If Phil Collins can rock a 20" kick, then it's good enough for the rest of us too. I've been gigging a Yamaha Stage Custom Birch with a 20" kick for a few years and it sounds phenomenal. Great punch, attack, and bottom end. Also loving the slightly smaller footprint, improved ergonomics with mounting my toms over the kick, resulting in everything mounted a little lower for easy access. I get many compliments on my drum sound and can easily be heard over screaming electric guitars
@@SGray44444 I use the Rob Brown method for tuning all my toms and kick. Look him up on RU-vid. I use an Evans Heavyweight EMAD batter and ported EMAD reso on the kick with one or two EQ Pads inside
1st off I’ll just say that all of those kits sound very very good and you guys did an amazing job tuning them. My favorite though is the Gretsch Brooklyn series. I love that round, open tone that just sings from them.
Amazing! You know which one my favorite is, but they all sound great! I LOVE 20” bass drums for everything. Great demos as always guys and Jayme…can you save some of those ghost strokes for the rest of us???? WOW!!! fantastic playing all around as always! You guys rock! In my honest opinion, the Gretsch had the most resonance and character.
Another in a long line of the highest quality content. 'Beat off' killed me😂. Anyway, I've played a Brooklyn 12, 14, 20 for a while now. I've had every major brand across the whole range of sizes over the years. As much as I loved my 13, 16, 18, 24 kits (like driving a massive truck), the convenience of the smaller kits has won through over time. I find a 20 to be the most adaptable to head / tension changes and the Brooklyn to stand out as having the purest, 'widest' sound. That's my view - beat that! 😮
Big fan of 20" bass drums,love them dearly.I would be proud to own anyone of these kits demoed here.The star for me was the starphonic snare drum.I play these exclusively. By the way,them cymbals were wonderful.
I was presently surprised by the sounds achieved from these kits. The nice thing about being a drummer is you don't have to just like one brand and say that's all you like. I thought before this video started that I'd prefer the star classic kit, and I was wrong. I loved the toms from the Gretsch kit, and the kick from the Mapex. you could've fooled me and told me that the Mapex had a 22 inch kick. Lol! For whatever reason, the Tama and the Ludwig kits just didn't meet my sound preferences. But that could change with different heads, tuning, room, or mics. Great video, guys! Really enjoyed getting to hear a 20in kick and these downbeat kits.
The 20" kick is a great compromise between the 22" and the 18". Big enough to have some real punch, no need for a pedal lift, and still small enough to make gigging a little easier, especially if it involves navigating up and down stairs..
Idea for a video: can you guys go over your tuning settings for lug tensions on each drum size and head (top/bottom? Seems you have that nailed down to a science since you always go for that consistency in sound when comparing kits. Please?
The Saturn bass drum plus that Black Panther snare drum : amazing, kick hat snare with that combo would be amazing. I liked the Brooklyn a lot too in this video, but none of the drums sounded bad. Great dialogues too, perfect amount of awkwardness. :-)
The Gretsch was definitely my favorite kit, and the Starphonic and Supraphonic snares sounded amazing! But I wish you’d had a Pearl in the mix! Would love to have a 20” comparison with Pearl and Sonor included, especially the Session Studio Select👌
Love a downbeat configuration. All the drums sounded great as usual from DCP. Mapex Saturns are a nice inclusion - I used to have a set and they’re great bang for your buck. I have a Classic Maple Downbeat with an added 16” floor tom now and I love it. The 14x20 kick is awesome and sounds great recorded.
WOW! That Mapex Black Panther Maximus snare sounded fantastic. So did the Ludwig kick drum. 20" kick drums in general, are better than 22" kick drums for a few main reasons. They allow for lower mounting of toms and cymbals, easier to transport, smaller set up space on stage/riser, and they more closely resemble the smaller overall size of the electronic drums that you may practice on.
Gretsch just absolutely nailed it when they created the Brooklyn series. Not only do they sound unique and amazing but they look unique and amazing. Also the drummer who played that Gretsch Brooklyn kit knows how to demo a drum kit, much better than Shane does it. If I had 4000 laying around, I would probably order that exact kit with that amazing snare drum. Great job on the video fellas.
