BenOBrienSmith
Senior Member
This might just be my favorite tip/trick/hack that we've done for bass drums so far and it's stupid easy yet very few people consider this approach. Short version: remove every other tension rod on a 10-lug bass drum. You'll be able to apply a bit more tension to the remaining ones (and don't have to worry about them backing out from rattling) but actually have the drum tuned lower due to less points of pressure (think 6-lug snare vs 10-lug).
Full details and demonstration here:
Full details and demonstration here: