18 inch bass drum, why bother?

Silly Larry, 18 inch bass drums are for Jazz! :)
Im still lovin my Mapex Saturn Jazz kit.
Thats why I currently own 5 kits with different sized bass drums from 16 to 22 inches.
A bass drum for every occasion.
Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.
 
I'm at a place in life where I could have most any bass drum I want....I have one, a 9x18
bass drum that I cut down from a floor tom and converted into a bass drum for my kit. I wouldn't change it for anything else. I like the sound (it was the most difficult drum I've ever
had to adjust for the sound I wanted, but eventually I got it). I play jazz 100% of the time.
When I used to play rock, blues and other musical forms I used a 20 and 22 a lot.
18's are easier to get in cabs with too if you you need to haul stuff that way.
 
but yr a woman and hit like a girl anyway

I do now, but in 1987 I was hitting about as hard as you did in that clip you posted (that was a killer groove BTW)

1987: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S42jk4FUaBQ

Compare with 2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2YfdbaL_oA

Or 1981: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnM1AfGglwU

1987 is an aberration. I was in in a situation where I was trying to keep up with what I saw guys playing (and the women who also copied the guys). So it turns out that I enjoy drumming more when I'm hitting like a girl :)


Holy crap Anthony!!!! You do realise you're pissing with DW royalty here, lol! ;0 ;0 ;0

I'm secretly in love with Grea...shhhhh

Oh dear, another fine soul is smitten ;)

Keep it coming boys, I'm lapping it up!


I'm happy with my 16". I'm using it to play jazz and I love the dynamic control it gives me.

Agree. I would struggle in my current band with a large drum.


I am a true believer that no matter what the size of the bass drum, 16" - 18" - 20" - 22"; with the right tuning, and right drum heads, you can make any bass drum sound fantastic depending on the kind of music you're playing.

I agree, although it makes sense in most rock gigs to use a bigger drum so there's less work to do to get the right response. Having said that, in my experience engineers seem to like smaller drums because they're easier to control.


Silly Larry, 18 inch bass drums are for Jazz! :)

Bob, you hit the nail on the head. There's plenty of crossover, of course, but that's the gist of it. Smaller footprint for those squeezy venues too.
 
I would be embarrassed to show up with a little 18" bass drum. Manly men don't play 18" bass drums. Sorry. Weak.
 
I would be embarrassed to show up with a little 18" bass drum. Manly men don't play 18" bass drums. Sorry. Weak.

No one who sits behind a bass drum smaller than this can call themself a manly man:

798px-Big_Bertha.jpg


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bertha_(drum)
 
I would be embarrassed to show up with a little 18" bass drum. Manly men don't play 18" bass drums. Sorry. Weak.

manly men huh?

if I listed the guys who play and have played 18" kicks you may retract that statement
 
I would be embarrassed to show up with a little 18" bass drum. Manly men don't play 18" bass drums. Sorry. Weak.

Call me what you may.... I'll stick to me 18" bass drum.

Elvin, Roy, and so many others changed drumming with an 18" bass.
 
very nice Grea

and thank you

Thanks Anthony. By Mr Stupid Stuff's definition I was less womanly back then - that was a 22" bass :)

Yeah, you had a killer groove going on. Was that clip from a fair while ago ... or are you keeping up the rock gigs while exploring jazz? You reminded me of Soko Richardson - I saw him with John Mayall decades ago and he was a powerhouse.
 
Thanks Anthony. By Mr Stupid Stuff's definition I was less womanly back then - that was a 22" bass :)

Yeah, you had a killer groove going on. Was that clip from a fair while ago ... or are you keeping up the rock gigs while exploring jazz? You reminded me of Soko Richardson - I saw him with John Mayall decades ago and he was a powerhouse.

thanks again Grea ,,,,,I love Soko

that clip was from this past April

the guitar player likes how I play and hires me for all his gigs......I do it because the pay is good and he usually plays to anywhere from 500 to 3000 people

its not really my cup of tea....but Ill take the loot of ya know what I mean

his stuff is mostly more bluesy than that clip showed ....he is big into Joe Banamassa and Derek Trucks...guys like that

I enjoy putting on my old rock face every now and then....but all in all that ship has sailed for me ......to many bitter years touring ......unless the dead presidents come a callin

then Im all in
 
great discussion. i know jazzers love 18's for various reasons ( it all started because they fit in the taxi?). they do fit well in jazz music, at a pitch above the bass. but i wonder why joe morello used a 22?
i've done 18, 22 and 20. all have their merit. i think the 20 is a great compromise, if you're looking for smallish but still with oomph. but for rock it still needs mic'ing with my band, whereas a 22 does not. really, in most small venues though, it seems the 18 does fine (am seeing that Gretsch Catalina Club in every club). Gretsch really hit it with that setup.
 
great discussion. i know jazzers love 18's for various reasons ( it all started because they fit in the taxi?). they do fit well in jazz music, at a pitch above the bass. but i wonder why joe morello used a 22?
i've done 18, 22 and 20. all have their merit. i think the 20 is a great compromise, if you're looking for smallish but still with oomph. but for rock it still needs mic'ing with my band, whereas a 22 does not. really, in most small venues though, it seems the 18 does fine (am seeing that Gretsch Catalina Club in every club). Gretsch really hit it with that setup.

Joe stated flatly in an old Modern Drummer interview that he wants his bass drum to sound like a bass drum. He never understood the appeal of the little bass drum. Buddy Rich even stated that he doesn't want to work as hard, either. I'm sure Joe Morello felt the same way. Imagine his solo during Take 5 when he drops the bass drum bombs here and there. I myself love the satisfying "whump" of his 22. I'm not sure I would've felt it through my stereo if he did it with an 18, and then 40 years later, I might not like that section of the solo ;)
 
I've been wanting to stumble onto an 18" to build a portable kit for weddings in bad loading venues. An 18 can certainly be tweaked for rock n roll, but it really is a jazz size.

Larry, I bet you could find one of those ultra-cheap no name kits for sale on Craigslist for $50, and bring the 22 to rehearsal and leave it there.
 
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