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Benefits of 20 inch bass drums


naturalbluesky

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In my opinion, 20" kick drums are more flexible than any other size. You can tune it low and play rock or tune it up and play jazz. Of course you could do these things with a 22" or 24" but it seems like you have to work a lot harder to pull off any kind of jazz with the bigger kicks. (Head choice is crucial as is very specific tunings.) That is not to say it can't be done, but I think the 20" kick fits a wider variety of styles and does it in an easier manner.

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Twentyinchers.

 

1. It fits that size case best.

2. Its not quite tall enough to tempt a flying leap by your guitarist who has been getting free drinks from the booby blonde server all nite.

3. You can get better heads cheaper. Except at GC. "We dont stock twenties"

4. They are easier to carry through the bars back door in case the chicken wire doesnt hold up.

 

I play three vintage Rogers sets, they have twenties. I like them.

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Originally posted by ThePloughman

Twentyinchers.


1. It fits that size case best.

2. Its not quite tall enough to tempt a flying leap by your guitarist who has been getting free drinks from the booby blonde server all nite.

3. You can get better heads cheaper. Except at GC. "We dont stock twenties"

4. They are easier to carry through the bars back door in case the chicken wire doesnt hold up.


I play three vintage Rogers sets, they have twenties. I like them.

 

 

Cool, I'll go with that. Tired of trying to find stuff haha.

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20" are nice tight sounding drums with great punch. They are big enough (with the right heads and tuning) to do the rock thing and small enough to esily do softer music and jazz. record nicely too.

 

After saying that. I personaly like 22" better. They just have that extra umph and low that a 20 doesn't have. and they can tune up. but a 20 would be better for jazz. 22's imo are the perfect balance between big(24" 26") and small(18" 20")...Honestly a 20" doesn't save much space.. You are talking 2 inches verticle. if you like low toms then that 2 inches is a plus.

 

Best thing is to play one. see what sounds good to you and the style of music you will play.

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Originally posted by Puck

20" are nice tight sounding drums with great punch. They are big enough (with the right heads and tuning) to do the rock thing and small enough to esily do softer music and jazz. record nicely too.


After saying that. I personaly like 22" better. They just have that extra umph and low that a 20 doesn't have. and they can tune up. but a 20 would be better for jazz. 22's imo are the perfect balance between big(24" 26") and small(18" 20")...Honestly a 20" doesn't save much space.. You are talking 2 inches verticle. if you like low toms then that 2 inches is a plus.


Best thing is to play one. see what sounds good to you and the style of music you will play.

 

 

Jesus, there is just no end to the madness. At one point I am satisfied with my decision then out of the blue I can't decide again.

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its been said a million times; but you need to get out and play. the GC by me doesn't seem to like stocking 20's - i think its be cause "different = bad" at guitar center. Personally i play a 22 now, but for the next kit i will be looking at a 20. I like the thought of having a smaller size, which is easier to move and and i think a little more responsive, with a greater tuning range (for the most part).

 

on the other hand, 2 inches is 2 inches. Its not gonna be the difference between your tom tom and your bass drum now. If you can't play one; try to read a bazillion reviews. It wont be half as good as playing, but itll be 3x better then buying a drum "cause you havea good feeling about it". Look for people who play your style of music (punk, jazz, classic, country, ext.) especally and see what their feedback is.

 

Lastly, i prefer 8 ply for a bass, and 5 or 6 ply for toms. That lets the bass drum stand out a little more, show up more in the music and cut through. You generally dont need the sensivity of 6 ply in a bass drum like you might in toms; you want it to stand out a little bit, give a nice solid, heavy sound (IMO). just a thought.

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you should not base your oppinion off of ours and if you do you will find that most of us have 22" kicks. i suggest playing the same style and brand of drum in 20" and 22" side by side. make sure that they are tuned with the same tention not tone and you will have your answer. as far as our oppinions are concerned, they are like butholes. everyone has got one and most of them stink. trust your ears.

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naturalbluesky , what did ya get?

 

I'm just cruising through old threads looking for ideas on bass drum tunings (just added the 18" to the quiver) and found this. Sorry , if this is answered somewhere else.

