[Drummars] Bass drums?

So I just bought a new back bass head for my set. It's a 22" Remo Pinstripe. Sounds better than my old one, but I still can't get it to sound how I want it to. Couldn't afford the new front head, but I'm getting there.

My set's not the best at all. It's not shit, but it's not good. I believe it's a Peavey International series. Anybody tuning theirs or doing something different to make it sound half-way decent?

Losen up the front head a little bit. If it still sounds like ass cut a port in the front head. Also, do you have a pillow/blanket in your bass drum?

I'd originally had a blanket, and then I came across a special dampener thing that I picked up at a Midwest Drums down in Wichita (I'm from KS). But after today, I decided that it was pretty damn gay and so I put a blanket back in.

Finally got it to sound somewhat how I wanted it after dicking around with it for awhile today. My toms are sounding amazing right now, especially my floor tom.

But yeah, I guess really what I needed was just to fuck around with it a little more.

Its always a good idea to fuck around with your set for awhile. The more you mess around with it, the more familiar you become. When I tune my heads, I grab a pencil with a nice eraser and tap every lug to hear the pitch. Once every lug sounds very similar then you know you did a good tuning job. You could also get one of those fancy digital tuners but thats no fun

How exactly are you trying to get your kick to sound? I kind of like a nice boomy bass from my kick. I like to tune my batter head medium tight, and my reso head fairly loose, to pretty much get the natural tone of the drum. Putting a ported reso head on really helps get a boomier sound. However, I did get a lot of compliments when I had that tight, punchy kick.

I like the deeper, boomy sound. Before I switched out my head, I had a real thin, almost chalky sounding hit, and it was terrible. I'm satisfied with this one so far. I think it'll help when I get a newer reso. They have an Evans with vents in the center that I was looking at, and if need be I could cut a bigger port.

I've just always liked a thud, but one with some actual bass sound to it. Deep, but with a short sound.

When you get around to getting a newer reso, I'd recommend either the Evans EQ3 or Aquarian Regulator.

Which one do you have on there now if you don't mind me asking?

whats the drum made of?

you can't make a birch drum sound like its made of maple

Liar2 - It's the p.o.s that came with the set. It's a Peavey International series.
Ascoe - Nothing good like birch or mapel. Like I said, it's a Peavey International, so it's nothing fancy.

I'd say my set was probably about 599 new, and these guys at the local drum shop here have a Tama Rockstar Legends set, birch, for 1800 up on display, and they said if I bring them 1,000 dollars cash and trade in my set, they'd trade me for it. And I'm thinking.. hell yeah, that's 200 bucks up on the price I paid for it, I just can't find a thousand bucks right now .

But yeah. Shitty wood, if it's even wood, and a shitty head. But I'm slowly but surely getting there.

First mistake: Remo Ebony Pinstripe.

You should get a white batter and make your ebony your side head. It produces warm, punchy, whatever you need, with tone.

ive always had good luck with fibreskin (sp?) heads, they've always given me a good balance of punch, boom, and a nice full tone. port your front head.

i believe they are made by remo.

White batter heads are pretty good. I'm a fan of multi-layer Aquarian Super Kick heads with resonance rings. They sound awesome for rock.

As far as tuning goes - start with no heads on the drum. Put the beater head on, and tighten the lugs in a star pattern by hand, until you can't really turn the lugs anymore. Now, tighten the lugs 1/8 turn at a time, again in a star pattern, very carefully - until the wrinkles in the head disappear. Put your kick pedal on and give it a shot.

You should hear two things: click, when the beater hits the head, and a doum sound as the head resonates. Make sure you get the beater off the head when you kick it.

Once you're satisfied with the beater side, put on the front head, again hand tightening in a star pattern, and then wrenching it 1/8 turn at a time until the wrinkles go away. Now here's where you can get some seriously heavy tones out of a kick drum. If at all possible, get a friend to kick the drum repeatedly as you tighten it. You want to go past where the wrinkles disappear and actually get some tension in the front head. Once it starts to really vibrate and sound good, you're done.

Some guys throw a blanket or a towel in their kick. I put as little as possible in it. I use a small towel; it just sits in the bottom and absorbs a little of the beater noise. I make sure it doesn't touch either head, for maximum resonance.