Bass Drum Size Comparison (16"-24") 

The 16 really impressed me, but I still say a 20 is versatile. I had one for a few years and got a Bonham sound to Motown, depending on the gig. Loved it

With this mix, I prefer 18". Very well blend with bass sound.

16 wasn't so bad

20" is the ultimate versatile kick drum.

Let's not forget that you can tune each drum to sound like a lot of things, depending on the kind of muffling, type of head, removing or not the front head. If you muffle a 22 and remove the front head, you can get practically the same punchy attack and smaller sound of the 16. And if you tune low an empty 18 with both heads on you can get a lot of bonham stuff if mic'ed properly. The beauty of drums and how they can be chameleons so easily. Not to mention the room mics and mics close to the beater head which change the vibe/body/attack perception drastically.

0:15 - 16" 0:47 - 18" 1:27 - 20" 2:16 - 22" 2:53 - 24"

The 24 you can use in a studiosituation perfectly...Lots of power depth and body and I hear attack too... But the 20 is the allrounder...

The 20" has the most round / multi functional tone of of this group. It would work for most styles in just about any recording session.

18" surprisingly cool. 20" fit the music best. 22" was a real let down and 24" sounded like a rock kick.

Personally the snare sound like heaven to me 😍😂

20x17 and 24x15 were my favorites, but the power of that 16 is surprising.

20" sounds more balanced between the kick and deep bass, seems to be more versatile. I really loved the sound.

That reverb on the snare pulling the whole groove together though

Really interesting comparison

THAT 24 SOUNDS INCREDIBLE

It's interesting that when you get past the 20 inch kick the sound is less of a round "boom" and more of a punchy "THat"

For this style 20" sounds the best, I personally use 22x16, sometimes 24x16, pretty boomy with loads of attack. I play heavier styles so bigger kick can get tuned lower, thus gives some room for bass guitar and synth in that kind of mix.

I play a 40 year oldish pearl export series cherry finish walnut drum kit. Still really satisfied with the 22’ bass drum. Favorite bass drum size.

I like the 18" bass for this tune and with that mic. It sounds tight and well defined. The 22" sounded mushy to me. Good video, must have been quite a lot of work, thanks for your efforts.

16” actually sounded pretty cool 😎🔥 20” had a nice thud to it

The 18" has some special punch and attack to it

Personal opinion 16" and 24" both sounded great!

though modern kick drums often come with 22x18 (or 18x22 for you US guys), I tend to go for a 20" kick in the meantime. It often has the perfect combination of smack and low end. However, of course it depends on the occasion. Great comparison, guys.

I think the 22" sounds the best.

16" and 24" are my two favorites. Those are the two punchiest with the fastest attack.

The 24” is my favorite, lots of power and punch. The well rounded ones to me are the 20”and the 22” BD’s

I think it should also be noted that the *depth/length is crucial in the sound. It would be interesting to hear the difference between 14"-24" depths, on a 16"-26" kicks. That'd be the most ultimate shootout.

I've used a 20 x 16 birch bass drum for years. Very versatile and I love feel and thump from this beauty!

18" wins for this tune. Doesn't take away from the bassline and the smoother transient matches the other instruments better

I have been playing since the late 70's. The first kick I owned was a 24" Ludwig. Since that time I have played primarily a 24" with the occasional 22" in a random kit. However, the 24" is the most versatile drum by far. All of the right depth, punch and boom. All I ever get are complements on how great my drums sound and especially my kick. It doesn't matter what gig you are playing. As a musician, you should know to tune your drums once in a while to get the sound you need for the gig. :)

I don’t know why 20 isn’t more popular. It seems to have a good balance of boomy and high end attack. Plus it makes rack tons easier to position than larger drums.

18x14 nice dry funky kick.

I like that 16" one actually. Much punch for that size.

Wow great comparison. The 16 and 18 are so punchy for this style, they all sound great.. good playing too...

I really liked the 20" here. Great demo and good playing all around

Different woods will produce warmer sounds etc. Also different drum heads and beaters will change the sound. It basically comes down to individual preferences.

0:10 - 16" 0:52 - 18" 1:34 - 20" 2:16 - 22" 2:58 - 24" I did this in anger of yet another person on RU-vid doing a comparison without using even half a braincell, but then I saw that he did everything right in the end of the video. I don't know why he didn't just do it like that the entire time, but at least he provided us with a means to actually compare the different bass drums. Although it was a bit of a pain having to fast forward every time the intro started :)

Excellent comparison of the different sized bass drums. You kept the tuning and mic mix consistent. You could distinctly hear the difference in tonality, sustain, and attack. Very clean demonstration...well done! 👍

18 FTW! It blended well with the bass guitar and had some nice punch, Where the 20 seemed to be fighting the bass guitar for frequency.

the mix is great

The 16” is the ultimate for me 💯 💪🏽

Once you stick a mic inside of a drum, it’s mostly beater sound with a slight difference in pitch. Do one with solid reso heads a few feat from the drum, only way to tell the real difference in diameter and depth.