 

I have a definite opinion on 20"BD, but I'm curious to see what you decided on.

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I'm glad you revived it. :)

 

I'm ready to plunk down for a new kit, but it's been hell trying to find kits with 20" kicks to play. I want a 20" for all the reasons mentioned, plus I want to have my toms flatter than I have to place them now.

 

As mentioned, GC won't stock them because their market is firmly in the 17-19-year-old demographic where it's all about 22s and whatever the rock drummer du jour is playing. (no disrespect intended, but it makes shopping difficult for those who've been around and want some options.)

 

I think I'll have to drive down to LA in order to do any serious shopping. Very frustrating.

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Originally posted by theFoot

sidereal
just curious...

What (quality) level of kit are you looking for?

How are you going to use it (what styles do you play, do you take your drums to rehearsals, gigging, recording)?

 

All of the above. :) which is why I want a 20". I do a lot of gigging and am starting to do much more recording again. I do everything from very soft, all-acoustic gigs, to large and small club gigs, to massive private event parties. Recording could be just about anything. As it is now I've got two kits to fit these scenarios (premier genista & yamaha hip gig). I'd like to sell both and get something in between the two. I hardly ever do any heavy/hard playing anymore.

 

I definitely want high-end, or at least high-end sound. I posted a "buying custom" thread a week or so back because I was thinking the only way I could get what I wanted was to go custom, but I'd rather not because of the high costs.

 

Manufacturers leading the pack for me right now are Gretsch and DW. I also wouldn't mind going Premier again because I love my Genista. But I'm open to any manufacturer so long as I can try it first! :)

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Gotcha. my $.02

As a youngster I played out with 22" and 26", but I was playing loud, and often mic'd. For the more "toned down" stuff Iplay now I'm kicking an old 20" Slingerland that is beaten to hell and missing parts, but still sounds great. Recently, I picked up a Catalina Club kit and plan to use the 18" as my main set-up. I really wanted a small kit, and the 18" will be fine in most situations. Since I will never get rid of my 22" Rogers, I have a bigger drum when needed.

 

So, I went with 2 drums instead of 1. If I were to only have 1 set, it would ABSOLUTELY be built around a good 20" kick. With a 20", there a few times when I would need anything bigger.

 

As far as setup goes, with the 20" is a lot easier to work with. I keep my toms low, too. The 18" is just like the 20"do to the BD lifter.

 

My first pick would be Gretsch (not the Catalinas), then DW. I find that the best small BDs I hear are Gretschs. That could be because the people playing those drums really know what they're doing, too. I can't recall being in the same room as a 20" DW, but their small toms can sound HUGE, so why not the BDs?

 

So there ya go. Gretsch 20" BD and a few heads and you're set for the rest of your life!

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The 20" is a great drum. I had the same choice... ultimately I went with a pair of 22s and am happy, but I know a 20" would also have been awesome.

 

Originally posted by naturalbluesky

Jesus, there is just no end to the madness. At one point I am satisfied with my decision then out of the blue I can't decide again.

 

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Interestingly enough, I started off using 20" bass drums. First a Ludwig, then a Slingerland. Then in the mid-80's I ended up with a 22" Gretsch, and the rest of the kit with it. Those were some awesome sounding drums. (I sold....rather.....'gave them away' along with a Ludwig Supraphonic when I switched to v-drums. Long story.)

 

That Gretsch bass drum had a very distinctive sound that even my 22" dw doesn't have. It seems like the frequency spread of the ultra low end 'oomph' is broader with the Gretsch. Perhaps it's that lead based silver paint on the inside. You'll definately want to take your snare and hats down to the store to try-before-you-buy.

 

As far as playing feel, I like the 20" better as it is not as sloppy as the 22, but not as tight as the 18. Had I ordered my dw's from the factory, I would have went with a 20".

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(I sold....rather.....'gave them away' along with a Ludwig Supraphonic when I switched to v-drums. Long story.)

sorry man, sorry.:cry:

 

I wonder how the Catalina 22"x20" compares to your older 22"x? (16" I reckon). 22x20 is a lot of air (and wood) to move.

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