OddBall Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I`m on another site and we talk vintage drums, a topic was started about John`s BD heads durring his recording years. In many photo`s of Bonham`s kit, there appears to be a Richie Ring type of circle on the outside permimeter of the front head. Richie Rings were not availible yet and some say it`s a decal removed, some say it`s a second head cut to act like a richie Ring muffler, and still some say it`s a shadow from the hoops, and still,..some say it`s a felt circle. I`ve seen many pics. and can`t nail it down because the ideas are all plausable. No hard facts from anyone affiliated with John. Nobody seems to know !! Does anyone here know what the heck that myterious ring around the inside of the head is ?? In the first pic,..is the decal idea removed would leave a lighter spot, the maple kit don`t have it,..the green kit has it shoiwing without the decal on, But, on his vista kit, you can see it in a clear version without the decal....So confused here,...off to smoke, and will check back in case any of you might know !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddBall Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 Another example Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddBall Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 There`s got to be another drummer here !! I got a whole lotta love for John,..but no idea what he muffled his kit with,...anyone ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magerogue Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 There`s got to be another drummer here !! I got a whole lotta love for John,..but no idea what he muffled his kit with,...anyone ?? John didn't muff his kit. Just a Ludwig set with sabian dishes, nothing else, man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddBall Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Have you any Idea what those Richie Ring type circles on the inside of his front head are from ? I can`t do anything but speculate !! I have no where else to ask !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sems Fir Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Regarding whether it's a felt circle for JB's kit there's conflicting information from John's one time drum tech Jeff Ocheltree. In the book entitled "John Bonham A Thunder Of Drums" by Chris Welch and Geoff Nicholls on page 131 Jeff stated "There was no damping at all, no felt strips." But, on the dvd entitled "Trust Your Ears The Drum Tech Explorations of Jeff Ocheltree" Jeff states that felt strips were utilized. Since Jeff wasn't the drum tech until the '77 tour and his information is conflicting I'll see what else I can find. Robert www.behindthetoys.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgeholder Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 You have discovered Bonzo's secret. Yes - that is very similar to a "Ritchie Ring" and yes, this was way before those ever came out. It's very visible in many photos, but you've never heard anyone talk about this before, not Bonzo, not Jimmy, not Jeff Ochletree (was it him that claimed Bonzo used "felt strips" in one video? Ridiculous) If you've ever tried a 26" bass drum without any muffling at all, you'll find they are impossibly 'ringy'. I believe Bonzo actually invented this technique, and used it with awesome results. My guess is he would use a strip of another bass drum head to fit in there, even with the Vistalights he was able to do it with another clear piece that was only noticeable from certain angles. So all of you drummers out there who bought the big Bonzo kit and want to get your kick drum sound right, that's the secret! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgeholder Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Here's one pic where it's visible, still searching for others. '72, especially, you can see it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sems Fir Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I checked out Royal Orleans (where I am a member and they've had a couple of threads on this topic). RO is a fantastic treasure trove of information when it comes to Zep. Yes, Bonzo did in fact utilize felt strips on the Green Sparkle and Vistalite kits. There are clear images with the felt strips in the thread called "Bonham Green Sparkle Bass Drum Felt strip pics, anybody?." Oddball, if you need examples of the images, please let me know. Oddly, enough some of the images are from here. Oddball, the thread also discusses "Ritchie Rings" and there is a mention that Bonzo may have made his own "Ritchie Rings" to utilize on the Green Sparkle kit. Robert www.behindthetoys.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddBall Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 I`m starting to think he did use something, even though I`m a die-hard "he didn`t" fan !! Everyone can tell me (include`n Jeff) what it is not,..but no-one can tell me what it is !! There is something there. I appreciate everone`s help and welcome more !! This has to be put to rest once and for all, cuz nowaday`s the compressor can make any drum sound you want !! No need to keep a secret sound device !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgeholder Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I checked out Royal Orleans (where I am a member and they've had a couple of threads on this topic). RO is a fantastic treasure trove of information when it comes to Zep. Yes, Bonzo did in fact utilize felt strips on the Green Sparkle and Vistalite kits. There are clear images with the felt strips in the thread called "Bonham Green Sparkle Bass Drum Felt strip pics, anybody?." Oddball, if you need examples of the images, please let me know. Oddly, enough some of the images are from here. Oddball, the thread also discusses "Ritchie Rings" and there is a mention that Bonzo may have made his own "Ritchie Rings" to utilize on the Green Sparkle kit. Robert www.behindthetoys.com That's news to me - if you have a picture of Bonzo using felt strips I'd love to see it - especially on the Vistalight kit. Short-lived experiment, perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sems Fir Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Here's some pictures from the thread of the vista kit from '73 & '75. and just for reference: Robert www.behindthetoys.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillumpuffer Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Another example Great pic.Looks like someones lounge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddBall Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Bump !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodTimes Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Here you can read additional info provided by Bonzo's friend & long-time roadie Mick Hinton. Almost everything explained : www.led-zeppelin.org/joomla/biographies/118 Though he did use to do some damping on occasion-depending on accoustics of the venue/recording studio, there was no 'rule' about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrum Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I`m starting to think he did use something, even though I`m a die-hard "he didn`t" fan !! Everyone can tell me (include`n Jeff) what it is not,..but no-one can tell me what it is !! There is something there. I appreciate everone`s help and welcome more !! This has to be put to rest once and for all, cuz nowaday`s the compressor can make any drum sound you want !! No need to keep a secret sound device !! I don't know about the ring on the drum head but his bass drum sure sounds muffled to my ears as an unmuffled drum will have a 'ring' to it no matter what. Only Bonzo knows for sure. I just wish he'd never had started wearing that Derby. :^( (Just an observation) I have a Roland electronic set and the bass drum sounds that come with it are awesome and no matter how hard I tried before I could never get my acoustic sets to give such a full sounding thud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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