20 vs 22 kick?

JimFiore

Silver Member
So I'm looking at getting a new kit. My initial idea was to go with a 20" kick vs. 22". Two reasons: I like my drums low and this gives me a little more breathing room for placement, second, it requires a little less space when transporting. Now I haven't played a 20" kick since high school 40 years ago and I'm wondering if I'm missing something here. I was thinking that 20x18 depth would get a little more thud vs a 16" depth to help compensate for the smaller diameter. But then maybe it wouldn't, it might be more of a timbre change than the fundamental. Then I got to thinking about beater height placement changes. Then I got to thinking that I'm over-thinking this.
 
A basic rule of thumb, less depth will give you more "thud" and more depth will give you more "boom"

There's obviously a host of other factors that come into play, but generally speaking, if "thud" is what you're after, get a 14" or 16" deep drum.
 
If I ever got back into a 20 bass drum I'd stick with the 14x20 size. Anything deeper and it looks like a tube and I've found that the extra depth is sorta negligible anyway. My last 20 was an 18x20 and it didn't sound any bigger than a 14x20, and it just made it harder to load into a car. My newest bass drum will be a 16x22, and my other bass drum is a 14x24. 18 depth is too much I say.
 
My two cents is if you're only getting one bass drum, I would go with a 22". It's a great all around size that does just about any style of music. If you're planning on having two kick drums, then get the 20" now and somewhere down the road add on a 24" for those gigs where you really want to rock out.

Depth is such a personal preference. I prefer shallower kicks--14" is my favorite and 16" as a maximum depth. Unless that 20" has really thick shells that would require more depth to get a great sound I think 14", 15" or 16" will more than serve you fine.
 
I would also go with the 22 and like the 16 depth as well.

I am not a huge fan of long bass drums, never have been. As far as positioning, most kits arent sporting power toms anymore so tom placement shouldnt be an issue really.

I thought I was going to have an issue with my new Ludwig Centennial kit with the 26 inch bass drum and fretted over it way too much... when I got them... its just another set of drums as far as set up goes. I worried for no reason and have no problem moving around the kit.

I know I talk about these so much they should be paying me for advertising... the the Signets pop into my mind. I believe a 22x16 with 6 ply maple shells made in the US and the kit I was banging on was getting a beautiful deep sound out of it.

I am going to eventually cave and buy one of these kits and my wife is going to make me sleep in the room with all of my drums.
 
The difference in 20 vs. 22 in transport is neglible. The depth of the drum ends up defingin more of its 'transport problem' (i.e. whether it can go in a back seat, through doors etc.) or a space problem on the bandstand (deep bass drums have a bigger footprint).

I'd also say the 20 is more versatile than a 22 musically, depending on genre of course. The 20 can cross many genres. You can reach into the jazz range, and up into rock. 20 can be used in lower volume settings, or mic'ed up for louder ones. A 22 moves a lot of air in a cafe.

Tom placement ergonomics is also way easier with a 20.

If I had to go with 1 kit and 1 choice, it would be 14 x 20. Great for punch. But it does miss the lower pitch you might want for some music.
 
Plenty of people use 20s for metal, and plenty of people use 20s for jazz. I'd say you have pretty much all you want in between, other than the very lowest of lows (i still don't know about that, though- my 20x15 with a Coated Ambassador batter and Smooth White Ambassador reso has what I consider a perfect tone for metal.) I do prefer the feel & beater placement of a 22, though.
 
I remember my first drum kit was a Ludwig Ringo style kit. 20/12/14. Having no idea what a great kit I had, I looked at that 20" bass drum and my first thought was that it was too small.
 
I had the same idea in mind when I got my saturns.

I got a 20x18.. at first I was disappointed but when I allocated it for my band practice kit I realized it was fine after all.

I think a 20 has a nicer tone than a 22, but I prefer the way the head responds on a 22, if you play double bass you will notice a difference.

I don't think 2" really makes a worthwhile difference in lowering your toms if that's the main intent though.

People here seem to agree that the depth of the bass drum is more important if you're worried about taking up space.
 
Both of my kits have a 22" kick drum, but the church where I play has a 70's Ludwig Standard kit with a 20" bass drum with an EMAD on it and it is my favorite out of any kick drum I've ever played. I was really impressed with how boomy and big it sounded. I always thought a 20" would be a lot wimpier. All that to say, 20" kick drums can hold their own against bigger kicks.
 
I don't think 2" really makes a worthwhile difference in lowering your toms if that's the main intent though.

I think it does- when I switched from my Superstar (22" kick, 6.5" and 7" deep rack toms) to my DaVille (20" kick, 7.5" and 8" deep rack toms) I felt like I could get the DaVille much lower, even given the theoretically paltry 1" difference. Your mileage may vary, I guess.
 
I've got 18x20 and 18x22 both are identical except for the size. I just recently started using the 20. It sounds good, not quite as much of a low tone as the 22, and maybe a touch quieter. I've not used it on a gig yet though. I'm short, the reason I'm using it is to get my toms lower. I don't know how I was ever comfortable on my old kit with power toms. I put a couple of videos up with it. I think it miced up real nice. Here's a song I posted with it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=g7EfFPDlgCc
 
Basic rules of shell sizes, all other things being equal:

Diameter = pitch range
Depth = overtones

So, bigger diameter = lower pitch, & obviously smaller diameter = higher pitch.

Deeper drums create more overtones, some you want, some you don't. How that manifests itself depends on the drum's design. The lower overtones act like a chorus effect to give the resolved sound more "fatness", often perceived as more bottom end. In such a drum, the fundamental is diminished. In a more shallow drum, there's less overtones, so the fundamental is more dominant.
 
