The Stand Up Cocktail Kit

JoeVermont

Well-known Member
We've been booked in a really small bar this winter. I'm digging out my old "GP" cocktail kit for the gigs. For users of these kits may I ask what do you do with the batter head on the kick / floor tom in terms of actual head selection and any treatments? These kits are great for high density / low volume stage setups but the kick can sound pretty jazzy and poppy. I also love that I can take the whole kit from my car to stage in one trip.coktail kit 02.jpgcoktail kit 07.jpg
 
I built one of these from 2 floor toms once and had a 16x42" floor/kick. Used a 16" EMAD for good tone control and a 13" snare and 10" tom on a single stand. Flipped the cam on a single chain Pearl pedal and was good to go!
Worked great in the rockabilly scene with short sets.

I made a sit down version too, but the bass drum sound was horrid.
 
I just bought the "nucleus" of a cocktail kit to build for the same reason...I was thinking Remo pinstripe for the bass head to start. Ambassador coated on top.. It won't have toms, at least or now
 
BTW, right now this 15" kick batter is a coated ambassador with a big felt strip (old school 60's style) on it. I'm toying with the idea of an Aquarian Superkick II, which is available in a 15" size. The cotton balls are an intriguing idea... definitely going to try it. The heads are old... I can tell because the logo isn't the size of Montana... ;)
 
Last edited:
On my old cocktail kit with a 15" bass drum I had great success with cutting the hoop off a clear single ply head then cutting the middle of the head out to leave basically a 1" wide ring and the rounded over part that goes over the bearing edge and mounting that underneath a plain clear pinstripe with a falam patch. Essentially making my own 15" tom hoop clear powerstroke 3.

I tried a hydraulic and it was very 'boinky' in tone. Coated 2ply with a felt strip also works.

I never tried it but maybe the cotton ball trick for floor toms?

Anyway, I just came to grips with the fact that I never was going to get a super deep thumpy bass tone. And I'm not biased against small drums, I've owned more 16" and 18" kicks then any other size. One of the most deep chest thumping bass drums I ever owned was the pearl midtown HOWEVER a large part of that came from the 16" emad. Love or hate Evans and/or emad one cannot deny the fact that they can make pretty much any bass drum have a deep punch right out of the box with very little tweaking. Moot though as they don't make a 15" emad. The 15" superkick isn't a bad idea either.
 
Anyway, I just came to grips with the fact that I never was going to get a super deep thumpy bass tone. And I'm not biased against small drums, I've owned more 16" and 18" kicks then any other size.
One of the most deep chest thumping bass drums I ever owned was the pearl midtown HOWEVER a large part of that came from the 16" emad. Love or hate Evans and/or emad one cannot deny the fact that they can make pretty much any bass drum have a deep punch right out of the box with very little tweaking. Moot though as they don't make a 15" emad. The 15" superkick isn't a bad idea either.
I'm a snob about bass tone after owning one of these kits. Unless the FoH guy mic'd it up & gave me something special, it just sucked tonality wise.
Plus, at 52, I'm really done with playing standing up. It was cool 10-15 years ago, but now my back says no. :ROFLMAO:

I loved the poppy snare & high tom though. I kept those for a smaller footprint kit I built later on. All I knew is I wanted to have a good thump for the crowd to dance to.
 
I'm a snob about bass tone after owning one of these kits. Unless the FoH guy mic'd it up & gave me something special, it just sucked tonality wise.
Plus, at 52, I'm really done with playing standing up. It was cool 10-15 years ago, but now my back says no. :ROFLMAO:

I loved the poppy snare & high tom though. I kept those for a smaller footprint kit I built later on. All I knew is I wanted to have a good thump for the crowd to dance to.
I gave up on the 'traditional' cocktail kit and just started using a regular bass drum and a regular snare drum on a tall Gibraltar concert snare stand. I had a great full drum tone but had the visual appeal of standing. I too don't stand anymore, kills my knees and back. I played standing for years and most of it was in a weird Mars Volta style prog band where I was playing very intricate busy songs with wild time signature changes.
 
Not to slightly derail but this is one of my favorite bands with a stand up drummer, Hooten Hallers. I got to open for these guys (while playing standing) and they are legitimately the nicest dudes. This video is older but they also have a lady playing baritone sax in place of a bass and it's so awesome. I think the drummer now sits again.


When they do that cool half time drop almost breakdown I always dance a fool.
 
