22x14 Bass drum??

Hey guys, been looking around for a new kit that is nice and compact that I can sling around and i stumbled across the new 2011 Mapex Meridian in retro fusion sizes, a rather odd bass drum size of 22x14, never seen this before, you guys ever seen/heard one of these bad boys and got any opinions?

Cheers,
AD
 
...a rather odd bass drum size of 22x14, never seen this before, you guys ever seen/heard one of these bad boys and got any opinions?

Cheers,
AD

Wow...

14" depth was (and should still be) the standard. More responsive, and easier to hall. I'd be interested in Ludwig Centinials if the bass drum wasn't 6 feet deep. Why would you release a 100 year anniversary kit in retro sparkle wraps, and NOT go with a 14" deep bass drum???
 
Hey guys, been looking around for a new kit that is nice and compact that I can sling around and i stumbled across the new 2011 Mapex Meridian in retro fusion sizes, a rather odd bass drum size of 22x14, never seen this before, you guys ever seen/heard one of these bad boys and got any opinions?

Cheers,
AD

I'm old when I hear stuff like this! As DH has said, 14" deep was the standard depth for many years until the 80s came and someone went to 16". I think Carmine Appice started this trend when, in 1977, he had Ludwig make him bass drums that were 15" deep - everyone thought that was the cat's meow at the time. Then the Ludwig 1980 catalog came out with the power tom craze and the bass drums were 16" deep. You can see how this has gotten way out of control nowadays. My 20" bass drum is 18" deep. Some bass drums are 20" deep - it's madness!

As much as I like my 18x20 bass drum, I've been wanting to get back to 14x20. For me, having a shallower bass drum puts less of a wall between me and the other guys in the band. Buddy Rich played a 14x26 bass drum right before he died, John Bonham had the same size. There's an immediacy to the attack and sound of the drum. Even Billy Ward, ever a modern player if there was one, plays a 12x20 bass drum, but has an 8x24 DW woofer in front of it.
 
I remember once seeing a ddrum kit a friend was using, and it had a monster 22x24 kick, was a cannon! So you would recommend this size then? I love the idea of such a small kick, just for the ease of movement and less space taken up

AD
 
I remember once seeing a ddrum kit a friend was using, and it had a monster 22x24 kick, was a cannon! So you would recommend this size then? I love the idea of such a small kick, just for the ease of movement and less space taken up

AD

Wholeheartedly! 14x22 is the standard for me. When the wave of the longer bass drum began, it made me buy another car because when you have a 16" deep bass drum in a case, it won't fit through the door on some passenger cars. I had always wondered how Alex Van Halen got his mammoth 28x26 bass drums back into his house after a gig in the early days of the band. Most house doors are 30" wide - so maybe they only lived in his garage. That's why in the very early days, some bass drums were only 12" deep too. Imagine hauling your stuff around and you had to carry it on a train, or get it into a taxi. Some people will say there's a big sonic difference, and yes, there is if you compare an 18" deep bass drum a 14" deep bass drum: less attack, more "oomph". But in reality, how you tune it and play it is a bigger factor in how the drum sounds too. Don't fear the 14". It's been in use for years!

What looks a little cooler because it comes out a little more "square" is the 14x20 size. That's what Ringo used initially with the Beatles until they gave him a 14x22 bass drum (all his drum sizes went up one size).
 
14" deep kicks .... if they're good enough for these guys ....
 

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Umm, 22x14 is not an odd size. For that remark you should be sentenced to listening only to music recorded before 1980. :)

I have a 14x22 Slingerland from the 70s that sounds ridiculous - I get lots of comments on that drum. Also have a 14x20 DW that sounds fatter than my old 16x20 deedub...

go for the shallow kick!
 
All three of my bass drums are 14 " deep. I have a DW jazz series 18 x 14 ; a Ludwig Element SE 20 x 14 and a Ludwig Legacy Classic 22 x 14 and these are the perfect depth.
This was the only lenght availabl when I started playing (60's) and I have woned a lot bass drums in 16 " depth and even one in 10" depth and 8 " depth and I always come back to 14 ",
the perfect balance between attack and depth.
 
