Big drums tuning tips

Amokoma · 9th August 2011

Hey people!
I just bought a rather big set of drums on ebay, and I´m now eagerly awaiting it´s arrival.
It´s a 1980's Ludwig 9ply maple shell 7pc kit in Arctic White, with Monroe Badges.

Big drums tuning tips-kgrhqmokpqe3s1uj5t-bn-wfhwunq_3.jpg

The sizes are (x2) 24"x16" kicks, 15"x13" & 16"x15" (!) hanging toms, and 18"x16" & 20"x18" (!!) floor toms.
The snare is 14"x8", with - I think - 12 lugs.
I have no experience with tuning - let alone playing - such big drums (yet).
Just thought I´d ask for some starter tips´n´tricks to try out, really.
Also, any additional info on the kit itself would be welcome.

surfspank · 9th August 2011

Start by taking the heads off and checking the bearing edges. Make sure they are in good condition before seating the heads.

Dr. Mordo · 9th August 2011

The most important thing with big drums is to tune them more tightly than you would a smaller drum. You get a big fat sound with a lot of attack when you crank them up.

So, the toms I'd run pretty tight. The bass drum tuning depends on how muffled they are. If they are very muffled, run them however they sound best for your amount of muffling. If they are wide open or only slightly muffled, you'll want to run them almost as tight as the toms.

The snare I'd tune as usual. The deeper drum will carry less energy to the snares so it will sound more tom-like. I personally crank it medium to medium-high, then loosen the snares all the way. Then I tighten them while hitting at my normal volume until I get the snare response I want. This is how I always tune my snare, unless I want it particularly low or high pitched for a song I'm recording.

One very cool thing about this kit is that these were fairly common (if memory serves) and it should be pretty easy to get some other sizes to fill out your huge kit. I personally would be on ebay right now for a 13" and 14" to serve as my rack toms.

biggator6 · 9th August 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Mordo

The most important thing with big drums is to tune them more tightly than you would a smaller drum. You get a big fat sound with a lot of attack when you crank them up.

+1 - this is spot on.

Grumblefoot · 12th August 2011

I always find the sweet spot of the lowest(biggest diameter) floor Tom and tune it first then go backwards in 3rds. They look sweet reminds me of my teen years...

dylanr · 15th August 2011

Another +1 for everything Dr. Mordo said.

Looks like a great score, you should be able to get some serious shaking going on with that monster.

I'd personally veer towards very little dampening on the kicks, to help them keep up with the volume of the toms if nothing else.

Rolf Fiesel · 13th September 2011

Nice !!! Cozy Powell would have been proud !!!

9th August 2011	#1
Amokoma Gear interested Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Norway Posts: 1 Thread Starter	Big drums tuning tips Hey people! I just bought a rather big set of drums on ebay, and I´m now eagerly awaiting it´s arrival. It´s a 1980's Ludwig 9ply maple shell 7pc kit in Arctic White, with Monroe Badges. The sizes are (x2) 24"x16" kicks, 15"x13" & 16"x15" (!) hanging toms, and 18"x16" & 20"x18" (!!) floor toms. The snare is 14"x8", with - I think - 12 lugs. I have no experience with tuning - let alone playing - such big drums (yet). Just thought I´d ask for some starter tips´n´tricks to try out, really. Also, any additional info on the kit itself would be welcome.

9th August 2011	#2
surfspank Gear addict Joined: Apr 2010 Location: Sooke, BC. Posts: 340	Start by taking the heads off and checking the bearing edges. Make sure they are in good condition before seating the heads. __________________ "Chaos is the score upon which reality is written." — Henry Miller

9th August 2011	#3
Dr. Mordo Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Pensacola, FL Posts: 766	The most important thing with big drums is to tune them more tightly than you would a smaller drum. You get a big fat sound with a lot of attack when you crank them up. So, the toms I'd run pretty tight. The bass drum tuning depends on how muffled they are. If they are very muffled, run them however they sound best for your amount of muffling. If they are wide open or only slightly muffled, you'll want to run them almost as tight as the toms. The snare I'd tune as usual. The deeper drum will carry less energy to the snares so it will sound more tom-like. I personally crank it medium to medium-high, then loosen the snares all the way. Then I tighten them while hitting at my normal volume until I get the snare response I want. This is how I always tune my snare, unless I want it particularly low or high pitched for a song I'm recording. One very cool thing about this kit is that these were fairly common (if memory serves) and it should be pretty easy to get some other sizes to fill out your huge kit. I personally would be on ebay right now for a 13" and 14" to serve as my rack toms. __________________ The 23rd Century

15th August 2011	#6
dylanr Gear Head Joined: Dec 2002 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 55	what he said... Another +1 for everything Dr. Mordo said. Looks like a great score, you should be able to get some serious shaking going on with that monster. I'd personally veer towards very little dampening on the kicks, to help them keep up with the volume of the toms if nothing else. __________________ Analogue Drums - the original sampled drums from tape

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12th August 2011	#5
Grumblefoot Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 565	I always find the sweet spot of the lowest(biggest diameter) floor Tom and tune it first then go backwards in 3rds. They look sweet reminds me of my teen years...

13th September 2011	#7
Rolf Fiesel Gear nut Joined: Jul 2009 Location: Newmarket Posts: 137	Nice !!! Cozy Powell would have been proud !!!