Not to slightly derail but this is one of my favorite bands with a stand up drummer, Hooten Hallers. I got to open for these guys (while playing standing) and they are legitimately the nicest dudes. This video is older but they also have a lady playing baritone sax in place of a bass and it's so awesome. I think the drummer now sits again.


When they do that cool half time drop almost breakdown I always dance a fool.
Very cool - I like his setup......
1664025396716.png
 
I played a gig once at a bar with a massive installed sound system - and a full time sound person. Our group was bass, guitar, and drums - my cocktail kit. After setup the sound guy comes up on stage, points to the kit and says "What the **** is that?" We both got down on the floor and I showed him how the kick pedal worked. He thought about it for a minute then said "Mic on bottom, one overhead" It was the best that kit has ever sounded.
 
I played a gig once at a bar with a massive installed sound system - and a full time sound person. Our group was bass, guitar, and drums - my cocktail kit. After setup the sound guy comes up on stage, points to the kit and says "What the **** is that?" We both got down on the floor and I showed him how the kick pedal worked. He thought about it for a minute then said "Mic on bottom, one overhead" It was the best that kit has ever sounded.
One time while using my Tama cocktail jam kit (in a sitting set up) the sound guy said "how the hell do I mic that thing?" to which I responded "um, like a drum."
 
I gave up on the 'traditional' cocktail kit and just started using a regular bass drum and a regular snare drum on a tall Gibraltar concert snare stand. I had a great full drum tone but had the visual appeal of standing. I too don't stand anymore, kills my knees and back. I played standing for years and most of it was in a weird Mars Volta style prog band where I was playing very intricate busy songs with wild time signature changes.
I did the stand up thing with the rocks I’ll scene I was in. Started with the cocktail, then moved to Slim Jim Phantom style until we ended it.
Now I sit and I’m the better man for it.😉
 
I've played a few long gigs with a stand up cocktail kit just like yours (OP). In addition to missing a fully functional hi hat, you have to stand with most of your weight on your left leg all night (the right leg works the bass drum). My left leg and hip were very sore the next day! This was a four hour gig, but it's something to consider.
 
I've played a few long gigs with a stand up cocktail kit just like yours (OP). In addition to missing a fully functional hi hat, you have to stand with most of your weight on your left leg all night (the right leg works the bass drum). My left leg and hip were very sore the next day! This was a four hour gig, but it's something to consider.
I was honored to have played a show with the Rhythm Dragons. Their drummer, Bob Stubbs (of Social Distortion fame) played standing up.
At the time I hadn't ever done that & asked him after his show how he could play like that for that long.
He said, "You notice I was always wiggling & moving around?"
"Yeah", I said.
"Well...there ya go. He answered with a smile on his face.

Ever since that day, I was able to play 3 hour gigs on my feet with no real issue. You gotta keep moving the hips & waist and you'll be good to go. ;)
 
I was honored to have played a show with the Rhythm Dragons. Their drummer, Bob Stubbs (of Social Distortion fame) played standing up.
At the time I hadn't ever done that & asked him after his show how he could play like that for that long.
He said, "You notice I was always wiggling & moving around?"
"Yeah", I said.
"Well...there ya go. He answered with a smile on his face.

Ever since that day, I was able to play 3 hour gigs on my feet with no real issue. You gotta keep moving the hips & waist and you'll be good to go. ;)
I found the same to be very true. I dance around the whole time I play standing, everyone thinks I am rocking out... No, my hips and knees and back hurt
 
I found the same to be very true. I dance around the whole time I play standing, everyone thinks I am rocking out... No, my hips and knees and back hurt
For sure.
I had soreness the day after (nothing a little Ibuprofen couldn't fix), but the crowd loved it! And to me...that was the whole point. If I can entertain unlike anything they've regularly seen, then we'll be remembered for giving them a great time both musically & visually.
 
Here is the link to 4 songs from one of the bands I played standing with. We played a mash up of folky Americana and thrash, we called it cowpunk. Band's name was EC's Pickle Liquid.

 
Here is the link to 4 songs from one of the bands I played standing with. We played a mash up of folky Americana and thrash, we called it cowpunk. Band's name was EC's Pickle Liquid.


intersting....we call ourselves cowpunk as well, but not with thrash (I wish)....we are probably a bit closer to psychobilly really at points, but our leader calls us cowpuk
 
Back
Top