I recently changed from Remo Pinstripes with mufls (sp) to the Evans Emad single ply on the batter side and the logo heads on the front. Just a bath towel inside and I usually make sure it touches the front head (at least for starters). I've now changed over my two 24x16's for the big road kit as well as 3 other 22x14 for smaller venues. I use the DW hard plastic side of the beater, (recently retired my 20 year old wood beaters and my tendons have thanked me)

I do not port my heads. That way, the cat that I use as a muffle inside the bass drum cannot escape. It's just a common sense thing for me.

Well see....that was an issue I had not even considered. I retract everything I have said previously. Best to not have kitties on the loose at a show and the only thing a sound engineer hates worse than an unported kick drum head is a cat gnawing through an XLR line.

That last line cracked me UP! My wife looked over at me with that same puzzled look. Seriously funny, dude. Thanks for it. Clapping Happy2

I have had good luck just using a 100% wool strip on the beater head,and wide open on the Reso head..no port...

Must be 100% wool though! Poly wont do....

I have never ported a bass drum head. I have always used vintage drums and have had some fairly nasty sound guys/recording engineers. They will battle you every time. Stand your ground and remind them that John Bonham never had a hole in his bass drum head. I had a sound guy ask me to cut a hole in a 60's Gretsch logo head. I told him it was worth more than what he was making that night so he shut up.

I use one felt strip across the back. That is it. Nothing else. I have done this since I started playing. I also use a coated ambassador on the back and a smooth white ambassador on the front. The smooth white helps if you paint things on your head.

Double post..

Holiday Inn Pillow, same one since 1964. (no, really!) Never considered a cinder block, too much extra weight to carry around. But for a practice set, I may try it.

I always wanted a bass drum with a hole in it, so I could look professional... :confused: Could I maybe use a big black dot so people would think I had a hole in my head. (double meaning intended)

My perfect sound won't be someone else's perfect sound.

Wooden beater, 1/4" thick leather pad taped on where it hits, so I don't bust or bend the heads. I'm not rich. When the pad wears through, I slap on another one.

To each their own.

Absolutely right Klinger; everyone does have a differing opinion on the optimum kick drum sound. I like the black dot reso head idea. I somehow picture a 22 year old club engineer trying desperately to put the mic in the "hole."

Not meaning to pick a fight in any way but perhaps we should look at this from another point of view. First of all I am going to assume that most of us do not hire our own FOH and monitor engineers nor do we carry our own desks and mic package. If we did we wouldn't be saying that our vintage reso heads are worth more then the engineer is making that day as that would not be remotely close to true.

So let's pretend that we are now a 20 something local club audio engineer who is overworked, has limited skills and is working with limited gear for a whopping $50 per band mixing both FOH and monitors from one beer stained, poorly maintained audio desk. This is the guy that is the link between you and your audience. He wants to get your band mic'd and patched as quickly as possible as there are three bands on tonight of which you are one. The first thing he does is mic the drums. He looks at your unported head and says the inevitable as he cannot imagine what it is he is supposed to do if he can't put the mic into the reso head. That's when we say something about John Bonham, and degrading his pay scale and his abilities. From then on, this technician (your interface between your band and your audience) no longer has any interest in doing a good job for you as he feels put upon and insulted. He will get through your set tonight and not give a flip about your quality and then concentrate his efforts on the other two acts.

My suggestion is simply this: stack absolutely everything in your favor from the quality and maintenance of your gear, the professionalism you show on stage from the moment you start loading in gear to the moment you close the doors on the truck, to the way you treat those that are there to assist you. That means play only when necessary, tune your drums in advance, guitar players tuned and ready to go when they step on stage, and understand, for the love of all that is holy, how to run a professional sound check. If it were me, I would immediately figure out how to make that FOH engineer feel like he was the most important person I ever met. I would be his best ally when dealing with the situation and do anything I could to help him be successful. He is my link to the audience. To me that means leave the unported heads at home. If you want an unported reso head then figure out how to do that well. How does one mic that? What kind of mic should you use? (Maybe you should own one by the way. They are not cheap). What are some possible techniques including shelving, compression, etc. that will help your new best friend be successful at the desk. Instead of starting your relationship with an argument, maybe you can help open up some new skill sets for this guy. Of course, you will have to learn those skill sets and it is far more involved than just placing the mic "here."

Or you could invest $30 in a ported reso head for live shows and avoid the hassle. When you end up at the point of carrying your own production, put the unported reso on and work it out in production rehearsals.