I have 2 22x14 70's luddies. They slay. I don't go deeper than 16 on kicks. Currently fixing up a steel 24x14 which I have high hopes for. I'm sure the mapex one sounds good and I'm sure you can search the forum for info on the standard sized ones.
 
I really dig the sound of a shallow kick drum. They lack the really heavy "thud" of a deep shell but have a nice big, round warm sound that mics up well and is perfect for rock.
 
I'm a fan of 20" bass drums usually because of their responsiveness but having played an old Superstar, which must've been from the late 70s or early 80s that I know was a 22" drum but shallow enough (living in the era of when 16" is generally a shallow bass drum, this one looked particularly short in depth to me) where I'm almost certain it was 14" in depth, and I absolutely loved the feel of that.

The next kit I get, or if I ever get something custom I will most certainly go with a traditional sized bass drum... give me a bit more low end and oomph just from the diameter increase and possibly be even more responsive than most 20" drums I've played because of the depth. I'm starting to think that the bigger drum, shallower depth mentality will sound better because the responsiveness will be there with the balls of the bigger drum that I can tune up if I have to because bigger drums tend to be able to hold higher tunings better than smaller ones...

So maybe that mammoth 7-piece where a shallow 10" tom as a high tom can remain really bright and cutting after all!
 
I started playing back when 14" depths were still the standard. As I bought and sold kits over the next 20 years or so, I had a few 16"s before landing on a 22x18. I played it for 10 years before cutting it down to a 14" depth. Then I bought a 24x14. The difference is pretty noticeable and to my ears and playing, they sound and feel much more punchy and immediate. I don't think I'd ever do anything deeper than a 16" anymore.
 
I prefer 14" deep kicks although my Renown 20" kick is 16" deep. 18" is too deep for me to consider, and anything deeper is just a fad IMHO.
 
My favorite bass drum size! My school used to have a '57 radio king set with a 22x14 kick and it happens to be my favorite drum on the whole amazing set. Im actually working on a custom kit with a kick in that size.

Side note, I recently saw an old ludwig kick on ebay that was 28x10. Holy shallow and wide like a cheese wheel batman!
 
I sarted with 14" depth bass drums, played them for a long time, but for the last 20 years, I've really liked the deeper shell sound.
Now, I'm kind of "coming home", and really digging my 16 and 14" depth bass drums a lot again.
I'm liking the look of them again too. I never didn't like the look of the regular shells, but the longer ones DO get noticed more--and that helps in the "entertainment" aspect of what my bands do. The longer ones also sound friggin' great through the PA's we go trough in the big places.

*BTW, Carmine's Maple kit bass drums were around '69--JB got the same exact kit (gong and all). Also those kits had 12x15" front tom, NOT a 12x14....that's per Carmine, not some internet listing or book. I'll go with the original source.

By the time of the 2 connected bass drums, AVH would have had some place to store that stuff or a truck--probably partied inside the things after the gig anyway hahaha!

The Silver Sparkle kit was the first one I saw with the super long drums. He had triple toms in front too. Insane, but cool! He did some goofy stuff in the front of those drums back in the day. The Honeycombed PVC pipes were about the goofiest--looked cool on stage though, and that's the point anyway. Now he's back to 16x26's.....
My fave kit of his was the Stainless Steel kit with the Clear Octobans on the sides and two in front. That kit was Badass.

Never had a problem with my 20x26's, or 20x28 (when I used that size) getting through any doors with the case....yet :)......

...Sorry for the long post, I just like bass drums hahaha!!
 
14" deep is the ideal depth, in my opinion. I have several drums with that depth. Yes, they are all older drums. I still don't know why companies went to 16" and deeper bass drums. The new 20" deep drums are just ridiculously oversized and don't sound as good as the shallower depths...
 
All but one of my kicks (19 to be exact) are 14" deep, old AND new drums, 20 thru 26". Nothing odd about them at all.

Bermuda
 
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