bass drum depth

dblwide

dblwide

Junior Member
I was just wondering why did they start making deeper depth bass drums like 18 inches deep?Me i like 14 inch depth bass drums much better response.I loved those 3 ply ones from the 60s and 70s.
 
If X is good, X + 4 is better. Marketing, as it is, says that if you want to introduce something that's different than the other guy - make it bigger. Once bigger is desired, everyone else has to copy.
 
keep it simple said:
The perception was that deeper drums produce more bottom end. .
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^ This.

And visually, it looked nicer on MTV.

Alex Van Halen, Greg Bissonette (when he was with David Lee Roth) and some others started having two bass drum shells attached to each other to make super long bass drums because it looked cool on TV and on stage.

Making and shipping super long bass drums perhaps wasn't so economically practical at the time, but adding a few more inches to get the bass drums out to 18" was a good way to take advantage of the trend, and then it just sort of stuck.
 
I'm always amazed that some (marketing) folk think that cannon bass drums look better. The opposite is true in my case. I think narrower drums look better. Either way non-drummers won't be able to tell.

Buy what you like!

Davo
 
They have to change stuff so they can sell us more stuff. Doesn't mean it is better , it only means it is different then the previous stuff and thus makes us want to buy more stuff.
 
keep it simple said:
Only a problem for drummers who deny their drums the cases they so richly deserve. It's the drums getting their own back - drums speaking -"now you know what it feels like, punk"!
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True! But when you put those bass drums in hard cases, then you couldn't get them through a door!

Although I have an 18x22 cheapie Export on my rental kit, I stay 16" and less on width these days.
 
Sound-wise, I like all sorts of depth bass drums.
I like the look of a deep bass drum on SOME kits.

I've never had anything but great sound (quickly & easily) from my deeper bass drums live, and they've recorded amazingly well.
 
Deep bass drums are pretty much post 70's right. What has happened is 'bottom end' (or perceived bottom end Andy?) seems to have grown in most pop forms of music through the 80's to now. Music is very much produced/mixed that way for decades. Everybody wants to hear that.

and ya they've been marketing 'size matters' in all kinds of ads that have to do with the human anatomy for decades.

Personally I will not buy a bass drum that's 18 inches deep, no matter how good a deal. Its just a hassle in other ways.
 
I always laugh at people who say "more is better". As I tell my students, no one says "Gee, I wish I had more cancer."

But, if you like the way it sounds, it doesn't matter if the kick is 12" deep or 32" deep.
 
In the 80's/90's, a few things happened.

1: CD's became available, allowing for greater dynamic range than Vinyl and Cassette.
2: Consumer audio devices became more capable in terms of power, especially in the lower price ranges.
3: Music (and the instruments used to make it) changed to take advantage of this.

To me, deep bass drums are really no different than 5 string basses and 7 string guitars.
 
KamaK said:
In the 80's/90's, a few things happened.

1: CD's became available, allowing for greater dynamic range than Vinyl and Cassette.
2: Consumer audio devices became more capable in terms of power, especially in the lower price ranges.
3: Music (and the instruments used to make it) changed to take advantage of this.

To me, deep bass drums are really no different than 5 string basses and 7 string guitars.
Click to expand...

Extended range instruments... extend the range. Do deep bass drums go lower in tone? Or is it a question of increased resonance?

I'm still trying to figure out what the deal is with putting snare drums (etcetera) INSIDE the bass drum... extra noise? Ambience? More rattle and hum? What?
 
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