Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

diegobxr

Silver Member
Hi everyone!! It's me again, this time bothering with another question... (sorry)

Just two hours ago I sold my Pearl Forum, and I'm ready and set to go and get my new kit!!!! So excited. :D :D

But, there's something worrying me.

The kit I was planning to buy is a Mapex Meridian Birch, 24"x18" BD, 13" rack tom, 16" and 18" floor toms.

Every experienced drummer I've told this to, gives me the same answer: "mmmm, are you sure?" "Think about it more carefully..", etc.

They've told me things like these to think about:

1- That configuration is just massive. Today you play in a loud rock band, but if tomorrow you wanna play with a softer band, something pop, playing with just a pianist, etc., you're screwed. It's a kit to play just from "loud" to "very loud".

2- Nowadays almost every place to gig will mic your drums. With a 20" or 22" BD you can do everything. If you need more power just tell the sound guy to raise the volume of the mic.

3- If you have to play somewhere rather small and keep the volume down... again, you're screwed. (Basically, you can make a standard kit sound louder, but you can't make a big kit quiet).

4- May sound stupid, but someday you'll be waiting to go to a gig (or worse, return home from one) and when you try to get your BD in someone's car, it won't fit. [OUCH]

5- One guy told me this: "wow, an 18" floor tom. Man, I already feel sorry for you. That's a pain in the ass to tune. It's a huge drum, it moves a lot of air and therefore is very difficult to tune. (also bear in mind that Meridians 18" FT only has 6 lugs). He told me he had a Rogers kit with an 18" FT and he would be hours and hours to find the only very precise sweet spot where it sounded well.

6- Apparently 24" bass drums are very hard to tune too.

-------

Anyway, tomorrow first thing in the morning I'll be going to the shop to try it out. A lot of the bands I like tho most use this configuration live, but well, they're professional drummers with many kits.

SO, what's your opinion? Is that kit overkill? Should I go with a standard 22",10",12"14"?

This will be my first kit bought 100% with my own hard earned money, and I don't want to regret it!

Thanks for reading! :)

Cheers
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

First there is no standard. But if there were, it would probably be 22, 12, 13, 16. 22. 10, 12, 14 is more fusion than standard. If you want a 22, 13, 16, 18 go play it and see if you like it. If you do, BUY IT. You can always add sizes or sell that kit whatever. Have fun.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

Your sound is....YOUR SOUND.....go for it.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

I like 24 inch bass drums myself, but they can be hard to fit in some vehicles. The thing I would stay away from is that 18" floor tom ith only 6 lugs. I've got a Mapex 16" with only 6 lugs, and it's a pain to tune. Lousy way to economize in my opinion.

I'd say go for something else, either smaller sizes or a better quality kit (or both).
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

Its BS to think that a "big sized kit" can only play "big loud music"...Look at the drummers from the big band era...massive kits usually 24-26 BD's, 13, 16, 18 toms...and they were able to play jazz...Look at someone like Steve Jordan or JJ Johnson who both play with John Mayer, those guys have dynamics like crazy on their kits...they too use 24" BD's and big floor toms. They play everything from heavy jamming tunes to slow soft ballads. Now I will say that the 18" depth on the BD is more of a new trend thing and may be harder to control unlike say a 24x16. Heads and tuning will be very important, as will what type of muffling if any you use, but you should be able to get a very versatile sound from that sized kit, (provided it is quality..i.e. bearing edges etc.) My perfect sized kit would be a 24X16 BD, 12x9 rack, 14x11 floor, and 16x13 floor..but to each is own...
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

I've got a 26" kick. It's fine. Do what you feel is right. Try it out first if you can, though.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

3- If you have to play somewhere rather small and keep the volume down... again, you're screwed. (Basically, you can make a standard kit sound louder, but you can't make a big kit quiet).

Whoever said that is not an "experienced" drummer. You can PLAY a large kit quietly. You just have to learn how.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

The kit I was planning to buy is a Mapex Meridian Birch, 24"x18" BD, 13" rack tom, 16" and 18" floor toms.

Why I also don't like wide bass drums is that if your are mounting the rack tom on the bass drum it will be quite hard to position and probably too high to play comfortably, but if your tall it shouldn't be a problem.

...and if you want a rack tom and two floor tom arrangement, I would go with 12", 14", 16", smaller and easier to transport...and to me it sounds logical to have consistent width intervals.

If you like the kit when you get to the shop, consider how you're going to transport something with drums that big + hardware + cymbals etc.

If everything agrees with you, buy it.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

I use a 24", and like others have said, plenty of drummers throughout the ages used 24" to play a wide variety of genres. It's a 2" difference, tell me 2" is the difference between so called "loud rock" and "everything else!" It's really how YOU make it sound.