Great video. Funny, cause I really enjoyed the comments and peoples opinions and rationale of each drum . It all boils down to just that, your opinion. They all sounded good. Have to admit, I’ve played a 16x22 for years, and recently have been playing a 14x18. The punch I get with the little guy has been pretty awesome. Mic’ing and the PA’s sub doesn’t hurt either. At any rate, thanks for putting this video together. 👍🇺🇸

Everything below 20" seems perfect for jazz, hip hop, and RnB. Everything above 20" is good for like rock or metal

18 cool and 20" Perfect versatile sound

Yeahh..viks..22" awesome bassdrum sound

20x20 kick is the dream size! Punchy and versatile

Where's a 26 "kick drum to honor John Bonham?😂

While the music off i'm still kinda heard the bass(guitar), like it's in my head

Love my 20 inch bass drum👌

the 16 inch is surprisingly nice

I’ve got a 16 which i use all the time. It’s much more of a jazz thing though. Elvin used to play a 16

Thank you so much for this video!!! I’m about to buy a new kit for my apartment but since I don’t have much space I was thinking to buy the 16” one and I think I will!!! It sounds perfect even if it’ll be hard to get used to it since I know use a 22”

For the music you’re playing the 16” and 20” sounds the best imo

18" achei muito bom, agora o de 20" pra mim é perfeito, nem falta nem sobra som! 👏👏

I like 22" the most. It is the classic sound. I have 22" in my drum set.

For rock that 24 sounds amazing

That 24” sounds the best

I love the punch of a 22". The thud of a 24" I'm currently using a 26"

This is such a cool comparison video! Love the thump of the 20"!

16 and 22 are my personal favorites

20": most versatile... But I like 18" and 24" the most!!

Had a 20 x 16 years ago best bass drum I have had

20 has some more "spheric" bassy "something" that blends best with almost everything. 24 Sounds amazing, but Id go with 20 if I needed a basic setup.

I've bought and renovated a 28 inch bass drum with calf skin heads from the 1930s. I play 30s/40s dance music, so it kind of makes some sense. First time I played it though... was insane. I tuned it up the same way as I tuned my 18" and it was like an exploding cannon shell. I realised later that dance band drummers used to tune their bass drums really high compared to modern drums. It changes the sound , sustain and volume dramatically. (Big diameter tight rather than small diameter very loose). I think there might be a lot going on with tuning, heads, damping, microphone technique etc. that effects the sound, apart from just diameter.

Always loved 20 inch kicks. Get that umph without alot of overtones. Plus I feel it's easier to play. When I jammed with a 24 inch kick I felt I had to rely more on a double kick to do what I can do with 1 foot on a 20 inch kick.

That 20"... sounds yummy... I love it!

I love that 16 and 18 🤙🏽

Came to hear the bass drums, stayed for the awesome snare sound! :D

the 16 surprised me and the 24 was just deep

16,20,24 and the snare. Thank you!

I’ve been playing 26 inch bass drums for so long I forgot how punchy smaller ones can be

Nothing like a 24” for that warm low-end “thud” sound…..

I don't know if it was the Mike, but the larger they got the more "Papery" the attack sounded. To me the 20 had the best "BOOM".

I used to use 2 18s in double bass set up,I've always preferred smaller drums, 16 & 20s too.. That 16 was nice

18×14 my ears liked this bass drum. 😌

That snare sounds delicious.

Where's the 26 and 28"

Man I like the 18” & the 24”, 18 is so punchy & 24 has a lot of beef!

I use two 16x20” drums for playing metal live, and a single 16x22” in the studio. 24 has too much rumble for double bass, smaller than 20 has not enough thump. For other applications I could see using different sizes though.

20" sounded fab.

I like the 22” i feel like its boomy and punchy

All sound great! Cant really say one sounds better than another.

24x for life, I have a TAMA Starclassic birtch in 24x18 and it sound like a cannon!

Excellent comparison!!!

All of them have a port cut in the front and all have a very high attack for my taste. I have a 26 x 10 inch "shallow but big" without hole. The sound is perfect and it fist on my ramp with other drums so I can slide the set next to the sofa (that is why only 10 inches long). I prefer the "old" soft "boom-boom" sound anyway.

I love the sounds of the snare.

The 16" and the 18" didn't have enough low end. There wasn't enough thump or thud to the bottom end freqs. The 20" was the first one that actually felt bassy. The 24" was my favourite, but the 22" was also nice.

The 18 is my favorite when paired with this snare

The 22" was the best one in my opinion. Perfect sound for all types of music :D

I got the feeling 22 is the best. Sounds punchy and deep

I use a 26" x 14" Ludwig 3 ply maple. I have used 20,22,&24" kicks over the years but NOTHING else gives me the oomph and versatility of my 26". It is much easier to make a big drum sound smaller (tighter head tuning etc) than make a small drum sound bigger. It is PLENTY responsive too, and not what you'd think a big drum is like.

Love the christmas lights

20" sounds best but I hate seeing the drummers knee...it makes it look like a child's kit (to someone who doesn't know drums). 22" also sounds very good, and aesthetically looks much better

honestly love the second one

18 n 20 are the go to's for sure. I have a 24 at my church. Sounds great but don't try and pack it for gigs. Takes up too much space.

I like all of them but I know which one I need now thank you very much for this video it has helped me a lot

Jesus! That snare sounds incredible!

I play a Ludwig maple with a 26x14. Semi muffled, mostly heel down. Southern/blues rock 3 piece group so it works really to fill in the space.

22" would be my sound but they do all sound nice