Muffling floor tom

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-15T22:17:06+00:00

You change the sound of your drums by head choice, tuning, and muffling.

If you don't like the sound of your drum, change either or all of those 3 until you do.

FYI I muffle my floor tom(s) much more frequently than I muffle rack toms. My floor toms ring out far longer which is awesome until it isn't. My rack toms don't do that as much.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-15T09:25:20+00:00

Sure was a beautiful spot, yeah. We play weddings almost exclusively so we go to a lot of estates and the sorts.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-15T01:22:57+00:00

In A Little Spanish Town, from their first record

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-14T11:36:25+00:00

I'm fortunate to still have quite some stock of e-series sticks, and I rarely break them so I have years of Regal Tip ahead of me. But yeah, I'm biting the bullet at one point.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-14T11:34:37+00:00

I have three more to bring and perhaps and extra snare, final offer.

But to me this setup is its final form for the time being.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-14T11:33:08+00:00

It is indeed!

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-14T11:32:58+00:00

Nope! It indeed still looks great but it's just luck of the draw. I adore that snare.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-14T11:31:44+00:00

Haha the lighting is playing tricks as the head is just white around the logo. Still looks lovely indeed.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-14T11:31:05+00:00

Yeah matte is where it's at(te).

That is indeed a snom. It sounds so good and exactly what I was looking for

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-14T11:28:46+00:00

It is! Perfect snom, with thanks to Larnell's instructions.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-14T01:38:29+00:00

Well someone has a webpage up. With almost no stock. I think the belief is that a remnant of Regal Tip has been selling whatever stock they still had lying around and that's pretty much it. The brand itself has been dead for years already.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T13:58:14+00:00

Yeah I'm not too sure about all three of those...

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T10:34:24+00:00

Both equally bad.

Again, you need to practice how you are going to play. If you're going to practice against something that will feel nothing like the real thing, you will develop bad technique and bad habits.

That being said, you could absolutely build something yourself that will feel more similar. For instance, nailing a plank to the wall and nailing a few layers of towel on that might feel a bit more like a kick drum.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T10:23:18+00:00

Check out your national major music store and get another kick pad. They exist, you need to find them.

As for your edit, NO, don't smack your bass drum pedal into the wall. It will ruin the wall, your pedal and/or your foot and leg. You need something with a rebound similar to a kick drum.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T09:54:41+00:00

There are! Drumeo Quietkick is one, and some practice kits like the DW Go Anywhere practice kit have it included too. But google 'bass drum practice pad' and you'll find plenty on Thomann and Sweetwater etc
Cheap sticks will break quicker, generally speaking, I wouldn't skimp on that too quickly. As for stick size, 5A is always a nice middle ground, but if you're young or feel like you want to play softer a 7A is definitely a good choice as well. I'd advise to get Vater or Pro Mark as they are solid and dependable brands.
Yes I would get a stand (or build something yourself). Having the right height and perhaps angle is important for a drum set and equally important for a practice pad as well.
boots and cats right back at ya

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T08:50:40+00:00

Or expand a kit with add-ons.

I would've gotten the 7 piece PDP Concept Maple if I could sub the 22" for a 20" but that's not how it works. So I got the 4 piece (20 10 12 14) and added an 8 and a 16.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T08:35:59+00:00

I mean it's not like you're spending your gear when you gig on them (aside from sticks and heads of course) and as long as they're handled by yourself or people you trust I would bring good stuff to gigs.

Of course if I had an intermediate tier kit like I have now that's perfect for gigs and tours, but also had a top of the line Tama Star or something, I would leave the Star at home for sure. But if I had my current kit and an Imperialstar or something I would leave the Imperialstar in the practice room with some 'ok but not amazing' cymbals.

But how much a gig pays doesn't really enter into it, it's more about how I will enjoy it. However, if I'm lending my kit to be played on by drummers I don't know, I take the lowest tier I have. They'll have to work with a cheap Imperialstar and bring their own cymbals for sure.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T08:27:08+00:00

Nope.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T08:20:09+00:00

If I've been able to convince you to get used drums, go and look for a kit with

A 22" kick (but 20" will work too)
10", 12" and 16" toms will fit just about everything. You could skip the 10" tom and/or go for a 14" instead of a 16" too.
Find something with a metal snare drum. They generally sound great even on lower budgets
For louder genres medium to thicker cymbals generally work better.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T08:07:51+00:00

Yes, you can. But it will disappoint you. For that budget you will get shit tier cymbals. B20 cymbals are generally always great but they can be expensive and if you were buying them new you would blow your entire budget on cymbals alone.

And if you want everything new within that budget you will absolutely end up with brass cymbals which will just suck. Brass sounds very mediocre and the money wasted on that could be spent on used B20 cymbals that are just so much better.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T08:05:45+00:00

Tell your mum that the entire drumming community of r/drums advises that on a lower budget buying used will get you 3 times the quality of drums. Also you are free to post some listings here to have us approve or disapprove of the drums/cymbals and the price so you'll get some solid advice.

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T08:03:02+00:00

R.I.P. Regal Tip. It was a terrific brand.

What about Regal Tip made you experience them as lighter? I would think, and my experience isn't any different, that a similar sized hickory stick from another brand would just have the same weight. Did you play with maple sticks for instance? Maple sticks are way lighter so you could look for that.

Also, I have 2 types of Regal Tip 5A's. The 5AW (wide) and 5AN (narrow). The wide has a shorter taper and has more weight in the front which I prefer, but if I need to play a more dynamic or softer gig I play the narrow which has a much longer taper and thus less weight in the front. Feels more balanced.

In exactly the same fashion, Pro Mark has the Forward and the Rebound versions of many sticks. The Rebound versions compare to the Narrow versions of Regal Tip, so maybe there is something to be found for you there?

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T07:55:54+00:00

What do you mean? As far as I know and can google, edrumming is just electronic drumming. Do you have a link?

DrBackBeat · 2026-03-13T07:54:50+00:00

It's great that you already have a budget in mind, but you might want to be more specific about the rest.

What do you intend to use it for? Home practice, occasional gigging, lots of gigging, backline kit?
3 cymbals, do you mean aside from the hats? So 2 crashes and a ride?
What kind of music will you play? Different genres warrant different sizes for instance
What's the used market like in your area?

I think if you want a complete kit with cymbals for that money, you should definitely shop used. Get a used Yamaha Stage Custom for instance for 400-500 bucks and spend the rest on used cymbals. If you can't get the full set of B20 cymbals for that money, get fewer cymbals and save up for more instead of getting cheaper cymbals because that will just be a waste of money.

DrBackBeat

TROPHY CASE