Speaking of 18" FT..., I use a 24,13,16 config and that reminded me I need to check out the used 18" market cause I've been meaning to get me one =D
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

I played a 24" bass drum in my earlier years and it was not difficult to tune. I got a lot of positive feedback about my bass drum sound. I also had 16" and 18" floor toms at that time and didn't have any issues getting the sound I wanted out of them. In fact, I found them easier to dial in than the mounted toms. However, they were not 6 lug floor toms so that may be a consideration.

Transport may be a bit more hassle but having if they fit in your vehicle whats the issue? I'd say if they have the sound you want then go for it.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

I have 24" bass drums in my set up, the only issue you MIGHT ever have is placement of toms over them. If you have deep shell toms, they will sit higher. I say get the size you want.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

They don't know what they're talking about. Do what YOU want. Larger drums DO have a different sound to them, but it's up to you if it works or not for your musical expression...
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

Why not buy three bass drums that match the kit.
24, 22, and a 20 inch.
Then you won't have to lose any sleep over the purchase.
Don't forget to order the 14 inch floor tom also to go along with the 16 and the 18.

Just kidding, You can always buy a smaller dimension kit to use when you don't want to play the big dimension kit.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

Your experienced drummer friends know your musical needs better than we do- I would listen to them. Drums do come in different sizes for a reason, and everything doesn't work equally well with all music. I would really try to play a set of these alongside a standard size set before you buy them. See what it feels (and sounds) like to play them at church-band volume.

I think the only time I would want a set like this is if I was playing a lot of loud music unmiked- anyplace else they would be a nightmare, frankly. But that's me. My advice for an all-purpose configuration that will work in virtually any situation is 10/12/14/20.

I'm curious, how did you decide that those were the sizes you want?
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

Hi everyone!! It's me again, this time bothering with another question... (sorry)

Just two hours ago I sold my Pearl Forum, and I'm ready and set to go and get my new kit!!!! So excited. :D :D

But, there's something worrying me.

The kit I was planning to buy is a Mapex Meridian Birch, 24"x18" BD, 13" rack tom, 16" and 18" floor toms.

Every experienced drummer I've told this to, gives me the same answer: "mmmm, are you sure?" "Think about it more carefully..", etc.

They've told me things like these to think about:

1- That configuration is just massive. Today you play in a loud rock band, but if tomorrow you wanna play with a softer band, something pop, playing with just a pianist, etc., you're screwed. It's a kit to play just from "loud" to "very loud".

2- Nowadays almost every place to gig will mic your drums. With a 20" or 22" BD you can do everything. If you need more power just tell the sound guy to raise the volume of the mic.

3- If you have to play somewhere rather small and keep the volume down... again, you're screwed. (Basically, you can make a standard kit sound louder, but you can't make a big kit quiet).

4- May sound stupid, but someday you'll be waiting to go to a gig (or worse, return home from one) and when you try to get your BD in someone's car, it won't fit. [OUCH]

5- One guy told me this: "wow, an 18" floor tom. Man, I already feel sorry for you. That's a pain in the ass to tune. It's a huge drum, it moves a lot of air and therefore is very difficult to tune. (also bear in mind that Meridians 18" FT only has 6 lugs). He told me he had a Rogers kit with an 18" FT and he would be hours and hours to find the only very precise sweet spot where it sounded well.

6- Apparently 24" bass drums are very hard to tune too.

-------

Anyway, tomorrow first thing in the morning I'll be going to the shop to try it out. A lot of the bands I like tho most use this configuration live, but well, they're professional drummers with many kits.

SO, what's your opinion? Is that kit overkill? Should I go with a standard 22",10",12"14"?

This will be my first kit bought 100% with my own hard earned money, and I don't want to regret it!

Thanks for reading! :)

Cheers

Nah; they're dubious assumptions at best. The only potential problem is if the bass drum won't fit in your car, but that's something you'll know way before buying. ;-)

With finese, a drummer could play Bonham's kit to acoustic guitars if they are careful with it. ;-)
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

I was re-reading this thread, and I wanted to clarify that when i said perhaps you should opt for smaller sizes, I was only addressing the 6-lug issue on that floor tom. I just meant that if you could only afford an 18" drum with six lugs, I would opt for something smaller instead.