That Gretsch sounds phenomenal! I fell in love with 20 inch kick drums when I first heard a recording custom 20” kick, and then the following year in 1996 the stage customs came out and the 20” bass drum blew me away! The 20” BD is a sweet spot between bop and Rock! Think like Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters album. 20” BD are perfect for that type of feel. Or just singer songwriter stuff. The feel of the 20” is amazing to me.
For the kit, I'm liking the Gretsch. Overall nice tones and a lot of depth for the sizes. The 20'' kick would be a nice addition to anyone that plays in a space that isn't very large but still provides a punch when needed. The Supraphonic is my favorite but the Mapex was no slouch. Both sounded great. Nice vid gang!
Great video as usual guys! Man, it's all SO close for me, but I'd have to say (no surprise) that the Ludwig kit, overall, sounds best to me ears. There's a crispness to the attack on the toms, and the snare is, well..... a Supra! Love the 12" depth. For me, it's Ludwig, Mapex, Tama, and Gretsch, in that order, however, I'd LOVE any one of these kits. It's all really splitting hairs. Bang-for-the-buck goes to Mapex.
Good stuff guys, I played an excellent 20" Mapex in the late 90's, one of the best kicks i ever had. Was going to downsize pretty soon again from my current 22" and was thinking Tama birch/Starclassic. In terms of playing in cover bands, and acoustic trios who's setlist spans from the 60's to modern day, the size works fine for me. Usually play wide open unmic'd, and in larger clubs in a full band setting, can get a nice punchy sound mic'd up. I've just had it lugging around the deeper larger kicks all the time.
I’ve almost gone exclusively to 20” kicks, most versatile size there is. I am continually amazed at how Ludwig doesn’t know how to make a bad kick drum. It’s like every Ludwig kick drum ever made/played just sounds better than every other brand.
Idk man, the tama neo mod kick that’s a 20 x 10 is just ridiculously good sounding, they know how to make drums that project and mine is an absolute powerhouse of resonance and body. Constantly have people asking me if it’s got a mic at gigs where it doesn’t.
Really appreciate this video! I've looked at tons of videos of 20" bass drums, and know how versatile they are supposed to be, so I wish we could have also heard them all in higher jazz tunings as well. I've been stuck in a 20" vs 18" limbo for months now, and seen plenty of videos of trying to make 20" kicks sound bigger, but hardly any showing them tuned higher in a jazz range.
Good video! 20, 12, 14 Yamaha 9000 has been my gigging kit for years. The sizes are big enough for most styles, versatile and easier for transporting. Good to see them in the limelight!
Classic Maple did it for me, but I gotta tell you... it's getting harder and harder to just dismiss Mapex. Being a huge Jeff Hamilton fan I was familiar with his signature snare, but in a much higher tuning than what you guys had. More depth and body than I expected. And as far as the 20-inch goes, there's definitely some punch there, but for my style of playing they leave me a bit wanting. Great video guys!
Personally the Ludwig. Seemed the most resonant and I could always muffle but I couldn’t add resonance to the others. I prefer the 20-12-14 for the versatility.
I would've really liked seeing Sonor Vintage Series in this lineup. Of the four, I think I preferred the Gretsch overall. All kick drums sounded really good, with a slight edge going to Gretsch. I liked the copper snare as well, and the Mapex Jeff Hamilton was really nice. It might be a tough choice. But the Gretsch toms sounded great together and blended perfectly with the set as a whole. I think I subconsciously expected Ludwig to emerge victoriously.
I rock a 20 by 15 sonor vintage beech kick, as well as a punchy sound it makes ot easier to lay into a tom thats not mounted higher as a bigger bassdrum impedes the tom setup. Also a 20 is so much more portable moving through doorways and up flights of stairs and in or out of my small classic vw bug to jams or gigs! Win, win.
What I love about the DCP videos the most is the Head 2 Head comparisons. Each kit really had its own distinct sound. I think Gretsch and surprisingly Mapex sounded the best. I loved the sound of these 20" bass drums, and I have to get a Gretsch snare drum. Great video as always.
great video! I recorded the mapex saturn V 22" and the 20" kicks with the same heads on, and have to admit that the 20" performed better. It had more punch. You can always dial in low bass information in the mix with EQing or a subsynth, but getting that punch is more difficult. If I have the choice I am going with the 20" kick :)
Thanks again for another great comparison video. Shoutout to Tama for being the only one in the group to not require an extra stand for the rack tom. That speaks to the gigging drummer in me 😂🙏🏼🤟🏼
That Mapex kit is an interesting combination of what I'm looking for. I tried out a Mapex kit in a store several months ago, and I was impressed by how responsive it was, and how good it sounded with halfway worn-out heads. The mounting hardware for the toms sucked, but the drums sounded impressive for the price.
