I visited Keith Cronin's excellent microkit site (http://www.keithcronin.com/drumkits/microkit.html) and that got me thinking about reconfiguring my Cube cocktail kit as a more conventional micro kit. I posted photos on this site a while back showing how I used a 14 x 14 floor tom, a 10 x 8 tom, and a 14 x 5 snare to build a 'Peace Manhattan-style' cocktail kit.
I really like that set-up for tight spaces and low volume but I have to dampen the top head of my kick drum with a Sound-off pad so my snares don't rattle every time I hit the kick drum so it doesn't have much kick drum volume. That's a good thing for low-volume gigs but sometimes I want to have a bit more kick drum volume without using my 'big-boy arena-rock' cocktail set-up with its 20 x 16 bass drum, also described elsewhere on this site.
Anywho, Keith's tip on creating a holder for your bass drum pedal that attaches to a side-ways floor tom got me started on making this micro kit. I really like the kick drum sound and also the fact that I can use a head with our band's name on it, just like a real drummer. ;^)
I always play standing up and I'm a fanatical minimalist so I added a number of extra clamps and some bracing rods to make cymbal holders that mount on the floor tom/kick drum, rather than carrying extra stands. (Boo!) I also had to add an extra leg (I think of it as my drum set's cane) to the snare drum so the kit wouldn't fall over. It's nice and solid with that included.
I can carry the whole thing in a large conga bag and a small utility bag, just like the cocktail version. The pedals and some of the hardware are different so I have two utility bags, one for the micro kit set-up and one for the cocktail kit set-up. The extra clamps don't seem to make any difference in the sound and I really like both set-ups.
I have 6 photos so I'll have to post a second time. Here are some shots of the whole kit:
My new micro cocktail kit
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Bruce (the K)
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:06 pm
My new micro cocktail kit
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- Notice my awesome band logo. Had a local decal place make it for me.
- micro kit 1.jpg (90.13 KiB) Viewed 54877 times
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- I got those long riser tubes off E-bay. I fabricated the spurs from mild steel rods and used the plastic feet that came on my original floor tom legs. (I use different legs for my vertical-orientation cocktail set-up.)
- Micro kit 2.jpg (86.52 KiB) Viewed 54877 times
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- This shot shows the third leg that keeps the snare from pulling the set over. I've since cut the leg into two pieces that I tapped and hold together with a coupling nut. Lets me get it into my little utility bag. Also, you can see some of the home-made mutes that I use when practicing to preserve my marriage and keep from being evicted. ;^)
- Micro kit 3.jpg (84.98 KiB) Viewed 54877 times
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Bruce (the K)
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:06 pm
Re: My new micro cocktail kit
Here are some more photos of my new micro cocktail kit. These show the rods and bracing I use to hold my hi hats and crash/ride cymbal.
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- My bass drum pedal. I use the same type of pedal on my arena-rock cocktail kit but I got a second one on E-bay for $35 so I wouldn't have to re-adjust it constantly. I hold my kick drum mute on with those TINY bungee cords.
- Micro kit 4.jpg (88.91 KiB) Viewed 54876 times
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- This one shows the details of my crash/ride cymbal holder rod and bracing rod. I used a shaft collar on the main rod so the bracing rod would hold it firmly in position.
- Micro kit 5.jpg (86.48 KiB) Viewed 54876 times
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- This one shows the details of my hi had holder. I made a two-piece holder rod with a coupling nut welded to one end. I used the same kind of bracing rod and shaft collar as on the crash/ride cymbal holder.
- Micro kit 6.jpg (95.85 KiB) Viewed 54876 times
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Bruce (the K)
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:06 pm
Re: My new micro cocktail kit
Here are a couple of shots of my vertical-orientation version of the same kit. I stopped using the splash cymbal so the two versions would be exactly the same. My big-boy arena-rock kit is the same set-up as well (just bigger drums and cymbals) so I'm going for minimalism and consistency. ;^)
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- You can just see my DW Sidekick pedal in the lower right corner.
- ECON 101 prefance 047s.jpg (93.38 KiB) Viewed 54876 times
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- I like to think of this as my 'workstation.'
- ECON 101 prefance 048s.jpg (84.55 KiB) Viewed 54876 times
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- Both kits still fit into two bags so it's an easy trip from the car to the stage and back again.
- ECON 101 prefance 054s.jpg (75.81 KiB) Viewed 54876 times
Re: My new micro cocktail kit
That's a beautiful little kit but I don't understand the motivation to reconfigure it if you're still standing to play.
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Bruce (the K)
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:06 pm
Re: My new micro cocktail kit
I get a more powerful kick drum sound in the micro kit orientation with the kick drum facing the audience. When I use the vertical orientation, I have to mute the top head of the kick drum with a Sound-off mute pad to keep my snares from buzzing and that really lowers the volume. Also, I just like having a 'bass' drum facing the audience so I can put my band's name on the head.
Re: My new micro cocktail kit
Hi Bruce,
Very creative set up.
P.S. I've found that the Protection Racket Surdo cases make great cocktail drum bags since they are about 25" deep. I used to use the Beato bag (like yours), but the Protection Racket backs are a little lighter to carry.
MM
Very creative set up.
P.S. I've found that the Protection Racket Surdo cases make great cocktail drum bags since they are about 25" deep. I used to use the Beato bag (like yours), but the Protection Racket backs are a little lighter to carry.
MM