I didn't really address the size vs. volume issue in my first post, but you can play from whisper soft to roaring loud on any size drum. A bigger drum basically just gives you lower pitch than a smaller drum if they are similarly tensioned. People who say you can only play loud music on big drums are incorrect, IMO.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

As someone who also runs a small sound company I would also advise caution over falling in love with how impressive large drums sound by themselves in a shop. Remember, those folks in the past tuned their drums fairly high which unless you do something ugly to the head will result in a very live sound. You can play it quietly, even do jazz gigs (most of those folks with large drums back then were running skin heads which damp more and are quieter) with enough technique. But it's going to take a lot of effort to control.

The big thing is that massive sounding deep tones get completely lost in a band mix in the room. Unless you are doing things that involve a lot of space where you are doing fills and breaks with little else going on, that 18" will disappear. Especially in a rock context where the bass player is using an SVT and the guitarists have 4-12 cabinets. Both of which put out lots on energy right in the same place. A low tuned 18 is not going to cut though that mud unless it's gated tightly and the bottom cut out so that you hear mostly attack. At which point you may as well be playing a 14 or moderately tight 16.
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

In deference to the good advice from our colleagues here that size is supposed to matter, I still say; bollocks.

I played a nice 16x24 bass drum long ago, even tried 26" at one point in my life, and in reality, it doesn't matter. Myself, being a sound engineer (as opposed to a sound guy), my job is to take what you have and make it sound great. Yes, smaller drums make things easier, but making a big drum sound great in a mix is part of my job too. If I can't do that, I need another profession!

I never complain when drummers show up with what they have - like drummers and their drums - there are no rules. Just make it sound good. With all the gear available to me on a given audio set-up, I'd be an idiot if I couldn't do anything.

Ignore the nimrods telling you to think about it. You play what you like. Remember Artimus Pyle of Lynrd Skynrd? The guy had one 28" bass drum and a 22". I always thought 24's were cool because the beater hit dead center of the drum, so you got a better thud. Ringo Starr initially played a 20" because he wanted to be seen by his fans - I wonder if his friends told him to think about it? Danny Gottlieb discovered the joys of the 24" after he left Pat Metheny where he always played a 20". But the thing is, you find your sound. If that's in big toms, that's OK. You may buy more drums in the future anyway - everybody on here has at least two kits (except me).

When I played bigger sizes, the plus side for me was that I wouldn't have to play that hard, and that aspect works too!
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

Hi guys!

I didn't expect so many replies in such short period of time! :) Thanks a lot.
I'd like to answer each one of you personally and quoting but that would take forever, so I'll do it generally. :D

Well.. a lot of helpful advice here, from all kinds: from "buy it if you like it, you can sell it later", to "don't buy it, get something smaller or better quality", each one of them has its reasons and I appreciate them all.

Right now.. I think I'm just going to bed (it's 2 AM), get up tomorrow, go pick up a friend and go to the store play some drums.

Before selling the Forums I thought I could just go tomorrow and buy the damn thing, haha, but after thinking about it a little more... I have the money now, and I've got no rush. I should take advantage of that, and I will.

Tomorrow I'm gonna check those Meridians out, and maybe I'll play some smaller Visions.. or even some pdp's.. who knows, I'll bang on everything they have there, haha. :)

If I fall in love with the rock kit, well, I may just go for it, but if it's not "love at first sound", I think I'm gonna give myself a little more time to "cool off" and think about this more carefully. :)

Well, now I'll leave you a pic of the kit. (Just for the sake of looking some drums, you know, that's always cool).

Tomorrow I'll tell you my impressions and any other thoughts are very welcome. Thanks for your help.

Cheers.

imagen2349.jpg
 
Re: Everyone tells me NOT to buy a kit with a 24" bass drum! (24"BD owners, please comment!)

I would really be careful about buying a drum set with sizes that are not standard unless you really know what you prefer. I don't like 18" toms. It's not only tuning, it's a sound that doesn't cut well through the PA. I don't like 13" toms, either. That's my preference. When I purchased my 22x18 bass drum, the first thing I did was take it out into my Honda Civic to make sure it would fit, which it does but only behind the driver's seat. It's a good question, as someone mentioned; but these are real issues to think through, and since you are asking the question, I can't believe that you have or that this is something you really prefer other than the fact that you think this is what you should get.

The other thing is this massive sound, is going to be used for what? Practicing on top of the kitchen while your mother and her girlfriend's tea? or do you live in an apartment? If you need a kit to practice with, this may not be the most practical. You may be better off with an electronic kit. Are you going out on the road? How are you going to haul this massive kit? How are you going to tote it through customs? Some drummers don't even tote drums around any more because the expense, and if you travel by air there are regulations.

A lot of drummers that I love use 24" bass drums these day, and the 24-13-16 configuration seems to have had a comeback. As far as sound, there is nothing bad about it, but as someone said, a 20" or 22" would be a lot more versatile and practical.

my two cents
 
Back
Top