Good Size Bass Drum to go w/ 13 and 15" toms?

honkyjonk · Post by **honkyjonk** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 8:41 pm

I'm piecing together a kit here and picked up some 13" and 15" Gretsch toms.
I'll probably just go with what I'm able to find at a reasonable price, but for flexibility, and for a small kit, do people generally have 20" kicks or 22" with a 13 and 15" toms? I don't know, I'm not a drummer. I don't have any other toms either (besides another 13" tom) But I think these two 'll do for now

Does it even really matter? I've heard 20" kicks are pretty versatile.

John Jeffers · Post by **John Jeffers** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 8:46 pm

We had a thread about kick drum size back in December:

http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=29122

Ben Logan · Post by **Ben Logan** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:11 pm

Professor · Post by **Professor** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:05 pm

Ben Logan wrote:

Now that's my kinda bass drum!

Seriously though, a 20" would be smaller (obviously) and perhaps more flexible between jazz and acoustic rock. A 22" will serve you well for acoustic rock and harder stuff, and will do fine for jazz though the whiney jazz drummers will never stop complaining. A 24" is where you start pushing your luck for lighter stuff.

-J

r0ck1r0ck2 · Post by **r0ck1r0ck2** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 12:57 am

god loves a 20" kick

Professor · Post by **Professor** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 1:07 am

Then why did he stick all us white boys with these puny little 5"... oh wait, you said 'kick'!

Dave-H · Post by **Dave-H** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 10:00 am

I love my 16" X 24" 's & my 14" X 28". That big one will move your pant leg if you are in front of it!

Dave Huffman

Ben Logan · Post by **Ben Logan** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 10:57 am

I've got a 20 inch kick with my Ludwig "Clubdate" set - I think it's called a clubdate. That 20 incher is great. I've got a Powerstroke 3 head on that thing. It sounds monsterous - sometimes too monsterous. You can get a big sound out of a small kick, plus a smaller sound out of a smaller kick if you tune it a bit higher up. I'm a hack drummer, so I'm no expert. But, my experience suggests that a 20 inch kick is lots more versatile than say a 24 incher like I used to own with a big rock kit.

Judas Jetski · Post by **Judas Jetski** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:41 am

'Course, you know Rock'n'roll got started in a world populated with 26" bass drums from the big band era.

(But then I'm totally just playing devil's advocate here because I'm only really comfy with a 20" myself.) How old are them Gretsch toms?

I'm Painting Again · Post by **I'm Painting Again** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 12:40 pm

my premier maple 20" kicks the ass of some other bigger drums when its set up right..

drums are really funny and mysterious..

tasker · Post by **tasker** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:21 pm

bigger usually sounds better. go for the 22". personally, i'd be looking for a 24". early 70s ludwig, slingerland, gretsch etc. big worked fine for max roach, art blakey, john bonham, et al. little worked well for... just depends on what you want to do with it. for me, a 20" or smaller kick is like throwing up a 16" cymbal. now just why would you do that, unless it's a pair of hi hats?

I'm Painting Again · Post by **I'm Painting Again** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:43 am

tasker wrote:bigger usually sounds better.

hows that?..are you proposing there is a "better" everyone agrees on? because I don't doubt you like the sound of bigger drums..its just that that doesn't apply to everyone else's tastes..

tasker · Post by **tasker** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:57 am

very true words you speak. i was trying to be a bit funny while suffering the bitterness of having to buy a very smail cymbal that i dislike for a drummer friend of mine. funniness failed, alcohol won. i've heard small kicks that sound great and big ones that sound terrible and know it's not the size that matters. that's just a mcdonald's marketing ploy...

Dubious · Post by **Dubious** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:09 am

my slingerland kit has got a 22" kick and im really diggin it... you can always muffle it if its too booming... i'd rather have MORE power and bring it down than try and compensate for a smaller wimpier kick.

sonic dogg · Post by **sonic dogg** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:29 pm

Hmmm...Lets see now...Yer gonna be micing the kik drum...even with the 3 mic method...errrrr, then this mic'd sound is gonna be boosted by some piece of gear.....To pretty much ANY loudness and with some tailoring, ANY AMOUNT OF PUNCH ya might need..or not need...

So the real question is which drum size can you contol better?

Its ALWAYS going to be smaller drums and really cool heads are a LOT cheaper for these smaller drums.

I have the old Slingerland 20" set up right now. Its got a great rocking head on it. It simply sounds great. Its easy to tune, its easy to get all the other drums in close around it and still have separation, and its extremely cool to watch drummers reactions when they hear how it sounds on playback...

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Good Size Bass Drum to go w/ 13 and 15" toms?

Good Size Bass Drum to go w/ 13 and 15" toms?

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