Tuning trubbs with my 26" kick drum - Help!!

Freshjive

Junior Member
Hello all!

First post and almost 2 years behind a drum kit and having a blast!!

I saved up for over a year and just purchased a 2006 Tama Starclassic maple kit. My issue here is tuning the kick drum.....it sounds really, really bad. This one is a 26"x16"....I have new heads ordered but still up to 2 weeks before they arrive so I decided to put the ones on that came with the kit. The batter is a Superkick 2 and the reso is the original Tama Starclassic (not ported).
I tuned this thing low, medium, high and everything in between. I tuned the heads equal, one higher, one lower, visa versa, etc. I have a Drumdial too so I'm able to get the tension pretty equal. I tried without the Drumdial doing the "press in the middle of the head and watch for the wrinkles" trick but no luck. It seems like my pedal beaters are vibrating when I try to play.....like they are bouncing back and forth on each stroke. The left beater is just a bit better than the right but not much. Tried the soft side of the beater and the hard side too...no difference. I am REALLY hoping that a ported reso and maybe dampening the drum may help but I keep thinking.....not every 26" kick drum has a ported reso and muffling right? This is driving me to think I just bought a "bum kick drum"?

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Many thanks,

Joe
 
Hello all!

First post and almost 2 years behind a drum kit and having a blast!!

I saved up for over a year and just purchased a 2006 Tama Starclassic maple kit. My issue here is tuning the kick drum.....it sounds really, really bad. This one is a 26"x16"....I have new heads ordered but still up to 2 weeks before they arrive so I decided to put the ones on that came with the kit. The batter is a Superkick 2 and the reso is the original Tama Starclassic (not ported).
I tuned this thing low, medium, high and everything in between. I tuned the heads equal, one higher, one lower, visa versa, etc. I have a Drumdial too so I'm able to get the tension pretty equal. I tried without the Drumdial doing the "press in the middle of the head and watch for the wrinkles" trick but no luck. It seems like my pedal beaters are vibrating when I try to play.....like they are bouncing back and forth on each stroke. The left beater is just a bit better than the right but not much. Tried the soft side of the beater and the hard side too...no difference. I am REALLY hoping that a ported reso and maybe damping the drum may help but I keep thinking.....not every 26" kick drum has a ported reso and muffling right? This is driving me to think I just bought a "bum kick drum"?

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated

Many thanks,

Joe

Hi Joe! I've been playing a 28x16 inch kick for about 4 years now. The pedal feel of larger kicks is much different than that of a smaller, so my guess is that you might not be used to that rebound? Have you tried tightening the springs on your kick pedal? This well help pull the beater off the head more quickly and (hopefully) get rid of the bouncing. I would also suggest porting the front head. It helps the pedal feel a great deal though it will dry out your tone a bit. However with a large kick like that, a small whole won't affect it that much.

A little muffling won't hurt either. A felt strip on either side (or in my case a towel) will tighten up the kick and improve the pedal feel even more.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Kyle
 
Hmm. I have a Ludwig 16x26 and I love it. I'm using a remo powerstroke 3 on the batter side and I have a smooth white emperor with no port, with a felt strip on the front.

What I've learned with my 26 is that it's actually tuned up a bit. With a 22 or smaller, I could put the head on "just above wrinkling" and it will sound great. With the 26 I'm a little tight because the size of the drum gives me my bottom end and punch. I'm assuming by now your heads are seated, but when I put on a new head, I literally stand on it to stretch it out a bit, then I tighten down. Even tensioning all the way around, with the front reso adjusted for the sound I want - or it ends up being equal to the batter side tone-wise.

Maybe you're expecting a different sound? I knew the 26 will sound different from my 22, so I'm not wanting it to sound like a 22. It is kind of it's own sound.
 
Hi Kyle...

Thanks for the speedy reply!! Yes, I am for sure not used to the large kick....I am used to a 22x18.....it's not only the "feel" but the darn sound that it creates. Maybe almost like it's pushing so much air due to the volume of the kick it's rebounding back and forth and creating that vibration on the beaters. I will try to relax until my new heads arrive......well, who am I kidding? I most likely will port the reso tomorrow and try the muffling.

Thanks again Kyle!!!
 
Bo,

Wow, thanks you guys for your replies.....I joined another site (I won't mention which one) a couple weeks back and it sometimes takes days to get one reply....if I'm lucky.

