Members zildjian@consol Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 I thinking about adding a 18" floor tom to my kit.So whats the good, the bad ,& the ugly about 18's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members turdadactyl Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 Somebody (can't remember who) has me quoted in their sig on this topic. Bottom line...I'm not a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zildjian@consol Posted June 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 Somebody (can't remember who) has me quoted in their sig on this topic. Bottom line...I'm not a fan. DTD I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cearleywine Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 I barely like 16's, 18"s are fun kicks. If I was in a stadium rock band perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Carminemw Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 I've used an 18 before...they get real flappy heady sounding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JMR Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 I'm with you. I want either an 18" or 14" to add to my kit... jsut got to find a red acrylic one and have the cash around. if you tune an 18 up, it has a really nice bop to it, but you can also get a reaallllly good blast out of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cross Eyed Mary Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 18's are fine. People fail to realize you have to tune them UP to get them to respond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JimmyNZ Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 I've had an 18 for 20+yrs and I can count on my hands how many times I used it, in fact I still have the original ambassador head on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SYMBOLIC Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 I love my 18" tom. I did get tired of it being behind my 16" so I moved it to the left of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gremson Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 My pearl fiberglass kit came with a 16 and an 18 Ft. Ive been using the 16 for the most time, but i just switched to the 18 and i really dig it. Just sounds bigger. I tuned it up to the same note i had my 16 at and it just has a lot more resonance.I think Im a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drumtechdad Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 DTD I think You rang? Hey, if you want one, have one, but geez, ain't you got enough big {censored} to carry? Best start practicing your singles on a pillow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skinthrasher Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 good-easy to tune,I love doing triplet roll fills using it, they make a good coffee table bad-hard for me to reach I been thinking about moving it over to my right side (since I'm a lefty) ugly- new heads aint cheap, 18"s are bulky and take up alot of space Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members manoeuver Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 I found my 18FT troublesome to tune. response can be sluggish. G'head and tune it way up, but why are you carrying this huge hi-tuned thing around again?and like skinthrasher said, heads are $$$ (and not as easy to find as other sizes) and it's a bigass drum to have to haul around. bleah. I don't miss the one I had and I won't be adding one to my lineup anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boomerweps Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 They do take up a LOT of real estate, both in the transport and on stage. As always, another drum, another mic and cable to run. And another case/bag to buy. On the plus side, HUGE sound and great fake double bass if you run a single pedal or, if running a double pedal, a heckava triplet bass sound. Plus they just LOOK really impressive ;>) All that said I rarely take mine out anymore, for the negatives above. BUT I also stopped using my larger rack and 8x8 rack tom, too. Just using a 5 pc lately for easier setup. I also rig all the drum mics and setup the power and PA so I'm busy enough at setup & teardown ;>( boomerweps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jenksdrummer Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 Tune them up, and they are thunder... I used to tune pretty low - but then one day I got a wile hair up my ass, and gave all the lugs a 1/2 turn up. While I hated it behind the kit, they project like no tomorrow, and the guys in the band said it sounded like my kit woke up, and like it. That said, if I start mic'ing again, they'll get dropped back down to lowest clear note... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lfol2012 Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 I use a 18" floor, and love it. You do need to tune it up a bit or you can put a hydro on them and get a good low tune out of'em. I have a ec2 on mine and it has awesome low end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted June 1, 2010 Members Share Posted June 1, 2010 Have had one on my last couple kits, probably won't on the next one. At low tunings they sound dead and flappy, but tuning them up a get you run into trouble with the "boing". They need a thick head and a bit higher tuning to avoid sounding too much like a kick drum. The reso head is key in the sound, although to be honest mine hasn't been setup for almost a year so I can't remember how I made it decent sounding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members artstarcordia Posted June 3, 2010 Members Share Posted June 3, 2010 Well, IF YOU know how to tune your drums PROPERLY! Then you should be able to find that sweet spot for your 18, if you have one. Not only do I have a 16 floor tom, BUT I have an 18 and 20 inch floor toms as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members manoeuver Posted June 3, 2010 Members Share Posted June 3, 2010 Had I known tuning properly involved pinstripes and weatherstripping I guess I might have done better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danrothmusic Posted June 3, 2010 Members Share Posted June 3, 2010 They have the potential to sound pretty awesome, but I've found that it helps to hit them with something bigger than a stick; try using the butt end of the stick or a mallet (if you have time to switch) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted June 3, 2010 Members Share Posted June 3, 2010 Wouldn't surprise me, my 16x16" and 18x16" seem to want a lot of muffling. At deeper depths, they're more like kick drums than toms. Would love to swap them for 14x12 and 16x14. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skinthrasher Posted June 3, 2010 Members Share Posted June 3, 2010 Had I known tuning properly involved pinstripes and weatherstripping I guess I might have done better. As least we didn't get the full frontal assault Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members full_bleed Posted June 4, 2010 Members Share Posted June 4, 2010 I think it all depends on how you tune your drums really. If you tune every drum to sound good at its lowest possible pitch without a wrinkled head and start at the high tom then of course an 18" is going to sound like sloppy mess. However if you start at the 18 and work your way up you'll probably have a much more usuable tone. Unless your 18 is just a habitual garbage can with a remo stretched over it. In that case leave you're out of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cearleywine Posted June 4, 2010 Members Share Posted June 4, 2010 Had I known tuning properly involved pinstripes and weatherstripping I guess I might have done better. bwahaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drumtechdad Posted June 4, 2010 Members Share Posted June 4, 2010 Had I known tuning properly involved pinstripes and weatherstripping I guess I might have done better. It seems to involve dust, too. On the plus side, we got to see those fabulous pics again, it must have been two weeks since last time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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