Tommy, that's funny because I was listening to him playing on a Rogers kit, Mercy Mercy Mercy and thought that kit sounded a bit like a deader Luddy :confused:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFzf-khFwtcBut, this is the sound I was looking for, hoping to know if he used Remo Ambassadorscoated top and bottom or?The kick in this video sounds like the same BR kick drum sound across the board to me, I'm guessing his little mini riser is plywood painted black.As far as 5 ply vs 3, I always thought less plies = more resonance. Both of my 3 ply Premiers ring forever, where as my Tama kits with 5 and 8 plies respectively are less resonant even with Diplomats all the way around. My WFL 3 ply dinosaur kit has flat bearing edges on the ride and floor tom so I can't compare those. Those 2 toms are DEAD and I've left that kit completely original.I think I really need a 60's Rogers kit! :)
Eric!
Well... you couldn't go wrong with a Cleveland era Rogers kit!
The Rogers set in the YouTube clip shown, aren't even Buddy's! Buddy was playing Louie Bellson's set for this "performance".. meaning .. you're listening to LB's bass drum here! Also, notice BR's "beard" ? That was a prop as this was supposed to be a flashback to the 60's type deal, and if memory serves correctly, I think it was "Playboy After Dark". This clip is from 1975, and in 1975, Buddy was still with Slingerland having split Rogers some 8 years prior. As to BR's plywood:
It was just NATURAL... never painted, which is how it was so easy to see when it was in use. I will offer that every time I saw Buddy LIVE .. ( 1973 through 1978 ) .. he never once used the plywood! Reason for that was there was no need in the venues I saw him in. Plenty of natural ambiance/acoustics... thus, no plywood.
Buddy's WFL's vs. Rogers: You would need to A/B both these periods against each other Eric, and by that, I mean recordings. Not so much YouTube videos. If you listened to a recording of BR with his 50's era WFL's, and then a recording of BR playing his 60's era Rogers, you would hear the difference immediately. The reason isn't so much the resonance, but rather the fundamental note of the shell. That being said: LESS plies means a lower fundamental... MORE plies means a higher fundamental, with the resonance of each being determined by tension and head choice. Simply put, a 5 ply shell can be just as resonant as a 3 ply shell.. or vice versa .. but the actual fundamental tone of each of them will always be different. So that means: 3 ply shells "generally" sound more "thuddy", which can be misconstrued as more resonant. Whereas a 5 ply w/rings.. ( like Rogers shells ) .. are almost always more articulate/cleaner sounding, which some might misinterpret as less resonant... but of course they are not! Despite all this...
... it really comes down to what do YOU want your drums to sound like? And then, shell make-up and head choice in concert with where the drums are tensioned are the dictating factors. Both your TAMA sets will have a naturally HIGHER fundamental than your 3 ply sets, but resonance shouldn't be compromised because of that. Tension and head choice are the factors there. As to Buddy's head choices:
I was able to closely examine Buddy's drums more than a few times back in the 70's. These were his Slingerland's of course, but his head choices were always pretty much the same. Being the 70's, there weren't anywhere near as many different head types to choose from as we have today.. so .. for Buddy, his bass drums were coated REMO Ambassadors, both resonant and batter, with one felt strip in front, and usually one in back, no port. The bass drum was BOOMY, but very controlled, with much of that coming from BR's technique. Today...
... one of the Pre-Muffled batters with a coated Ambassador weight front/resonant will achieve the sound you're after, yet still be contemporary for today's music. This is the combination I have on my Rogers sets, and it has never failed me!
Tommyp
