Hey Zorf,
Here are some answers:
zorf wrote:Do you think that the gap between the drums enhanced or diminished
the volume or bass.
I think that the gap being vertical worked against the resonance of the drum a small bit. But...
zorf wrote:I wonder if there was a way to adjust the gap for different height or tune the drums bass response. I wonder if an inch or two either direction would make much difference.
I wanted to make attachments that would allow for adjustable gap but did not get around to it. By holding the drums together and varying the distance there was a definite difference in tone with different gaps! The wider the gap the more the bass resonates.
zorf wrote:If you were to do it again, would you use the same sizes for an all around
Cocktail, or was this more for compactness?
This was all about compactness! I think that having drums 1" apart is probably the best, I thought about 2" apart (13" & 15" but I think that the tone and the playability would have suffered. I would however consider using slightly larger drums, 14" & 15" just to get a bit more oomph.
zorf wrote:And lastly, did you ever manage to hang any stuff off of the upper drum?
Funny, I actually did hang a cymbal and cowbell off of the rim once I put on the 6 hole rims. Worked pretty well but the rubber strips were holding all of the weight of the top drum plus the other hardware. It tended to sag just a bit with that much on it.
Again, secure metal straps would have completely done the trick!
- John