On drums...

I;ve been looking for a 20" kick since I got the Designer kit three years ago. Didn't really expect to find it. Dave (phatsolid) got Kelly's, and then sold it, and then got it back, and now I have it and the 12x10 that goes with it. So now I have, effectively, two smaller kits, a 12x8/14 floor/18 kick, and a 12x10/16 floor/20 kick, with an 8x8 that can go either way. Call me happy and extraordinarily fortunate to have the flexibility within this kit. The 20x18 is controlled but moves an enormous amount of air when hit lightly, and the 12x10 scoops deeper in tone the harder it is struck. Perfect for music that demands more force from the artillery.

Many thanks to Dave for working to make this possible!

The new pieces in the studio, with the 16 floor and Lite snare:

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Gregory

BEAUTIFUL KITS!

BRIAN

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Drums and No Money will get Me through Hard Times better than Money and No Drums!
-A Recovering Drum Addict

Incredibly Beautiful kits those genuine Bubinga Designers.
Just gorgeous, Gregory.
Do you feel any delay in attack from the 12x10, do you play it differently?

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Jeff
Gots ta luv da Beech
Australia

Lovely...I'd love to get hold of a 20 or an 18 in a finish that matches my set, you're very lucky Greg!
On a side note just recently back from a very cool holiday to Vancouver and Seattle, great times!

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http://percusski.co.uk/

I know how lucky I am, NIck. Not just finding one, but finding it in the hands of someone willing and able to find a buyer for the pieces I didn't need. This particular kit has had that kind "hand of Providence" a feel about it ever since Tim first mentioned seeing it on Craigslist back in May of 2010. Now if I can just play them well enough to merit the gift!

Seattle and Vancouver are nice cities, particularly when the sun comes out.



Thanks, Jeff! They affect me the same way.

I have been thinkink about your question, and can't quite decide what "attack" means. If it has to do with the percussive sound the drum makes when struck, not so different.

If it has to do with the speed at which the drum opens up, then they are quite different. The 12x8 sound is immediate and remains pretty much the same in its response no matter how it's struck. It has a lively and ringing tone with lots of harmonics that stays on top, as it were, so it always remains distinct from lower midrange instruments. The 12x10 has some lower frequencies that build within the sound the harder the drum is struck, creating sort of a "snooty" or deep nasal tone as the bottom opens up. That sound is particularly noticable when the drum is struck dead center.

Do I play them differently? Yes, because the 12x10 encourages heavier strikes. To get a similar kind of emphasis from the 12x8, I use rim shots, and you know the effect of those. I am more likely to use the shallower tom for more intimate situations and lighter, jazzier music; whereas the deeper tom might better suit louder venues and rock, blues, or R&B.

Having played both 12s with both kicks, I can't say I have a preference based upon kick size. I am glad to have both drums

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Gregory

The 20x18,10,12,14 had a 14x6 matching snare and came from the west coast. Double cased, gorgeous drums in mint condition.

Where did the snare go? And the cases? I gigged the 20 in a 22 case Who in their right mind drags anything that large around?

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Gregory

Sorry Gregory, I suppose by attack I actually was referring to that thicker/broader/longer punch you get from that extra depth. As you say, the point that it opens up.
To me, it suits a more spacious accented playing style, it makes me want to bring out that ooomph and body, but not clutter it.
Nice to hear it has a similar effect on both of us.

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Jeff
Gots ta luv da Beech
Australia

Yes, the overall tone of the deeper tom is more punchy, less ringing. Old R&B songs all had that ringing tom. Think of Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, or the Four Tops, the way the rack cuts through. But with modern distortion, more punch seems required. It's fun to hit the rack harder, but the fun contains a problem: I start hitting everything too hard.

I tune the two drums differently, so the comparison is skewed. The x8 is tuned higher overall, with one head tighter than the other. The x10 heads are tuned to the same note.

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Gregory

Kelly, I guess this means you can see the kick?

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Gregory