What Makes a Great Suitcase Kick Drum?
A suitcase kick drum should sound like a real kick drum: a deep, short punch every time the beater hits. Getting there takes more than mounting a drum head in an old case. It comes down to professional sound quality, and that comes from engineering.
Muffling: the difference between a punch and a boom
An unmuffled suitcase drum rings. The case and drum resonate long after each hit, and the low end turns to mud on stage and in the mix. Many suitcase drums skip this step. Every Pan American drum is muffled by design so each hit lands as a deep, short punch. We use an Aquarian Super Kick head with a built-in muffle ring, and on 14 to 16 inch builds an optional acoustic overlay (powered by Big Fat Snare Drum) lowers the pitch for a deeper, punchier sound.
Drum size
We build 16 to 20 inch bass drums. Bigger drums give more low end on their own; 18 and 20 inch builds depend on finding a case large enough.
A mic port built for the stage and studio
A 4 to 5 inch rear port with a chrome O-ring lets an engineer mic the drum properly, so the punch you hear on stage is the punch the audience hears.
The case
Every build starts with a mint-condition vintage suitcase, footlocker or trunk. We help you choose one that looks right and suits the sound you want.
Hardware that stays put
A pedal bracket with a rubber grip pad holds your pedal in place. A rear cable jack means you can add an electric upgrade any time. Drum and hardware are new or like new.
A tambourine that doesn’t ring with every kick
Every Pan American drum is completely disconnected from the tambourine system. When you hit the bass drum, the tambourine stays quiet unless you play it, so your kick stays clean. Because the two aren’t connected, it’s also easy to switch from a standing, heel-down setup to a seated, face-first setup.
Built by hand, one at a time
Each drum is built in Katy, Texas. Most builds take 30 to 45 days and start with a $200 deposit.