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What kind of filling/stuffing for bass drum?


Grayson73

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I have a Pearl drum kit and the bass drum has a 'thap' sound instead of a 'thud' sound.

 

What should I put in there to make the sound deeper? Would any pillow or blanket do?

 

Also, is it as simple as opening it up, putting something in, and closing it?

 

As you can tell, I'm a newbie :)

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I use pre-muffled heads (Super Kick II and Regulator) and fill my kick with air to get a good sound. What sounds thuddy to you behind the kit probably sounds like crap to the audience (or just gets drowned out by the guitars and bass). But a light weight blanket or pillow lightly touching both heads shouldn't sound too bad.

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I wouldnt recomend making a hole yourself. I did that once and while i was playing my set the whole front bass head ended up tearing. Just purchase one that has a pre-made hole. But if your not miciing it, I wouldnt worry about it.

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If you're going to stuff your drum with something, I think it helps to have a hole in the res head so you can arrange said stuffing appropiately to suit your sonic desires. Otherwise, you stuff the drum, seal it up and then as soon as you move it, your stuffing has moved and is touching the head differently thereby affecting the overall sound of the drum.

 

Some points:

-Stuffing may or may not help you get the sound you want. Start by messing with the tuning. As mentioned, you could shove some stuffing in there and seal it up and then decide it's too much, or too little, stuffing. So you have to open it up, reassess the stuffing situation, replace/remove/add stuffing, reseal, retune....you can see how quickly this would get old and tiresome.

 

-As mentioned, drum head companies make pre-muffled heads. When used in combination with proper tuning, the desired result can be achieved with no need for additional stuffing, thus saving you a blanket for the cold winter months that lie ahead.

 

-If you do you use any stuffing, the way it touches the head and which head(s) it touches will alter the sound in various ways. Just "throwing" some crap in there isn't going to cut it. Personally, I use an Aquarian Superkick II and a Regulator with a 4.5" hole on the front. I keep a small towel in there, rolled up, only slightly touching the bottom of the front head. It helps "tame" the drum just a touch, but in reality, I can get by without it. It's a subtle change. On occasion, I'll move the towel so it's slightly touching the bottom of the batter head so that I achieve a slightly drier thud. Just depends on what I'm after at the moment. But none of this could be managed without a hole in the front head.

 

-Now I'm hungry for Stove Top. :(

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Thanks for the advice.

 

How does the Evans G2 compare to the Aquarian Super Kick II?

 

Should I just go ahead and get the Evans EMAD 5-Piece Drumhead Pack? I have the Pearl Export drum kit.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=perc/search/detail/base_pid/443809/

 

If I got this, the only other piece I'd need to get is the Regulator for the resonant head, right?

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Grab a pillow and lean one edge up against the front head.

 

More pillow leaning=more of a thud and less boom.

 

Doesn't have to be a pillow. I have used towels, blankets and my coat on more than one occassion.

 

This lets you try out different sounds to see just how much muffling you need. I have a kick with the Evans pillow in it. I forget the fancy name they call it. Velcro's in place on the inside of the shell. Works great. But its costs more than borrowing a towel or pillow.

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Stuffing?

 

I use a mixture of cubes of whole wheat bread, some onions, celery, mix in some butter, salt and pepper, spices, and then I throw in a little chicken broth. Then I'll mix it all up and cram it inside the turkey.

 

Mmmmmm, stuffing. Love it.

 

As for my bass drum, I like Aquarian's pre-muffled Superkick II/Regulator combo. Not as tasty as the recipe above, but close.

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Originally posted by Grayson73

Thanks for the advice.


How does the Evans G2 compare to the Aquarian Super Kick II?


Should I just go ahead and get the Evans EMAD 5-Piece Drumhead Pack? I have the Pearl Export drum kit.




If I got this, the only other piece I'd need to get is the Regulator for the resonant head, right?

 

 

The Evans G2 won't have the internal muffling the SKII has. With the G2, you might need to throw in a small towel or something like that. With the SKII you shouldn't need any muffling at all. If you are new at this, I would get the SKII since it's damn hard to get a bad sound out of it (meaning it can be out of tune and still sound good)

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Originally posted by rumblebelly



The Evans G2 won't have the internal muffling the SKII has. With the G2, you might need to throw in a small towel or something like that. With the SKII you shouldn't need any muffling at all. If you are new at this, I would get the SKII since it's damn hard to get a bad sound out of it (meaning it can be out of tune and still sound good)

 

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Here is my setup:

 

Pearl Export:

22" Bass drum, Remo Weatherking Powerstroke 3 Bass

12" tom, 13" tom, 16" floor tom, Remo Weatherking Pinstripe

14" Yamaha SD5565MA Snare, Remo Weatherking Coated Ambassador

 

Cymbals:

16" Paiste 802 Crash

20" Paiste 802 Ride

13" Paiste 802 Hi-Hat

10" Paiste 802 Splash

18" Paiste 802 Crash/Ride

18" Zildjian K Dark Crash Thin

8" Zildjian Custom A Splash

 

Per your recommendations, I'm thinking about upgrading the bass heads with the Super Kick II and Regulator.

 

What's the next upgrade? A better Hi-Hat?

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I don't what snare drum that is (Stage Custom maybe?), but a different snare can change the sound of your kit. Even if you're happy with that one, a second option is always nice. Otherwise, I would start upgrading cymbals - hats, ride, then crashes.

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Before I spent another dime, I'd download the drum tuning bible and teach yourself to tune your kit. IMHO, there's nothing wrong with your kit...the powerstroke is a pretty good drumhead, and pinstripes on those toms should be easy to set up.

 

Go download this, read it, and work on your tuning and see if that helps (it probably will).

 

Drum Tuning Bible

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Originally posted by Old Steve

Before I spent another dime, I'd download the drum tuning bible and teach yourself to tune your kit. IMHO, there's nothing wrong with your kit...the powerstroke is a pretty good drumhead, and pinstripes on those toms should be easy to set up.


Go download this, read it, and work on your tuning and see if that helps (it probably will).


 

 

Oh, I didn't realize he had the PSIII. I figured he had the stock head still on it.

 

Yeah, I like the PSIII on the kick...especially if it's coated. Unless the head is excessively worn or damaged, you should be able to tune that sucker. It'll never sound as boomy as an SKII but it is a perfectly good head.

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Originally posted by Old Steve

Stuffing?


I use a mixture of cubes of whole wheat bread, some onions, celery, mix in some butter, salt and pepper, spices, and then I throw in a little chicken broth. Then I'll mix it all up and cram it inside the turkey.


Mmmmmm, stuffing. Love it.


As for my bass drum, I like Aquarian's pre-muffled Superkick II/Regulator combo. Not as tasty as the recipe above, but close.

 

:rolleyes: so typical of you to post that ...

 

ya beat me to it!

 

:D

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