Anyways, once my new heads arrive I will def look back at your tips Bo.

I am stunned that you stand on a new kick drum head for seating? Wowsers!!!

Thanks again!!!

Joe
 
The port will help but playing a 26 is definitely different than a 22. You are going to get the beater bounce and so must just learn to play with it that way or play off the head (sounds like you are burying the beater?).

Mine is about 3/4 turn above JAW tuning. Reso is ported (4") and JAW (just above wrinkle).

Dont be afraid to go a little higher just creep up in 1/8 turns until it comes to life.
 
The port will help but playing a 26 is definitely different than a 22. You are going to get the beater bounce and so must just learn to play with it that way or play off the head (sounds like you are burying the beater?).

Mine is about 3/4 turn above JAW tuning. Reso is ported (4") and JAW (just above wrinkle).

Dont be afraid to go a little higher just creep up in 1/8 turns until it comes to life.

I concur, letting up off the beater or playing off the head has helped me a lot. I've also noticed that I get a nice round sound from the kick. I'm still adjusting but it gets better with time.
 
Bo,

Wow, thanks you guys for your replies.....I joined another site (I won't mention which one) a couple weeks back and it sometimes takes days to get one reply....if I'm lucky.

Anyways, once my new heads arrive I will def look back at your tips Bo.

I am stunned that you stand on a new kick drum head for seating? Wowsers!!!

Thanks again!!!

Joe

I saw Simon Phillips do that and thought it was a good idea. It seats the head really FAST!
 
..... 2006 Tama Starclassic maple kit
Should be a high quality drum, so I doubt you have a "bum" one.​
it sounds really, really bad.
Ya need to elaborate a little more on how it sounds bad. I've got two 26x14's, a Gretsch .... and a Ludwig. And I love 'em. But ..... they do sound big. Big drums boom. Now, depending on how you used to set up your 22 ..... yeah, it may just all be a little overwhelming.​
I went from a 22x17 ..... to a 28x14 .... when I first made the switch to "big". If you're trying to get a tight, punchy sound ..... a 26 is really the wrong drum for the job. If you simply want a little less overtone ..... or a more controlled sound ..... you can experiment with felt strips ..... or even just t-shirt material ..... see if you can dial in a sound you like. Buying heads for these drums can get expensive, so you kinda want to get a direction figured out before you drop $40-$50 per head.​
As far as beater bounce ..... getting the beater off the head fast (don't bury the beater all the time) is a technique change that takes time to get used to. Porting the reso. head might allleviate all or some of the problem. Also, changing the beater on your pedal, might help. Those plastic DW type beaters dribble like mad. Switching to felt, or wool ......​
 
Man, thank you EVERYONE for your advice! I now feel more comfortable on where to turn with my rookie issues.....and boy do I have more.....haha!



Harryconway: The horrible sound I'm getting is from the beater bounce (I think). It's not a tone issue.....it sounds almost like a "rattle" in a way. When I try to get cookin' with faster patterns it sounds worse the faster I play. I do bury my beater and play a DW 9000 double pedal....it has the hard side and felt side to it and both sound bad. I hope to have my new heads soon and noticed alot of you have mentioned just having a ported head may help. I will def check back in once they are here.

Thanks again!!

Joe
 
Watched that video awhile back............I'm still not comfortable standing on the head.........I push real hard, but I'd hate to break a new head, or the drum.

heres the video, he stands on it around the 2:30 mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx7RlqXGGTc

The drum would be fine. I'm only 150-pounds and a clear ambassador holds me up. If the head breaks, that means it would've broken on its own eventually.
 
That is a unique thing I think but being a full 275 pounds I believe I will not be jumping on the BD head. Thanks for the video link Bo.
 
Isnt he also wearing high tops and like a spandex suit with his 80's afro in full effect (or something weird) ? That adds to the overall bizarre effect.
 
Joe,

Just noticed you're local. I actually work in the North Valley.

Getting used to that increased rebound is going to take a little bit of time. I play a 24" and I like it tuned up nice and high so that head can really push back it I start getting sloppy with my technique. Try to use that bounce to your advantage. I know Dave Lombardo like big kick drums tuned up very high for the increased rebound. The new heads should make a world of difference. They just tune up sooo much easier. I am also a fan of the felt strip on un-muffled heads, really clears the sound up.
 
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