Will reversing bass beater cause damage?

[Fenderman]

I'm a new drummer and just love my TD6V drumset. I have the black rubber KD-8 bass drum, not the mesh one. Having bass drum rebound problems, it plays 2 notes instead of one due to bouncing. I have a felt beater on the pedal, I found that turning the head around and using the very hard solid black plastic side eliminates the bouncing problem. There is a slightly louder "smack" sound, but not bad.

I'm asking for advice from more experienced folks if this will damage my bass drum? And if so, what else can be done to fix the bounce problem?

Thank you for reading

[mystic fred]

those kd 8's are virtually indestructable, take some getting used to and may require some adaptation in technique to work properly.

[M_C_M]

simple answer, yes the hard plastic beater will damage your kd8,s playing surface. I used the kd8 for a few years with a plastic beater and it wears the rubber away, It will not effect the performance at all it is purely cosmetic, like Fred said they are pretty much indestructible. As for the bounce you can use the retrigger cancel, don't know what the td6 offers never had one, or develop better playing technique, not meaning to offend there...

[Some Day Grey]

You could also consider applying a standard nylon or similar patch at the impact point on the rubber bass drum; it would lessen the impact, protect the head, probably reduce the bouncing problem no matter what beater you use, etc.

Use of a patch shouldn't effect triggering - and would protect the bass head regardless of it's material (rubber, mesh, acoustic, etc) and should stick well to the surface as long as it's properly applied and cared for.

[ige87]

Seconding the Falam patch (or similar). I had some wear on mine so I stuck a patch on. No lessening of triggering sensitivity and it really isnt that much louder.

Even Gaffa can work, but you'll be replacing it fairly regularly.

[SiliconDrummer]

... what else can be done to fix the bounce problem?

Increase the "Mask Time" for your kick trigger in your trigger settings. Here is an excerpt from page 74 of your owners manual which gives a little background on the "Mask Time" trigger setting:

On a kick pad, for example, if the beater bounces back and strikes the pad a second time immediately after the intended stroke—or, like with acoustic drums if you leave the bass drum beater against the head—it can cause a single strike to “double trigger” (two sounds instead of the intended one). The Mask Time setting helps to prevent such problems...

-SD-

[Fenderman]

Thank you for the great advice everyone. I will try them all and also turn that head around, don't want to make my baby look ugly!