I disagree whole heartedly with anyone who says the 20 will provide the same pitch, tone, feel or anything else like a 22. They are different drums that respond differently, sound differently and work better and worse in certain applications.

Its like saying your 14 floor is the same as your 16 floor tom. Its just not.

A lot of guys end up with bass drum risers with 20s because they dont like where their bass drum beater hits... so you end up losing your ability to lower your toms anyway.
 
I disagree whole heartedly with anyone who says the 20 will provide the same pitch, tone, feel or anything else like a 22. They are different drums that respond differently, sound differently and work better and worse in certain applications.

Its like saying your 14 floor is the same as your 16 floor tom. Its just not.

A lot of guys end up with bass drum risers with 20s because they dont like where their bass drum beater hits... so you end up losing your ability to lower your toms anyway.

I don't think anybody's said that they are the same pitch, or tone. When I said mine were identical, I meant the same kind of drums and construction. They're both Yamy BACN. As far as beater placement goes. It did feel a little odd at 1st. It didn't take long to feel comfortable though.
 
I don't think anybody's said that they are the same pitch, or tone. When I said mine were identical, I meant the same kind of drums and construction. They're both Yamy BACN. As far as beater placement goes. It did feel a little odd at 1st. It didn't take long to feel comfortable though.

Yeah that's why I didn't quote you I understand where you are coming from. But I know guys who have 20s who tell me its as beefy as any 22 and they are wrong. I tell them I don't care if its 9 feet long its still not a 22. I didn't intend it to go toward anyone in this thread, just a lingering misconception Imo that always pops into my mind during these types of discussions.
 
Yeah that's why I didn't quote you I understand where you are coming from. But I know guys who have 20s who tell me its as beefy as any 22 and they are wrong. I tell them I don't care if its 9 feet long its still not a 22. I didn't intend it to go toward anyone in this thread, just a lingering misconception Imo that always pops into my mind during these types of discussions.
Getting a 20" to the same lower register pitch & bottom end frequency delivery of a 22" is entirely possible with augmentation of the shell construction, but you're correct, depth alone makes no significant difference to the pitch. It's all in the tuning range & how the shell manages overtones, but you have to step outside of standard ply constructions to really deliver it. Of course, the head feel can't be replicated convincingly.
 
Well as it turns out my dealer's pricing shows that buying a shell pack with a 22 is over $500 cheaper than ordering individual drums to get the 20. I think that answers that question. $500 is another tom or a really nice cymbal. Or something completely not drum related (perish the thought).
 
Well as it turns out my dealer's pricing shows that buying a shell pack with a 22 is over $500 cheaper than ordering individual drums to get the 20. I think that answers that question. $500 is another tom or a really nice cymbal. Or something completely not drum related (perish the thought).

Ah yes, modern marketing. Obviously a very logical and reasonable way of selling drums :) The 22 will be fine.
 
So I'm looking at getting a new kit. My initial idea was to go with a 20" kick vs. 22". Two reasons: I like my drums low and this gives me a little more breathing room for placement, second, it requires a little less space when transporting. Now I haven't played a 20" kick since high school 40 years ago and I'm wondering if I'm missing something here. I was thinking that 20x18 depth would get a little more thud vs a 16" depth to help compensate for the smaller diameter. But then maybe it wouldn't, it might be more of a timbre change than the fundamental. Then I got to thinking about beater height placement changes. Then I got to thinking that I'm over-thinking this.

OwhKaaay, So... "now, here's the deal": Years ago a man in TX who was previously a Guitar Luthier before becoming a "boutique" [stave shell] Drum builder explained to me WHY he only made drums in certain specific sizes, and WHY he REFUSED to make, for example, a 13-inch tom 11 inches tall. It goes all-the-way back to Pythagoras. The "ideal" or "perfect" ratio of ANY size diameter BASS drum is 3 :: 2. Either THAT, or "square", i.e. as deep as it is round. I have experienced a 20 x 20 and it was just plain awesome. Man that did the drum clinic [no, I'm not gonna' "drop" his name here, just to impress ppl.] wanted to buy the whole KIT just to have that particular "kick" drum. Just a regular pillow in the bottom. Nothing fancy in the way of "gear", or heads. Totally "stock". So... there's that. 20 x 20. [not 18" deep] If you want to use the Geometry for the "perfect" tone a 20-inch diameter would be 20 divided by three, times two, which is 13.3333 inches. o.k., we'll call it 14. The reason WHY the 14-inch depth was THE depth for ALL bass drums goes way way back. I mean... b4 Gene Krupa "invented" what we know today as a drum. Back when the heads were actually "skin". The Bass drums in the early jazz era were 28 x 14. A 2 :: 1 ratio. That is actually how you get an Octave, using Pythagorean geometry. The "perfect" size for a SNARE is 14 x 7. For Toms it is 4 :: 3, i.e. 12 x 9, 16 x 12 [not 13] for a "rack" tom. ANY-way... with a kick drum it is very much about the bearing edge. A double 45 is excellent on the front, the rezo end, but not so good for the batter, for reasons I'll not bore you with. It is ALL a matter of "personal taste", just like Hi Hats or a Ride, or which aftershave you prefer. For a 2nd bass drum I highly recommend a "vintage" 24 x 16. Again, that is using the Pythagorean "perfect" scale. 24 divided by three times two is 16. THAT ...with a lefty double pedal on MY 20 x 20 is what I record with. ;-)
 
Back
Top