in a perfect world, I'd have a drum riser that didn't require me to drill into the shell. However, I looked at my other options and this is really the only one that looked secure enough for me. My Gretsch Catalina kit came with an 18" bass drum and a Gibraltar riser, which is clamped to the hoop. I always hated that thing. In addition to marking up the hoop, it just always felt too rickety for me to feel secure about it. Instead of waiting for it to fail, I looked at my other options. Eventually, I decided to try this DW mount.This DW mount is quite genius. You have a metal flat mount you secure to the shell of your bass drum. Then, you slide a receptacle into the mount, then the pedal base into that receptacle. The way everything fits together makes all kinds of fit available, to get the pedal exactly where you want it.Drilling is quite simple, too. First, disassemble the riser and find out where you want your shell mount. You want it centered in the bottom of your bass drum with the straight part facing the batter (curved part facing the resonant hoop). The shell mount has a rubber spacer that goes between the shell and the metal part. I used this rubber spacer as my drilling template. With everything in place, i covered the outside of my drum (anywhere that might be drilled) with masking tape. I picked out a place on the bass drum where the shell mount would clear the batter side hoop when installed with just about 1/4" of clearance. Then, I took the batter hoop and head off and then made sure that the rubber spacer was perfectly centered between the bottom two lugs and the straight end was perfectly parallel to the edges. Then, I securely taped it to the outside of the shell with masking tape. Then, I also masked the inside of the shell where the drill would emerge. Taking a 3/16" bit, I drilled right through the holes of the rubber spacer from the outside in, making sure that each hole was straight into the shell, not at an angle. Then, I took the rubber spacer off and slowly stepped up my drill bits to 1/8". There was no chipping at all. At this point, I took off all the bits of tape, cleaned out the sawdust, and installed the mounting bolts from the inside, making sure to include the lock and flat washers for each bolt on the inside of the shell. If I had done this correctly, I would be able to screw right into the shell mount. And sure enough, all four screws found their destination and met the shell mount through the rubber spacer. I tightened the mounting bolts with a large Phillips driver, tight enough that the flat washers on the side of the shell took the curve of the drum. And that was that.Once that was done, the rest was a breeze. I finally have a wonderful riser that I completely trust in. Sure, I had to drill four holes into my drum, but I honestly believe that over the long run, it will help my drums keep nicer. This Gretsch kit is not going anywhere, and the riser will make it that much likelier that I will never have to get rid of it.

wasn't advertised properly the pictures shows still shots of the holder sitting on its own, it does not explain or show any where that u actually have to drill into your bass drum like other holders have,I never write reviews , I'm sure it's a well made product But can't use it.even the shipping was very late real disappointment .

It's true, the description should've added the fact that you would need to drill into your drum and I'm not a big fan of doing so, but overall this product is great if you want to raise a 18" kick drum. I plan on getting another one for my 16" kick drum. I haven't found anything else that would raise my drum far enough up. For smaller drums (18" and above), I also recommend getting the DWSM224 hoop clamp spur. Here's the Amazon link for your convenience:

This was installed on my 18" Love Custom Drums bass drum and I've been having difficulties with it twisting when I play. I've tried tightening the wing nut onto the post as tightly as I can get it, but it still won't stay firmly in place. I'm very surprised by this, as I am well aware that DW makes quality products, and am disappointed that it's slowing down tracking my drums in my studio. I am going to be ordering a Dixson Bass Drum Lift to replace it, which should, hopefully, resolve my issue completely since there are no moving parts on it. I'm happy to see other people aren't having any issues, and I hope that, if you're planning on getting one, it works out for you. Unfortunately, that isn't the case for me.

Don't let the bad reviews steer you away from this product! This is indeed a great bass drum riser, in fact, it is the best one out there. The people complaining about no directions and having to drill holes in their shells, let's not forget that this is a PART. When I buy a Pearl BT3 tom bracket, I know that I have to drill holes and know there will be no directions... because it is a part. One more thing to keep in mind, when you raise a 16" or 18" bass drum with this brand or any other bass drum riser, the spurs may be too short, causing the bass drum batter head to be angled forward. I am creative and handy and was able to extend my front spurs using 3/8" steel rod. I threaded the end to enable the rubber tips. It's not shiny and chrome, but it works! Some drum companies have long enough spurs. So if you are handy and can figure things out, buy this and you will never look back. If you are not, buy the other products and always be frustrated with your riser slipping and not working properly.

I have a Ludwig Break Beat kit and it has a 16" kick. The factory lift was so inadequate. After looking several different lifts I decided to go with the DW. It is perfect in every way. Drilling and installation was a piece of cake and it makes playing the kick so much more enjoyable.

Well built, tried a bunch of different bass drum lifts but this was by far the best