Bonzo's 22"

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He's so famous for the big 26" bass drum, I sometimes forget that it wasn't always the case. It was while using a standard 22" kick that he got his reputation as being "too bloody loud" for many earlier bands. It was the 22" that rocked the world on Led Zeppelin I. He just always had a knack for drum tuning. Listening to this Whiskey a Go Go bootleg, the bass drum sounds great. And no mics on the drums, either! One story goes that even baby Jason's mini drumset sounded just as awesome, and I have no doubt it's true. Bonzo could sound like Bonzo on anything. Much has been said about Jimmy's guitars, but I just wanted to highlight this brief period before the big 26", to appreciate the man even more. Size doesn't matter, right? It's what you do with it that counts

(the youtube link under the photo is ICQYB from the Whiskey)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCEsrp2cGxs

[Sathington Willoughby]

Yea that is a killer recording. I love his fills here as well:

I don't know as much as I should about the technical specs of drumming, I'm a guitar guy as you can see from my photo. Do you know when he switched to the bigger bass drum?

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I know he has it by the time they get to the Boston Tea Party (1-23) So, sometime in-between. There is an upcoming book on Zep's gear that I'm hoping might nail it down. So I guess the other recordings that would feature the 22" would be Spokane and the early Fillmore shows