I have been playing a 20x16 bass drum since the mid 90's (Premier Genista). My favorite kits in this video were the Gretsch Brooklyn and the Mapex Saturn. They both sound amazing. I was pleasantly surprised by the Mapex sound. The kick drum was nice and deep. Sweet! I do like the 20" kick because it is versatile!
Own 2 Tama so think would like most and it was Mapex. Tama second and thought other 2 sound dead or cheap. The Tama Bronze snare sound best then the Black Panther. All just my opinion. Not into 20 inch for myself but was cool to hear difference, snares and new Meinl :)
They all sounded not only great but very similar. 20" is my 'go to' size although I play a 22" and and 18" in some situations. To me that configuration 12/14/20 is the most versatile and any of these kits would be welcome in my house. The Mapex snare is amazing, as is Jeff Hamilton. :-)
1. Gretsch 2. Ludwig (close). The TAMA is a bit too clipped while the Gretsch and Ludwig had that old school airiness no one can touch sans Sonor. I appreciate the Saturn, but it’s a modern kit like the SC.
I love the 20" kick - it's tight and punchy - a great all-arounder. Would have liked to hear the Yamaha Tour Custom Maple in this beatoff. Or if you want to spend more monies, the recording custom fusion with the 20" kick, sans the 10" tom... ;)
Great video! Gretsch was my favorite kit and that supraphonic is amazing. I own a 20 inch Premiere birch 7x drum kit (I am missing the 10 and 12 toms :c) and it sounds great! I love the versatility and mobility of the kit and I wouldn't trade it for bigger resonance.
Another great video. My kit has a 20" bass drum. It's a 13/16/20 by Vox (yes, it's quite well used). I'd probably stick with a 20" bass drum if/when I buy something new, so this video was right up my alley. The TAMA Starclassic Walnut/Birch was my favorite, followed by the Mapex. The cymbals sounds great as well. I particularly loved the sound of that 16" thin crash.
20, 12, 14 is not only a great sounding combination, but for most of us gigging drummers, they’re portable and set up well. Loved all of these drums but the Gretsch and Ludwig kits just sing! LOVE the Ludwig 20x12 bass drum!
I LOVE 20 in. Bass drums!!! I've combined that as my main one,and Frankensteined in my "black" Peart set (with a 22 in. Bass drum) and tuned both of them to sound almost identical,but when I'm double-pedaling it,You can hear a very slight difference between the two,but to me,that GIVES the overall sound,even MORE Character!!! : >)
I play a ludwig classic maple downbeat that I put together from orphans of different decades. Best kit I've ever owned..But that Mapex was a real pleasant surprise.
I have a !eLudwig 20 X 18 that I special ordered a few years ago. It sounds amazing. I’m not sure but Morgan Rose used to play if not still does, a 20” kick. He rocks it and I probably ordered mine because of this although he uses Pearl. Great demo! Love the Mapex snare!
Yamaha makes some fire 20” kicks as well. The Live Custom Hybrid Oak in particular. I heard Snarky Puppy’s Jamison Ross behind one of those and you’d think it was a 24” with how massive it sounded.
My favorite 20 inch bass drum is a 22 inch bass drum. Still you guys make great videos. One video could be about the subtle differences between the picnic table outside the store vs another picnic table outside another store and I would enjoy.
The rack tom on the Tama kit was the best sounding drum of all the drums from every kit. I love my Starclassics, almost went with that Molten Raspberry but hunted down my Jade silk finish. The quick locks are genius.
Sorry to go off topic, but last night I bought a bunch of hardware from you guys off Reverb. I just bought a Ludwig classic maple kit (burgundy pearl), and I'm decking it out with Ludwig hardware. Thanks, from Nashville!
The Gretsch just seems to have the best overall tone. It sounded bigger than the sizes...That Mapex was really holding it's own against the older brands tho.
