12" Gretsch Brooklyn Help please - bop tunings

[LittleLegs]

I've just got this kit and am starting the process of getting the kit dialled in. I've come across a tuning that makes all the drum notes and overtones singing in harmony which potentially will sounds great. The problem is that the 12" is cranked up to a bop pitch which doesn't have enough sustain for my tastes. I don't have much experience of tuning drums this high as I'm usually hunting a balance between maximum resonance and projection (so I tend to end up the middle of what the drum can acheive).

I appreciate that when heads are tight they won't resonate as much, but I wondered if there were any tricks - head choices that might help? I've the stock Gretsch Permatone heads - coated over clear. I'd usually go for Remo Ambassadors so assume these are the same, just rebranded. I was thinking of a diplomat reso perhaps (but does the thinner head actually sustain more than something thicker with more mass?). Maybe it's just the wrong pitch for this particular drum?

I'll be looking at other tunings, but if I could get this to work better it would be great. Thanks for any help!

 

[IBitePrettyHard]

How is the 12" tom mounted? That could be the culprit. Certain mounting methods can sap all the resonance from the drum.

Hold the 12" tom with one hand and hit it with the other. If it resonates more that way, there's an issue with the mounting method.

 

[ineedaclutch]

If you are up in bop tuning on the batter of the 12" you may want to loosen the reso to fill out the sound. My Starclassic Maple likes this at high tuning with the batter pitched higher than the reso.

 

[Larry]

Forget the diplomat if you want sustain. The thinner the head, the less sustain = fact.

My suggestion is to try a 2 ply head on the batter over a 10 mil reso head.

Not enough sustain? Try a G-12 on the reso.

How is the 12" tom mounted? That could be the culprit. Certain mounting methods can sap all the resonance from the drum.

Hold the 12" tom with one hand and hit it with the other. If it resonates more that way, there's an issue with the mounting method.

This too

 

[LittleLegs]

All great ideas to try - thanks! (it's hanging on a mount so the tom isn't restricted in that way)

 

[vyacheslav]

Forget the diplomat if you want sustain. The thinner the head, the less sustain = fact.

I have to disagree with you on that. A single ply head will always have more sustain than a 2 ply head. That's just science. Also, you'll be able to get a higher pitch with a single ply head than you can with a double ply.


I know, even on high end Gretsch stuff, they have 5 lug 12" toms. I've always had problems tuning a 5 lug drum. That could part of the problem as well.

 

[Larry]

I have to disagree with you on that. A single ply head will always have more sustain than a 2 ply head. That's just science. Also, you'll be able to get a higher pitch with a single ply head than you can with a double ply.


I know, even on high end Gretsch stuff, they have 5 lug 12" toms. I've always had problems tuning a 5 lug drum. That could part of the problem as well.

Hey man, it's good to hear another drummer that can't get along with 5 lug tuning. That opinion is definitely in the minority here, which is fine. I use straight "tuning lines" (a 6 lug drum has 3 "tuning lines") but a 5 lug drum has no straight lines between lugs. It's a dealbreaker for me which is a damn shame, because I like everything else about them. The floor toms and bass have an even amount of lugs, why not the rack toms? It's cheaping out to me.

Re: the diplomat: It's not an agree/disagree situation. It's a fact.The more mass something has, when it's put into motion, the longer it will stay in motion, compared to something with less mass. All other things being equal of course. Google would bear this out. I didn't make that up, Mother Nature did, so this needs to be taken up with her . Also the more mass something has, the higher the pitch it makes when it is vibrated. Both seem counter-intuitive.

A 2 ply, 14 mil head has longer sustain than a 10 mil single ply head, tuned to the same pitch. I just switched to pinstripes from single ply 10mil clear heads just yesterday on my studio kit and yea, more sustain. I'm not trying to be difficult, please forgive me.

 

[Winston_Wolf]

I know, even on high end Gretsch stuff, they have 5 lug 12" toms. I've always had problems tuning a 5 lug drum. That could part of the problem as well.

I have a 5-lug 10" Ludwig tom tom, and I agree, I've never had to spend so much time fine-tuning a tom before this one. I can get it where I want it, but it takes twice as long to get it there. And that's on a concert tom; I couldn't imagine how much worse a double-headed tom would be.

I just switched to pinstripes from single ply 10mil clear heads just yesterday...

Wait, what?!?