BD mic hole

[signia fan]

For you do it yourselfers. If you need a hole in the front kick skin and don't wish to shell out 15 bucks for a holz unit. This was in an old modern drummer mag from the early 90's and it worked well for me.
Items needed: metal coffee can
smaller can (soup etc)
one or two used drum heads
contact cement
Step one: Take an old head, heat up the larger coffee can on the stove (don't let mom see this)
Wearing oven mitts, use the hot can to melt through the old head making a nice 10" or so circle, repeat so you have two.
Step two: Using contact cement, glue the circles to your bass drum head, one on inside and one on outside. These will act as a re-inforcement ring.
Step three: After glue has dried, heat up the smaller can and melt a hole in the center of the bigger circles.

Melting the holes as opposed to cutting them, adds to the strength and helps prevent tearing if you catch it with a mic or mic stand.

[drummer]

Wow! That's a great tip! I've been doing it the hard way all these years. Thanks Signia Fan.

[bassist learning drums]

Funny you should post this.

I want to know how good/bad it would be to "punch" a hole through the head. I have a foot operated punch at work. The largest I can punch is 4". Would that be adequate? And would it really matter where I put it? I would put it between the 3 - 9 o'clock range. Besides being a port hole, I would use it for micing.

[signia fan]

If it is a two ply head, the melting gives the edges alot more durability. Single ply not so much, but with single ply, it is too easy to knick the edge and just like a windshield chip in a car, it spreads, destroying the whole thing.

[rush_fan]

......i think ill just buy one with a hole in it

[backtodrum]

That is a great tip!

[quikstang2]

Of course I read this AFTER I threw away my old heads...

[Dustin]

I cheated and got the assistand in the shop to do it for me!

[drumyard]

The hole should be at 9 0'clock(more space for the mic stand by the Ride).Do not go below 9 or the padding in the drum comes thru the hole and its also too low for the mic stand angle for positioning off centre inside the dru.Trust me
Yard

[drumyard]

[justinmill14]

yeah very great tip

[Bish]

I found an easier way.

I just took an old CD and used a brand new bladed box knife to cut a hole.

15 seconds and you are done.

[Gretsch219]

I did something kinda like that on my resonant bass head signia fan.

[justinmill14]

I found an easier way.

I just took an old CD and used a brand new bladed box knife to cut a hole.

15 seconds and you are done.

thats what i did with mine, except i didnt use cd, i cant remember wat i used

[backtodrum]

I can't remember if it has been mentioned already and I don't want to go back a read all the posts so I'll just repeat it if it was already mentioned, but a hot coffee can workes well to melt a hole in a head. Personally I just by a holes re-enforcement ring and cut the hole to the appropriate diameter. It looks so much better to me that way and the hole is less prone to tear out that way.