John Bonhams kick drum - the final word

[gareth81]

Lets try and put this one to rest, how did Bonham tune, muffle and setup his kick drum?

What Ive gathered so far is;

26 x 14 ludwig kick
ambassador heads
no hole in the front
felt strips used on the beater head ONLY
nothing inside the drum
tuned high, and the resonant even higher like a snare
ludwig speed king pedal

What type of beater did he use? Felt or wood? I think Ive read wood somewhere but I dont remember where.

Some have suggested he made a primitive version of a powerstroke ring for the resonant head using an old head. Can anybody show pics of this?

Did he have internal mufflers on the drum?

[toolskid]

theres no mystery about this - just check out Jeff Ocheltree's video thumbsup

[CB_Photo]

A video is here:

YouTube - Drum Tech Jeff Ocheltree (John Bonham's kit)

[Dr. Mordo]

I've gotten very close to the Bonham sound, and I'd say:

Watch the Ocheltree video

Put the felt strips on both heads. You will want to control the ring from a giant head tuned up so tight.

Ambassadors used to be double ply heads, so you won't get the same thing from a modern Ambassador head.

Tune it tight, but not ridiculously so. Some Zep tracks you can hear that the whole kit is looser than normal, so he didn't always run the drums super tight.

I don't think the batter matters a giant amount.

Be prepared to kick the crap out of it. You have to put a lot of energy into it to get 'the' sound. Also, leave the beater against the head after you kick it; the beater actually does much of the work of muffling the drum.

[Rolf Fiesel]

John Bonham - Drummerworld Video

Bass drum !!!

[cgarges]

Which record? All those records have different bass drum sounds on them.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[ivmike]

I do know that he used a wooden beater.

Also, get the book "A Thunder Of Drums" fi you'd like to learn more.

And, before you think that tuning a similar-sized kit will make you sound like Bonham; think again. His touch is easily 99% of what's going on.

HE is making the drums sound that good.

[CB_Photo]

Originally Posted by ivmike

And, before you think that tuning a similar-sized kit will make you sound like Bonham; think again. His touch is easily 99% of what's going on.

Agreed. Just listen to any of these recordings. It blows me away how consistent his playing is. Like a machine.

[gabriel_au]

Originally Posted by CB_Photo

Agreed. Just listen to any of these recordings. It blows me away how consistent his playing is. Like a machine.

consistently in THE groove