous Gretsch head. So I will cut out the CS dot as neatly as I can and apply it permanently with double stick carpet tape, and it should be really pretty, though it'll be a little cockeyed since I don't like the beater hitting dead center for some reason. Not sure why...just doesn't seem to have the sound I'm looking for while dropping or raising it an inch does.
I don’t know what your budget is, but I don’t think anybody here is equivocating a legitimate bass drum patch with taping on some more Mylar.

I’d recommend the Aquarian Super thin, but basically any will do.
 
I have played in metal and punk bands for 40 or so years, and have never used any kind of patch, or protector on my Remo Powerstoke 3 clears...and have never broken a bass drum head while playing; countless gigs; using DW 5000 beaters with the felt side; heel up playing; usually barefoot...I would not be able to play withh any kind of feel, speed or precision if I was hitting the drums hard enough to break them

and not trying to sound snarky, just giving my experiences.
 
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I have a small piece of Yamaha speaker carpet stuck to my kick head. If it ever wears out, which I doubt, I have a few more pieces. Best patch ever.
 
I've worn through the cloth Evans patches, and I've worn through the mylar ones, but I've NEVER worn through a Falam Slam patch. Those things are bulletproof. It's Kevlar fabric - literally bulletproof!
 
Had a Danmar double pedal patch, but i don't recommend those; came loose after a couple of months while the aforementioned stayed on for eternity.
Anyway, never went through a bass drum head since using kickpads.
Same here they need better stick-um lol.
 
I have played in metal and punk bands for 40 or so years, and have never used any kind of patch, or protector on my Remo Powerstoke 3 clears...and have never broken a bass drum head while playing; countless gigs; using DW 5000 beaters with the felt side; heel up playing; usually barefoot...I would not be able to play withh any kind of feel, speed or precision if I was hitting the drums hard enough to break them
I completely get that. Haven't decided on a beater yet but I've always liked felt just fine. But there are folks with heavy single pedal feet that slam the dogcrap out of them because the artists want that.
 
I have played in metal and punk bands for 40 or so years, and have never used any kind of patch, or protector on my Remo Powerstoke 3 clears...and have never broken a bass drum head while playing; countless gigs; using DW 5000 beaters with the felt side; heel up playing; usually barefoot...I would not be able to play withh any kind of feel, speed or precision if I was hitting the drums hard enough to break them
I think you're right. I'm of the opinion that if you're using felt you don't need a patch, your statement pretty much makes that point. I never used a patch until I started using wood beaters back in the 80s. Growing up in the 70s I used felt beaters and the heads lasted for many yr.
 
I don’t know what your budget is, but I don’t think anybody here is equivocating a legitimate bass drum patch with taping on some more Mylar.

I’d recommend the Aquarian Super thin, but basically any will do.
Well my budget is super low since I'm a working musician :D and I don't have any illusions about setting the drum world on fire. I just want to be able to play competently again. I could do some fairly complex stuff when I was a kid and practiced all day, even playing in odd times along with classic prog rock once I understood what odd times were. But I never built myself up to pro level on drums...competent with really good timing, but once I got into guitar and bass, I let drums and keys fall by the wayside and I wish I'd have kept both going.

Anyway, I'm cool with the sound of extra mylar. I don't like other drums too muffled but I do like the sound of drier drums vs the ping and ring types. Used to love it when the snare sounded like a shotgun blast, but I got a little tired of the bombast.
 
Well the double sided carpet tape was a dismal failure. Sucked out all semblance of attack with the felt beater. Sounded better taped down with blue painter's tape. Will work for my purposes at home, but even I have my standards...I don't want some jury rigged thing like that on there. I want it neat and clean. So I guess I'll "go pro" and get a patch, just not any with rough surfaces since I'll want to use both felt and wood when my new beaters get here. Thx for tipping me off to the ones that do, folks. Just ordered the Aquarian Super Kick double.
 
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A patch does reduce the attack.

I've never worn out a patch, but I don't hit hard and use a felt beater.
 
A bass head patch wear out ????? I've never worn one out.
I went through a batter head only because the single beater was hitting the seam between 2 patches. And even that took over 5 years of 4-5 times a week practice & gigging.
Now I have an Evans clear patch on an EMAD & with the felt beater, I'm strapping in for another decade (or longer) of use.
 
The shop I get supplies from always has extra beater patches that people didn't want. I like Evans- either the small Kevlar or the clear ones. To me they barely change the sound and feel at all.. Also I find those double sided Pearl beaters are bad for wearing through stuff.
 
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