The 18 inch bass drum thread!

Dannar

Pioneer Member
Hello Everyone!

I was wanting to get some input from all of those who have used an 18 inch bass drum. I am considering switching to an 18, I have been using a 26 for the last few years (I know, one extreme to the other!) and it's starting to get a little old. I enjoy the 26 but I'm tired of lugging it around and I need something a little more versatile. The 26 is great for rock, but thats really it, I need something that I can do jazz, latin, and other styles that 26 wouldn't be appropriate for.

My main concern with using a 18 is how well it works for styles like funk and rock. I know it will work great for jazz and latin, but i'm alittle worried about rock. I have heard 18 inch bass drums used at rock shows and they sound great (such as Stanton Moore's), but I'm still worried.

In terms of the wood type, I'm either gonna convert my 18 Ludwig maple floor tom into a bass drum or I'm gonna pick up one of the Gretsch Catalina Jazz sets in white marine pearl finish, I don't have a huge budget to spend so I'm looking at something fairly inexpensive. Plan B would be to sell my Ludwig Classic Maple "Bonham" kit (it's only two years old) and start fresh with a new smaller set (probably a "fancy" Gretsch set).

Well thanks for listen to my rambling, I'm looking forward to what everyone has to say.

Thanks in advance to everyone!
 
i personally would put an emad on the 18 if you were wanting more of a rock plus you can take out the muffle rings if you wanted a more open sound. from the aspect of converting your pearl floor tom pearl makes a piece that works fairly well as conversion stand so you don't have to drill any holes. dw also makes a piece call the dwcp9909 i believe that is also a conversion stand. the dw is really cool because you can put a conga or djembe or whatever on it. when it comes to the catalina club it is definately more of a jazz sound because the made it out of mahogany to give it more of the classic shell styles and i believe it has 30 degree bearing edges. (don't quote me on that) but it really adds more punch to the kick drum. hopefully that helps.
~andy
 
Hello Everyone!

I was wanting to get some input from all of those who have used an 18 inch bass drum. I am considering switching to an 18, I have been using a 26 for the last few years (I know, one extreme to the other!) and it's starting to get a little old. I enjoy the 26 but I'm tired of lugging it around and I need something a little more versatile. The 26 is great for rock, but thats really it, I need something that I can do jazz, latin, and other styles that 26 wouldn't be appropriate for.

My main concern with using a 18 is how well it works for styles like funk and rock. I know it will work great for jazz and latin, but i'm alittle worried about rock. I have heard 18 inch bass drums used at rock shows and they sound great (such as Stanton Moore's), but I'm still worried.

In terms of the wood type, I'm either gonna convert my 18 Ludwig maple floor tom into a bass drum or I'm gonna pick up one of the Gretsch Catalina Jazz sets in white marine pearl finish, I don't have a huge budget to spend so I'm looking at something fairly inexpensive. Plan B would be to sell my Ludwig Classic Maple "Bonham" kit (it's only two years old) and start fresh with a new smaller set (probably a "fancy" Gretsch set).

Well thanks for listen to my rambling, I'm looking forward to what everyone has to say.

Thanks in advance to everyone!

I can't tell you what to do but here is what I would do:

  • I would keep the Bonham kit.
  • I would convert my 18" floor tom to bass drum by using the Danmar bass drum riser. This will allow me to keep my floor tom intact and the only conversion would be heads and any muffling, if desired. http://www.danmarpercussion.com/top1.htm

I would hate to see you let go of a perfectly good kit on something you are unsure of and is going to be that extreme of a change.


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
 
I like the idea of converting the floor tom into a kick. I wish had an 18" floor tom now :p
 
Maybe you should consider getting a 20". It will give you a little more punch and fatness for rock, but still work great for jazz...just a matter of tuning.
 
Tim Alexander uses an 18" kick (and a 20" as his secondary) with Primus and Laundry, and it sounds great. Also, Abe Cunningham (up until this year) used a 20" kick and it sounds massive in Deftones recordings.

I'd probably choose the 20" over the 18" just as it's a bit more middle ground as far as versatility in different genres is concerned.
 
Go for a 14x20 - look on ebay and try to find an old Ludwig kik. I've used 18s on rock gigs, and it just never felt right to me. Even mic'd on stage, it just doesn't move enough air (and I never bury the beater). 20s are the most versatile kiks out there, with mine I mix up different heads, tune it up or down, and it always works.
 
I would go with Skitch's idea. I drive a 26, 15, 16, 18 kit. Turn your 18" floor into a kick and pick up a smaller rack tom to match your Bonham kit. That's what I'll eventually do with my kit, if I get enough gigs to merit it. You wind up having 2 kits for the price of 1 drum and some hardware. Since you probably have a 14" rack now, a 10" would give you a nice "jungle" kit.
 
I would go with Skitch's idea. I drive a 26, 15, 16, 18 kit. Turn your 18" floor into a kick and pick up a smaller rack tom to match your Bonham kit. That's what I'll eventually do with my kit, if I get enough gigs to merit it. You wind up having 2 kits for the price of 1 drum and some hardware. Since you probably have a 14" rack now, a 10" would give you a nice "jungle" kit.

Oh yeah, what an addition!!! I didn't think of adding the 10" tom and it would certainly be cheaper!



Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
 
I call it 5 drums for all occasions. I'd probably run a 12" rack, being my smallest drum right now is a 15". So my "small kit" would be 18, 12, 15. But really, why not drive a 26" at a jazz gig. Nothing drops the "bomb" like a 26. And I'm havin' a blast right now just playin' kick and snare. No rack, no floors, hi-hat, 1 ride and 4 crashes. I'll probably play my next several gigs that way. But if Danner has a 14" rack, an 18, 10, 14 would make a cool "club" kit.
 
Have you thought about a 22" (16x22)? It would be a good compromise between the 26" and the 18" don't you think?
 
i have the gretsch catalina club kit and i love it! Perfect for jazz and can be used in any other situation. You just have to tune it right and use the right heads.

20" kicks are also good...I would also look into that.
 
I play an 18" Bass Drum for Rock/Fusion/Indie/Math and it work great! Easy to gig with!. I recommend purchasing an internal mic system. I don't have one but I will be purchasing one soon. I play a Sonor Designer 18" with Maple Light shell and EMAD 2 Batter head with no internal muffling and a non ported front head. I recommend not porting the resonnent head.

Jamie
 
I call it 5 drums for all occasions. I'd probably run a 12" rack, being my smallest drum right now is a 15". So my "small kit" would be 18, 12, 15. But really, why not drive a 26" at a jazz gig. Nothing drops the "bomb" like a 26. And I'm havin' a blast right now just playin' kick and snare. No rack, no floors, hi-hat, 1 ride and 4 crashes. I'll probably play my next several gigs that way. But if Danner has a 14" rack, an 18, 10, 14 would make a cool "club" kit.

And you would have to drive a van to get there!


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
 
The way good drums and heads are made these days, along with bass drum lifters and just about every club mic'ing the bass drum, an 18" bass can be the best of both worlds. I am planning on using twin 18s on my "big kit" when I get around to it. Think "Danny Seraphine"!
 
Well, if I were you, I'd get a 20x16 kick. Personally, I like small kicks, but even an 18 is too small for me. I own an 18x6 (yes, 18x6, not 18x16) and it's really not loud enough for me. Lacks the punch kicks of a larger size would offer. 20x16 or 22x18 would be what I would go for.

Haha, an 18x6 sounds like an awesome portable kick!
 
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