I liked the Gretsch best overall. It had the most pleasing tone to my ears. But wow that Ludwig kick was seriously impressive. Everyone go back and listen to the Ludwig kick with just the room mic. Incredible low end.
When you zoomed in on the starclassic tom I thought holy crap look at all those finger prints. Then you say what a beautiful finish. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
You guys are incredible and you do incredible work. Of course this is a double edge sword because I now want one of everything you compared in the video. My wife thanks you! Great stuff gentlemen!
20" bass drums are the perfect size with proper tuning and head combination. good for rock ,pop,jazz,country, folk,americana,blues,etc,etc.easier to carry-don't take up much space on stage and great for tom height and cymbal placement. i play a gretsch brooklyn-12",14",20" with a ludwig 6.5x14" black beauty 8 lug snare and (sometimes add a 16" floor tom if the music and space allow), and get a lot of compliments on the look and sound of my kit.i was playing 24" and 22" bass drums for years-usually with 18" depth and found them more difficult to tune with slower response between batter and resonant heads. 14" depth seems to me to be the best depth, but, that ludwig 12"x20"has me thinking.also, next kit i order will have direct to shell mounts-no more rims. kudos to adam and tony...you two should be a comedy duo-it's all in the facial expressions...and i prefer drum beat-off to showcase.jus' sayin' your drum brother, don fab.
I disagree that a 20 is too big for jazz!! I have a 14x20 Ludwig that I use for a jazz quartet that sounds wonderful! It’s tuned high and doesn’t overwhelm the music
Conclusion; You can't go wrong with any of these kits. The Ludwig is all maple, while the others are combinations of various types of woods. I would pick the Ludwig as my first option and the Tama Walnut as my second.
All very nice, however I liked the Gretsch the most, followed by Ludwig. I like that you used the same heads, however it's better to hear each kit played by the same person, since everyone's "touch" is different. Glad you had the same player at the end for the direct comparison portion.
I'm a fan of 20" bass drums. They're versatile and easier to haul around. I liked the Gretsch Brooklyn overall, including the snare. I love the darker tone of copper. That said, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the bottom that came out of the Ludwig bass drum for such a shallow depth.
They all sounded great miked up! I would be happy with any of these kits, but If I had to rank them, then it would be Ludwig, Gretsch, Tama, and Mapex.
ANY DRUM MANUFACTURING COMPANIES READING THIS - PLEASE make a standard configuration of 20x16, 10x8, 12x8, 14x14, 16x16 For the love of god! IM BEGGING YOU!!!
I wasn't sure a 20in Kick would keep up unmic'd but when I put the right heads on this little Japanese Mahogany kick inwas totally surprised. I'm only 5'6 andni like a very tight kick so I prefer a 20in now
They are all winners. The Tama snare stood out toe though. I am a Mapex Guy. Always thankful the quality to price point. I would be happy playing any of these brands.
This is the first time I've seen the big man (Jayme). He should really play on more demos. He has an excellent ability to balance dynamics between the different pieces of the set.
I LOVE 20 inch bass drums! The worst mistake I ever made was switching to 22s in hope of "better bass sound". Truth is 20s can sound great with proper heads and tuning. Naturally tighter, faster sound. AND, they allow a better positioning of your mounted toms LOWER and more accessible (faster). Hey, easier to transport, too!
Oh man. i am currently debating between Ludwig Classic Maple and Gretsch Brooklyn, qnd 20" vs 22". I am not sure this video helped. But head to head, I think I liked the Gretsch better. The floor tom had some umph to it.
I have a Starclassic with 24 x 18, 24 x 16, and 20x18 configurations.... My favorite is the 24x18 and gets used by far the most. It is the easiest to tune for hard rock and you can use the widest variety of heads to get a pleasing sound with the least muffling. I have also used 22x18 and 22x16 in the studio. 24x18 with a powerstroke 3 clear is my go to now
Also, for the purposes of this test a 20x14 maple with the same double ply batter is going to sound way different under a mic with good speakers than a 20x18
Ludwig has great finishes and even better drums. I liked the Hepcat kit. Oh, who am I kidding, all of these kits sounded great. I've only ever had drum kits with 20" bass drums, so it's gratifying to see younger drummers appreciate the smaller bass drum sizes.
