Drum Set set ups

Drum set up opinions

Alright? Nice forum you have here. This is half introductory and half inquisitive, thought I'd post it over here but I've got no problem if a moderator wants to move it.

Been playing for about six years; funk/reggae/RnB/DnB kinda stuff. Important note; these days I pretty much just use brushes and play alongside a couple of acoustic guitarists (a tip for any beginners reading; play quietly to drastically improve your technique!).

Anyway, I was hoping for some opinions...

... See, I like going minimalistic. Started off with a standard five piece, hats and three other cymbals. Gradually I tore it down to just a bass-snare-floor tom set up with just hi-hats, and even ended up taking away the floor tom! It's just how I like to play; making the most out of a little. That's right, I don't even use a ride anymore...

... Recently I've been sitting on a cajon and using that as seat/kick combination with one of those Gibraltar pedals with a cable. Took a few tryouts on different cajons to get the bass sound I wanted - it's very thuddy as opposed to tonal, I like it as an alternative flavour - but the pedal wasn't up to scratch and I haven't found a better alternative.

So, I've decided to play an alternative three piece - snare-snare-bass (plus hats). I've converted a cheap 16" floor tom (Squier) into a bass drum and, though it's not everybody's tastes, I think it sounds great. Sings a lot more than the cajon as you would expect, gives a nice jungle sound after some tuning and subtle dampening.
I only have a steel Mapex snare at the moment but I'm looking to change... My friend has a steel 13x3.5 and a steel 10x5.5 and I tried them out together, real nice combination actually, but I want to try pairing wood with metal and different sizes in an uncommon arrangement for a unique sound.

My question is this: what size/material combination might sound nice? I was thinking of a wooden 12x7 paired with a steel 13x4 for a nice sound contrast; or is that too much? Would it be better to get an aluminium 13x4 to get them nearer in sound? Or should I close the size gap seeing as I'm using two different materials?

General input is all I'm after, thanks for reading.
 
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Re: Drum set-up opinions

Hey, welcome to the forum!

It sounds like we have had similar trajectories, set-up wise. I used to play with a five-piece, added 3-5 cymbals, now I do gigs with a 3-4 piece usually. But for super quiet gigs I just use bass, snare, ride or crash (depends on the song, I just use 1 stand), and various bits of percussion. I tune my Ludwig Acrolite quite low, so that when the strainers are off I get something between a snare and a shallow tom sound.

I like the idea of two snares and bass a lot. If it were me I would look for something to compliment my Acrolite or Supraphonic, which are 5x14. I would look for a deeper wood snare, probably in the 13" diameter like you said. That way you could potentially have the sound of two snares, two "toms", or one of each.

Whatever you decide, I and most folks on the forum here will tell you that an acrolite is a great metal snare, and a great starting point.
 
Re: Drum set-up opinions

Hey, welcome to the forum!

It sounds like we have had similar trajectories, set-up wise. I used to play with a five-piece, added 3-5 cymbals, now I do gigs with a 3-4 piece usually. But for super quiet gigs I just use bass, snare, ride or crash (depends on the song, I just use 1 stand), and various bits of percussion. I tune my Ludwig Acrolite quite low, so that when the strainers are off I get something between a snare and a shallow tom sound.

I like the idea of two snares and bass a lot. If it were me I would look for something to compliment my Acrolite or Supraphonic, which are 5x14. I would look for a deeper wood snare, probably in the 13" diameter like you said. That way you could potentially have the sound of two snares, two "toms", or one of each.

Whatever you decide, I and most folks on the forum here will tell you that an acrolite is a great metal snare, and a great starting point.

Excellent, thanks.

Nice to know I'm not the only one who likes the idea of this uncommon arrangement. Should be interesting.
 
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