26"Kick, what styles appropriate?

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blueshadow

blueshadow

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All you that use a 26" kick, what style music do you play? Just thinking out loud again (usually gets me in trouble) about a possible 14-16-26 set up, but I play mostly traditional country (lots of shuffles and Texas swing).
 
26x16 Vistalite here with 14 and 18 toms... I've done 60's/70's and modern rock, blues and country gigs- all toured with this kit, with just tuning changes for venue appropriate sounds. LOVE it, and could never go back to smaller kits.
 
I have & play a 28" Ludwig bass drum & have used it for about all styles of rock & some country. I think larger drum are more usable than a small drum. I can make my large drum sound small by the way I tune & play it but smaller drums are harder to make sound bigger.At least to me. :idea1:

Dave Huffman :occasion5:
 
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I have a 26" Legacy bass drum I'm gonna use on a project. I have a hole in the front head and the sound is "under control" for a big drum. I've used them, on and off, for years. They take up alot of space when they're cased up. Difficult to ship too .If I want the first tom in front of the snare drum, the tom has to sit up pretty high. But it's such a pleasure to play, I'm taking it out for a run.
 
If you get into a situation where volume becomes a concern, it can always be muffled (laundry in the bass drum, ported reso), or you can go with a pre-muffled 2 ply like an Evans EQ2/EQ3 or a Remo Powerstroke 4. A drum can always be made quieter, even a big kick like that if need be. I like a drum that has plenty of headroom and can have plenty of volume on call should I need it.
 
NashvilleGull said:
26x16 Vistalite here with 14 and 18 toms... I've done 60's/70's and modern rock, blues and country gigs- all toured with this kit, with just tuning changes for venue appropriate sounds. LOVE it, and could never go back to smaller kits.
You got a Vista 16x26?? I thought they only came in 14 deep??
 
I'm currently using a 16x26 Ludwig Classic Maple 1990's 6 ply and matching 14 and 18 inch toms. I play Blues, Swing, and Roots Rock n Roll, and I have played them in other situations too. IMO there is no substitute for big drums, small ones have their place, but again, there's a BIG difference in the way they speak.
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__________________
I'd rather simmer for life than be a flash in the pan.
-Bermuda
 
Quieter venues for some reason seem to be smaller in size. So set up room is about the only drawback for a 26 incher.Whats with these red lines? Anyway I use a 24 as my main gigging drum and those sheepskin Vater beaters can help to balance things out volume wise. An equ'd head like an Evans hydraulic on the reso side can give you a nice soft bottom vibe without clearing the room.Go for it. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!!BennyK.
 
coffee house gigs only for my 26... :D

Not really,..just good ole' RnR...
 
Vipercussionist said:
NashvilleGull said:
26x16 Vistalite here with 14 and 18 toms... I've done 60's/70's and modern rock, blues and country gigs- all toured with this kit, with just tuning changes for venue appropriate sounds. LOVE it, and could never go back to smaller kits.
You got a Vista 16x26?? I thought they only came in 14 deep??

Yes, it's a Ludwig "Power Option", complete with 2 sets of arc spurs, front and rear. (And yes, the shell is 16" deep, without hoops.) It's smoke, b/o pointy badge. In 30 years of playing/collecting, I've seen only one other Vista with this- a yellow 24x16. I should have bought it. As far as I know, I have the only 26" Power Option anyone's heard of. I'd love to know if anyone else has seen one in any size. FWIW, it has very slightly more depth of tone than my 26x14 Vista. A little more "air" I guess. It wasn't noticeable until I recorded them both on a whim years ago to see. In person or on the gig, they sound exactly the same..
 
I owned one (16x26"), when I was using my Ludwig classic Maples, too big for me. It hurt my back to play it. A 20" is better suited to my style.
 
Interesting topic for me as I've left my bigger bass drum, a Ludwig CM 14x24", at home mostly so far, thinking it was too big for the small clubs I play in and for the type of music I play (mellow rock-ish stuff that occasionally gets to "moderate" rock level). I just decided after my last gig that it's time to take out the 24" though. My bass drum was getting drowned out on-stage I think (there are monitors at these places, but also usually about 5 minutes to get mixes in them with mostly careless sound guys running the show), and hope this will help.

Anyway, for me it's mostly been psychological to not use the bigger drums, thinking a 24" will stand out too much or that I'll scare my bandmates or something. 10 bucks says don't notice the bigger sizes... And the footprint of the set really won't change much going from a 14x22 to a 14x24, the extra weight of one drum is no biggie to me. Time to give it a whirl!
 
i play classic rock,rockabilly and country.i wouldnt use anything else.i tried going to a 22" but just couldnt get used to it.the 26" is all i have ever played.
 
NashvilleGull said:
26x16 Vistalite here with 14 and 18 toms... I've done 60's/70's and modern rock, blues and country gigs- all toured with this kit, with just tuning changes for venue appropriate sounds. LOVE it, and could never go back to smaller kits.
Click to expand...
Vipercussionist said:
You got a Vista 16x26?? I thought they only came in 14 deep??
Click to expand...
NashvilleGull said:
Yes, it's a Ludwig "Power Option", complete with 2 sets of arc spurs, front and rear. (And yes, the shell is 16" deep, without hoops.) It's smoke, b/o pointy badge. In 30 years of playing/collecting, I've seen only one other Vista with this- a yellow 24x16. I should have bought it. As far as I know, I have the only 26" Power Option anyone's heard of. I'd love to know if anyone else has seen one in any size. FWIW, it has very slightly more depth of tone than my 26x14 Vista. A little more "air" I guess. It wasn't noticeable until I recorded them both on a whim years ago to see. In person or on the gig, they sound exactly the same..
Click to expand...
I didn't even know the WAS a Power Option!!

How cool is THAT!!! Pics please as I'll never see one in person.

.
__________________
I'd rather simmer for life than be a flash in the pan.
-Bermuda
 
Greetings Everyone, I use three different 28" Ludwig bass drums to play classic rock. To me it`s the perfect "BIG " sound, I will be working on # 4 soon.
 
I just have one 14" X 28" Ludwig BASS drum & I love it. It came from a double bass set & I know where the other one lives! :lurk:
I love a big Bass drum. You can feather the pedal & make a 28" sound like a 18" or 20". But have more low end.
I guess what ever works 4U is what counts.For me having a larger bass drum means I don't have to work so hard at playing So I have more energy to tote the darn things!
:idea1:

Dave Huffman :notworthy:
 
I agree Dave. I have two 26ers and while I mainly play classic rock gigs I could use them comfortably at coffee house settings which I have MANY times. I can always throttle down if needed, so to me the larger ones can meet all your needs. Also since the depth is only 14 it doesn't take up any more stage room than my 20".
 
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