Why Can't Bass Drum Spurs Be (a lot) Smaller?

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Quite Frankly Drums - Vintage, Classic, Modern.
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Phil
 
sumdrumguy said:
I think it suggests that a lot of people do not set up their drums and pedals correctly to stop creep. That, and they are stomping on their pedals like neanderthals at a paleolithic hoe-down.

I agree with another poster re the primary role of bass drums spurs being the leveling of the drum laterally (side to side). Next purpose is elevating the front/reso side so that the drum sits flat when the kick pedal is inserted under the batter side hoop. Now the bass drum is elevated evenly; left/right and front/back.

Most bass drum spurs, and kick pedals, include adjustable spikes. Extend those about a 1/4 inch. The weight of the bass drum, plus toms if mounted, will push the spike tips - drum and pedal, into the carpet underneath. This locks the drum in place. No creep.

*Note: If your kick pedal isn't sitting flat - ie. the heel is off the floor/carpet - lower the front/reso spurs a touch. Evenly, on both sides. Or add a small piece of cardboard (a folded stick sleeve works great) directly under where the kick pedal clamps to the hoop.

Once in a while I hit a stage that is a little wonky. One, or both of these, set the kick perfectly. Again... no creep.
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Yamaha spurs on a (here's the secret: ) Yamaha carpet. Can't move it even with a tow truck 🤣
 
Some modern BD spurs are overkill, agreed.

Then again, some of the old smaller spurs were totally ineffective. I have an old Ludwig Standard set, with spurs so small, they were completely useless. The drum was moving all over the place, rocking back and forth. I had to get a set of DW clip-on spurs for the front rim, and that solved the problem. They're not expensive, not too massive, and do the job. I have them on another Ludwig set as well. Highly recommended.
 
Neal Pert said:
Here's something I don't get. On a lot of vintage kits, the spurs are just these tiny things that telescope out from the bass drum. Or, in the case of Ludwig, you had the little gull wings that used floor tom brackets. Nice. And, for most purposes, the small spurs worked just fine.

There are a million products out there now to stop bass drum creep, which suggests to me that, for a lot of people, the modern spurs aren't functioning any better than the vintage ones were. So, maybe, drum companies, offer smaller bass drum spurs? It's one of the only things A&F does that makes sense even though I suspect theirs are pretty vulnerable. And of course there are a few other companies doing this, too. George Way's spurs are kinda ugly but they do the work and they are compact.

The whole massive bass drum spur thing doesn't make sense to me. They're heavy, usually not very attractive, add almost no functionality, etc. View attachment 123526

This is the most exaggerated version of the problem I can find.

So, look, I know there are a ton of aftermarket solutions for this. I get that. But, like, why can't companies just also shrink the size of their stock spurs?
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I was talking to Ron Dunnett about that once at NAMM - I don't remember how it came up...probably because his head was into vintage design with the George Way kits.

He railed about how goofy big bass drum spurs look on kits with 18" bass drums and pointed out that he specifically does a smaller/vintage inspired legs that go into the drum on the GW kits to avoid that very specific look.
 

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I'm quite fond of the DW spurs that clip to the BD hoop. They aren't the cheapest accessory out there, but I like they way the work and look.

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This probably isn’t the best place for my (only half serious) reply/question/whatever. But it is re: bass spurs….
I buy several used kits every year (very used in most cases). I’ll give them whatever love they need. Mostly it’s rewrap, disassemble, clean out the dust and roaches - ya, both kind - polish the hardware, etc. Then I resale, donate, loan to new students or whatever I have to do to get it out of the house before my wife says, “Really? Do we need seven sets of drums laying around the work area???”
Finally, here’s the issue: Is there an Amazon sized warehouse full of bass spurs in every city?? It seems that 90% of the used kits I find are missing at least one, usually both, spurs. How do they get separated so easily? The floor tom legs are almost always intact. Spurs? No.

Obviously it’s the new pandemic and we need to get a dedicated government panel together to solve this issue!

To anyone still listening, thank you. I feel better for getting that off my chest.
 
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