Modern C0cktail R&D

Don · Post by **Don** » Thu May 02, 2002 9:22 am

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 ...

kcronin · Post by **kcronin** » Tue May 07, 2002 10:09 am

Thanks for the imformative post. I've got a Phattie cocktail drum, too, and am very happy with it. My kit is simpler - I built a baffle in the drum and use the top for a snare, and use Remo kids bongos (a Mettam suggestion) instead of toms. I'll post photos soon. 
 
Where did you find lug locks? I can't find them anywhere! They would be a big help, particularly for louder gigs. 
 
-Keith

Don · Post by **Don** » Tue May 07, 2002 11:47 am

I'd love to see the baffle you made. I've contemplated making one - even though I don't use the top as a snare. It would still be nice to seperate the sounds. Post some pics when you can. 
 
I've even thought about 'venting' the drum (i.e. big holes in the side). However, that's a bit too permanent. 
 
As for the Lug Locks, just call some local music stores. I'm sure you'll find some. If all else fails, you can find 'em on www.drummaker.com (look under tension rods). 
 
Don

kcronin · Post by **kcronin** » Wed May 08, 2002 7:15 pm

I bought a slightly damaged shell from Phattie, and resolved to do some experimenting, even if I ruined the shell. I'll post pics soon, but in the meantime I'll describe what I did to this poor unsuspecting drum. 
 
In the bass chamber, I cut a 4" round hole, facing the audience. In the snare chamber, facing the back, I cut three 2.5" holes to vent the snare. I started with just two holes, but wanted even more air and sound to escape, so I cut the third. For all holes I used a circle-cutting attachment on an electric drill. 
 
I cut a thin plywood baffle with a jigsaw and mounted it about 5 or 6 inches down (I'll measure it when I photograph it). The baffle was NOT an airtight fit, and the snares still buzzed like crazy every time I hit the bass drum. I then worked on making it a tighter fit, using weatherstripping, but it STILL buzzed badly. It was not from air leakage - the baffle itself seemed to help transmit the sound wave. When I'd hold my hand over the baffle (with the top head taken off) and hit the bass drum, the baffle acted like a drumhead; I could feel it move. Strange. 
 
So I got creative and cut ANOTHER baffle. I laid a bunch of pillow stuffing (fiber fill from a craft store) on top of the first baffle, then lowered the second baffle on top of it, bolting them together to make a baffle "oreo" with the pillow stuffing in the center. This was crude, but effective. I finally got the level of isolation I wanted. 
 
It was very important to me to be able to get good sounds from both the bass and snare, as I like to use this drum by itself, with no external drums needed. I do have bongos that I use, but on some gigs all I want is kick and snare, with the Zen simplicity of ONE drum. 
 
I'm very happy with the result. The hole in front looks okay to me - I edged it in black, which improved the appearance. The shell is a dark green hand-rubbed oil finish, but I dig vintage wraps, so I'll probably have my buddies at Resurrection Drums refinish the drum for me when I get a gap in my gig schedule. 
 
-Keith

Don · Post by **Don** » Thu May 09, 2002 1:32 pm

Well Keith, it looks like my venting idea wasn't so 'out there' afterall. Logic made me believe it would have some benefits. Now I HAVE to see your drum! Post them pics, soon! 
 
The oreo baffle is a nice touch, too. But how did you mount it? Did you try using styrofoam (or other dense cell foam) as opposed to plywood for a baffle? I'm just thinking out loud here, but perhaps it would be lighter and less prone to transmit vibrations. Although it may absorb too much sound. Hmm.... 
 
Also, let us know your preference for a snare rig under the 16" head. Can you get a 'real' snare sound? I've found a nasty side effect of under head snares to be a "slap-back" sound. When you hit the drum with any authority, the snare wires bouce off and slap the head a second time when they return. A kind of echo almost. I could never get over it.

kcronin · Post by **kcronin** » Fri May 10, 2002 10:02 pm

I took a bunch of pictures of the kit I built using the shell I got from Phattie Drums, and sent them to John. So maybe he'll post them here.... (I couldn't figure out how to insert an image into a mesage). 
 
-Keith

chefmcj · Post by **chefmcj** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 4:17 pm

Don, 
 
Hey, what size case did you order for the floor tom? I just got my phattie and have received 7x8 and 7x10 cadillac sacks through drummaker. I wanted to check them out before ordering the larger bag. They are very nice. Judging by the amount of extra room around the small drums I'd guess that the big tom would fit into a 16"x25" case but might be a little snug with the extra cymbal & leg mounts. Would you suggest a 17" case? Now that you've had your cadillac sacks for a while what would you suggest? Thanks Don, as always your posts are most informative. 
 
Cheers 
 
Mark

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Modern C0cktail R&D