The sound of the drum is within the heads

I bet my wife would have fathered I went with cardboard drums and got her more jewelry!!! On the topic of shells make no difference, I will have to stick to my wife’s response after I got the Brooklyns. In her words...”did you do something different. Those new drums sound like your at a concert. I can feel the bass drum in my chest and when you hit the tomtom, they are loud.“ I asked her if the snare and cymbals were louder and she said “they are all just as loud and annoying now.” From that point on, she kept insisting I was playing harder, but not so. I can’t play much harder than I do or my arthritis flares up!

Same heads, same tuning, same player, different drums, a more annoyed wife. Not the combo I was hoping for. We can argue the merits of shells all day long, but I’ll take it from a non drummer and one who never gave a rip or ever commented on any change when I tried different sets of heads prior. Ah, that great Gretsch sound...the one that annoys spouse!
 
I bet my wife would have fathered I went with cardboard drums and got her more jewelry!!! On the topic of shells make no difference, I will have to stick to my wife’s response after I got the Brooklyns. In her words...”did you do something different. Those new drums sound like your at a concert. I can feel the bass drum in my chest and when you hit the tomtom, they are loud.“ I asked her if the snare and cymbals were louder and she said “they are all just as loud and annoying now.” From that point on, she kept insisting I was playing harder, but not so. I can’t play much harder than I do or my arthritis flares up!

Same heads, same tuning, same player, different drums, a more annoyed wife. Not the combo I was hoping for. We can argue the merits of shells all day long, but I’ll take it from a non drummer and one who never gave a rip or ever commented on any change when I tried different sets of heads prior. Ah, that great Gretsch sound...the one that annoys spouse!
You’re saying that you played the same sized shells with the same heads but the Brooklyns were noticeably louder? :unsure:
 
Off topic but how does the 22x14 “feel” as opposed to the 22x18? Do you find it easier to play and tune? ?
22x18 was very hard to run unported. The beater had a bizarre feel to it. Sorta felt like the batter head would bounce back a split second later, so smooth playing was next to impossible. So far as tone, about the only thing I was ever happy with on that were pre muffled heads. With the 22x14 I actually get to tune the heads and running unported is not only possible, but way easier to control.
 
22x18 was very hard to run unported. The beater had a bizarre feel to it. Sorta felt like the batter head would bounce back a split second later, so smooth playing was next to impossible. So far as tone, about the only thing I was ever happy with on that were pre muffled heads. With the 22x14 I actually get to tune the heads and running unported is not only possible, but way easier
 
So your original bass drum was wacky dimensionally to the point of dysfunctionality?

If it had been simply a different wood and your wife had reported fundamental effects, that would have made a point.
 
So your original bass drum was wacky dimensionally to the point of dysfunctionality?
Perhaps, but I still ran the same pre muffled heads on the BD for a bit when she made the comment. I tried the PS3 batter and Ambassador reso the Brooklyns came with on both and it was a no go on the 22x18. There was no playing that one wide open.

If it had been simply a different wood and your wife had reported fundamental effects, that would have made a point.
She did comment on the toms too. they are 1mm thicker and maple/poplar instead of all maple. 12" tom is a 5 lug, instead of the previous 6, so maybe that can be discounted too, but from where I sat the drums were night and day different on every drum with the same heads.

I was doing a bunch of house cleaning on my computer and deleted anything that I didn't feel was worth keeping. The recording I made comparing the two were well worth keeping, but I must have gotten delete happy or I would have posted them already.
 
I like a thread about tone and sound. First thing that comes to my mind is: how many of us don't have tinnitus and can actually hear clearly enough to make a good judgement? Not this guy. It's never silent in my world.
That’s pants mate. Was it drum related? :unsure:
 
Too many loud concerts, artillery fire, drag racing, and being a metalworker for almost 3 decades. I wish I could blame it on the drums.
 
I like a thread about tone and sound. First thing that comes to my mind is: how many of us don't have tinnitus and can actually hear clearly enough to make a good judgement? Not this guy. It's never silent in my world.
I can still hear a gnat fart from across the room. Hearing tests have proved it.....shhhhh don't tell my wife. Best for her to keep thinking I'm deaf! lol!
 
While I agree that a drums tone is the sum of its parts, and the sound is majority the heads doing, I notice a significant difference in tone behind different kits.

Most of my kits have had a similar construction, IE medium to light weight lugs, thin hoops, 45 degree bearing edges with at least some back cut. The only major difference being wood type and ply. I always compare my old kits to new ones before selling them using the same heads.

My first kit was a cheap poplar Rockwood kit. It was fat and deep sounding, while the next kit was a brighter basswood/birch blend of a Mapex Horizon birch. Then a basswood OCDP Venice that had a mellowed tone. Next a birch Ludwig Element that was brighter. The birch in those was pretty porous compared to my Stage Customs which in turn had an ever brighter tone.

Of course in a band setting its not noticeable, but when practicing alone it's nice to have a tone I love.

I'm excited to be getting a maple kit with 30 degree edges and heavier hardware for a different tone.
 
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