Drilled bass drum or undrillied bass drum!!!
when i bought my kit i was very keen on not having drilled bass drums!!!!
This is sort of like the wrap vs. lacquer question that used to
permeate the internet a few years ago.
Its more about individual preference than anything else.
Personally, I find it really doesn't seem to make much difference, sonically, whether one drills their BD for a tom mount, or doesn't.
Aesthetically? Yeah, there can be a difference, but I like both looks.
Portage? I used to have a kit where the tom was mounted on a snare stand. It really wasn't a huge deal to have to pack around that extra snare stand.
I've played on kits where the BD was drilled and the tom mounted on the drum, the BD was drilled and the tom was not mounted on the drum, the BD wasn't drilled and the tom was mounted on the drum, the BD wasn't drilled and the tom was not mounted on the drum, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.
No difference, or at least one so minute, it reallly doesn't make a difference. Sorry if that bothers anyone, but that's been MY experience.
These days, I prefer the tom on a BD mounted tom mount. It puts the tom where I prefer it, plus, it gives me a smaller footprint on-stage.
Elvis