Cocktails for tall people??

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Don
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon May 06, 2002 5:16 pm

Post by Don »

I am 6"3" and my back may not handle bending over to play a rather low cocktail kit. Any suggestions to raise it a few inches?
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John Mettam
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2000 2:01 pm

Post by John Mettam »

Hi Don,<br>
<br>
A few people have asked this question. It appears that you have two options. Either have a custom drum made that is taller than the standard cocktail height or find a pedal that can raise the beater mechanism a few more inches.<br>
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I have never seen a cocktail drum taller than 25" but my gut instinct is that it would sound very good and give even better seperation of the bass and snare (if you are using the top for a snare). Of course this requires a custom order which probably won't be cheap.<br>
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There is only one pedal that I am aware of that has a height adjustment. The 60's Slingerland pedal was a custom pedal that was built around a post that replace one of the drum supporting legs. The beater mechanism was attached to the post by a floor tom leg bracket and was adjustable vertically! (see below) They are a bit hard to come by but they are out there.<br>
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Good luck, and let us know if you come up with any other solutions. All the tall cocktail drummers in the world will thank you!<br>
<br>
John<br>
<br>
<!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.cocktailangst.com/drum/model ... <!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->
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screemnjay
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2000 5:30 pm

Post by screemnjay »

SIT!!! Your back will thank you for it, and it won't diminish that unique COCKTAIL air/vibe.
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Don
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon May 06, 2002 5:16 pm

Post by Don »

Has anyone ever tried setting the pedal on a block of some sort and using taller floor tom legs? I have a set of vintage 22" legs that might work. The only problem will be attaching the pedal to the drum in some way. Hmm...I feel a creative project emerging...<br>
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Bye the way, this is one cool site!
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Jason Shanfield
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2001 9:51 pm

Post by Jason Shanfield »

I'm almost certain that, with minimum modification, your kick drum pedal and some new legs for your drum can accommodate your height.<br>
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First, if you can't set your drum to a comfortable playing height, go to home depot and get some 3/8 (or whatever diameter your drums legs are) steel rod. Buy enough of them (at something like $2.00 apiece) so that you can set your drum up to a comfortable height. These legs were stable enough for me to use all the time, despite having no flare at the base to increase stability.<br>
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Next, you'll probably have to modify you beater arm so that it's long enough to strike the bottom head at its increased height. Depending on the make, this may involve nothing more than breaking the glue holding the beater onto its chromed rod, matching the diameter at home depot, and replacing it with an appropriately longer one.<br>
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You'll have to experiment tuning your pedal so that the beater sits just below the head, doesn't require you to use too much energy to get it to move, and strikes the head at the right angle.<br>
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You can even get a vise and a small MAPP gas torch to add flare to homemade cocktail drum legs on your own. That's what I did. It cost me $6 instead of $15 or $20 for manufactured legs. Then I got some used rubber feet from a cheesed demo drum set at guitar center for $1.<br>
<br>
Jason
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