When shopping for a gong, should you go with a large gong for a large sound? Maybe . . .
Generally speaking, the bigger the gongs will have a bigger sound. Also, large gongs have vibratioins that you can feel. At NAMM 2007, a trade show for musical instrument manufacturers, I stood behind a 70 inch gong (yes, that's a gong over 5 feet across!!) while someone else struck it. You can really feel the vibration - it was awesome!
WorldMusicalInstruments.com is now offering some very large gongs, including the 39 1/2 inch wind gong and the massive 70 inch chao gong.
Keep in mind that you don't have to strike a gong real hard. A nice firm strike will product great resonance. For a sustained sound, strike repeatedly in a rapid fashion.
