MODERNC0CKTAIL R&D

Don · Post by **Don** » Mon May 06, 2002 5:16 pm

I've been using my Phattie cocktail kit for a couple years now, and have experimented with several pedals, heads, mounts, legs and accessories. (BTW, Phatties continue to be the most 'realistic' cocktail set-ups available, IMHO.) Keep in mind, that I've used the kit with a few different bands - doing some pretty standard stuff (i.e. weddings, bars, parties, church gigs, etc). I don't use it much for the old fashioned swing music normally associated with cocktail drums. I'm a regular rock drummer, so you could call the kit a 'Rocktail' kit. 
 
I hope my R&D will help others who might be interested. 
 
Starting on top: After experimenting with several heads, coated Ambassadors continue to work the best. 
 
The drum arrangement is as supplied by Phattie - 10" snare, 8" tom, 16" main drum. 
<img src="http://images.snapfish.com/334357672323 ...  
The cymbal set-up begins with a standard "S" rod for the 18" Zildjian "A" crash/ride on the right. The 15" Zildjian & Cie vintage crash is next, mounted to a standard "S" rod with a short DW cymbal stacker to add the necessary height/clearance. The 12" Sabian mini-hats are held up via a Tama MXA63 hi-hat attachment. The Tama X-hat has a larger diameter rod than the other pieces, so I had to remove the mounting bracket and drill it out a little. The Tama X-hat was the logical choice because it allows you to flip from a loose to a tight sound. It also leaves enough knurled rod at the top to mount a cowbell or a tambourine. The cymbal choices were made because the sizes "fit" the best, and none of them overpower the drums. In other words, they compliment the dynamics of the drums - not too loud, not too soft. 
<img src="http://images.snapfish.com/334357672323 ...  
Looking below: The bass batter head is always the toughest choice. I tried a few but quickly settled on a clear Remo Powerstroke 4. This head was good right out of the box, but still needed some tweaking. I finally achieved acceptable tone by adding a few strategically placed pieces of foam weather-stripping (from the local hardware store) and an impact pad for the beater. (NOTE: I also added a couple pieces of this foam to the under side of the snare head to eliminate the 'tinny' quality of a small snare.) Lastly, I use Lug Locks to keep the lugs from loosening and dropping out. These are absolutely necessary if you want to keep the head loose enough to give a real bass drum sound. If you don't have 'em - GET 'EM! 
<img src="http://images.snapfish.com/334357672323 ...  
The floor tom legs were replaced with DW legs. There are no stronger, more stable legs in the business, period. Plus, their memory locks help me set up quick, the same way every time. 
<img src="http://images.snapfish.com/334357672323 ...  
Another trip to the hardware store solved the pedal mounting problem. I bought a piece of "L" shaped aluminum bar, cut it and drilled it, and viola, a pedal bracket. The bar is thinner than a bass drum hoop, so I use a rubber pad to take up the slack where the pedal clamps on. It may not look great, but no one has ever even noticed it. 
 
The pedal is always a biggie. I opted for the best, a DW 5000. I'm glad I did, because DW now makes a heel elevator accessory for DW pedals. This raises your heel by about 2 ?"! Think about it. When you're standing, your foot was at an unnatural angle. Not any more! Now you push at a more natural downward angle. I can't stress enough how HUGE of an improvement this is! The beater is made by Axis. Using it enabled me to raise the drum kit a bit more (I'm 6'3" and my back couldn't take hunching over to play a drum that was too low). 
<img src="http://images.snapfish.com/334357672323 ...  
I also use a trap table on a separate stand to hold sticks, brushes, drinks, etc. Custom sized soft drum cases can be had reasonably from www.drummaker.com. The cases have shoulder straps, so I only had to add an old trap case to hold the cymbals and hardware. I can carry it all into a gig in one trip. 
<img src="http://images.snapfish.com/334357%3A323 ...

drumharm · Post by **drumharm** » Thu Nov 14, 2002 1:44 pm

I was inspired by your kit and decided to make my regular kit convertable into a kind of cocktail kit for an acoustic act I will be playing in. I got the heel elevator and I'm getting the jungle jig from Pearl to convert my floor tom into a bass drum. I was going to get a floortom/bass drum made but it proved to be too much of a pain in the but. I also bought a 10" yamaha snare to use. It's going to require the use of some stands but I think it will be fun. Thanks! 
www.ampson2.com

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MODERNC0CKTAIL R&D