Rug or not to rug....

[dwdave]

Folks,

My wife decided we needed new flooring in the house. The "studio" room was included. There was carpet in the room and it sounded good. Maybe a bit lacking on the low end of the floor tom. Now it has "LVP" Luxury vinyl planks. It's great stuff and looks amazing. But.... no spikes allowed. So, I can get a rug but I'm thinking of laying down 1/8" hardboard under the drums to keep the hard floor vibe. Any thoughts on setting up a kit on wood floors vs hardwood and rug? BTW, the rooms walls are treated and it's a vaulted ceiling.

Thanks!!!!
Dave

 

[JimmySticks]

Buy a carpet, its traditional, it sounds good and they work. You can also match the room and the drums with the right carpet.

 

[robthetimekeeper]

A good rug can really tie the room together.

 

[CC Cirillo]

As Rumi might have advised: Go Persian.

 

[repete]

I’m recalling a punch line about carpet matching the drapes but will stick to whatever works best for you both.

 

[Bongo Brad]

I thought this was going to be a Buddy vs Louis thread.

 

[Old Drummer]

I'll be interested in knowing whatever you discover.

For decades I carried a rug with my drums--it was just part of the kit--and now I'm wondering why I did. I'm pretty sure I did it to keep the drums from slipping and sliding. I played a virgin bass drum and even with a rug had to rope it in. I certainly gave no thought to the effect of a rug on sound. Most drummers also use rugs, and now that I think about that, I don't know why they do either.

Now I have rack toms plus a cymbal stand mounted on my bass drum and only have to worry about the hi-hat sliding away from me. I'm therefore wondering if I need a rug.

 

[Downbeat]

Unless the stage is carpeted, I've always used a commercial type entryway rug, 4x6 I think. It has a surface like the loop-side of velcro. I put a big strip of hook-side velcro tape on the bottom of my kick pedal plate and, viola! Solid as a rock.

 

[Seb77]

Some prefer the muffling effect of a rug. One jazz drummer told me he did. We talked about this even set up his rug on a rubber floor that would have prevented slipping. He laso used an 8x14 wood snare, so he seemed to go for a mellow sound.

 

[CSR]

Speaking of Buddy ...he used 3/4” plywood under his set in order to increase projection and give him a stable place to set up. The worst place I’ve ever set up was on a grassy incline facing uphill. I felt like I was going to tip over backwards at any moment. Every cymbal hit caused the stands to rock back and forth, and my throne and snare were sitting at odd angles. Since then, I’ve carried two 4x4 pieces of 3/4” plywood when I’m going to set up on grass, which doesn’t happen more than a couple of times a season.

 

[m_anderson]

I've always used a commercial type entryway rug, 4x6

This is exactly what I use and recommend. Got mine from Grainger. Pay the bucks and get a good one. They last a long time. Easy to roll up and throw over your shoulder. Great for protecting floors in the house.

 

[A.TomicMorganic]

I used a rug for years, but now I sport the shiny bald look.

 

[Squirrel Man]

I used a rug (cheap 6x8 from Amazon) when I was playing on hardwood so my hat spikes didn't nick the floor but they did a little anyway. My rig is on a concrete floor now and I use a slightly thicker rug for those spikes to dig into.

When I get around to it I'm going to build a shallow plywood platform to put them on and eliminate the rug, maybe.

 

[CSR]

Indoors, I use indoor/outdoor carpet. Helps hold the bass from sliding, protects nice wood doors, and prevents scratches on the bottom of the bass drum. Only problem is that the Velcro on the bottom of my DW hi hat stand and bass drum pedal don’t wanna slide to adjust the position.

 

[jptrickster]

I like to think of it as a magic carpet

 

[drumgadget]

Please accept one bit of advice: never, never leave your home/space with your drums WITHOUT a good, portable drum rug ("designed for" drums preferred). Especially for a gig, and especially for a "new" gig. Don't ask me how I know this ....... !

Mike

 

[DanRH]

$20 4x6 rug from Target. Done. I always carried my 5x6 carpet I purchased at a yard sale like 25 years ago. Looked funky but it was my "blankee" if you know what I mean. Then, I forgot it on a gig I was subbing for. I got there early enough to realize I had forgotten my "blankee". Dooh! Found a Target around the corner and there it was. Using the 4x6 now because it works and looks much better than "blankee".

 

[Obiwandrumobe]

Rug me baby all night long.