15" Floor tom and 23" Bass drum.

BattleArmor

Silver Member
Hey guys.

Has anyone ever played a 15" floor tom? I think that will be perfect for me, since 14" is too high, and 16" is too low.

The same goes for a 23" bass drum. Any opinions or uses?

Thanks.
 
I had a 15 floor tom many moons ago. I liked it but to me nothing says floor tom like a 16. It sounds like you need to try one on, to see if you like it. My only complaint about odd size toms (13, 15) is that any cases you have wont "nest" together with the even sized cases. I have the 10, 12, 14, 16 tom setup and all the cases fit inside one another. A 13 or a 15 wouldn't. Try to borrow one and see if it's the sound you are looking for
 
Hey guys.

Has anyone ever played a 15" floor tom? I think that will be perfect for me, since 14" is too high, and 16" is too low.

The same goes for a 23" bass drum. Any opinions or uses?

Thanks.

Um, you can tune the 14" down or the 16" up. Their tuning ranges definitely cross, so whatever note you're trying to get to, it can be done...

I've played on a couple of 15" toms, and they sounded just like 14" or 16" toms. I don't think there's anything special about this particular diameter, except that finding heads for them can be a challenge...
 
DW makes a 23" bass drum and Ive heard its awesome, personally Ive never heard one in real life but I do know the exist.
 
ive played a DW 23" bass...

and i loved it..lol
really, it was the best bass i have ever felt or played...

it played like a 22, but sounded like a 24. had the punch of a 22, but still had the boom of a 24..

i loved it!

Alex

Same here - I played one, the 23s are pretty ridiculous. I think some sizes work better than others - some good ones are: 7x10, 8x12, 13x13, 13x15, 14x14, 16x16, 14x20 and 14x23...
 
Has anyone ever played a 15" floor tom? I think that will be perfect for me, since 14" is too high, and 16" is too low.
What make and model drum kit do you have?
I've owned a 15x12 rack tom and played 15x14 floor toms. And you can't expect much, if any difference. 14x14, 16x16. 18x16. I own all of those. My 14x14 I can tune WAY down into 16" territory. But, given the kit you have, if you find the 14 floor to be too high and the 16 to be too low, then indeed, 15 would be the ticket.
 
I have a 15" Maple custom absolute floortom, it's a great tom, but when i want new heads i've got to special order them.
 
15" heads are almost never, ever in stock. However, they can be special ordered, and you should consider ordering more than one at at time because they could take a while.

The intent of a 23" kick..I have mixed feelings on this. Let's just say that my 22x18" Trick kick drum (aluminum) has low end and output equal to DW's 24x18. It's a 22" so I don't need proprietary drumheads from one source.

I think the 23" is as much psychological as it is practical. IMO, it's just as well to set up a 24x18" with an EMAD II and call it a day. I like Yamahas oak kick over DW's anyway.
 
ive played a DW 23" bass...

and i loved it..lol
really, it was the best bass i have ever felt or played...

it played like a 22, but sounded like a 24. had the punch of a 22, but still had the boom of a 24..

i loved it!

Alex

You sound like Neil Peart hahaha.

I haven't played one personally but it sounds like a good idea in theory, hope you like Remo heads though, they are the only company producing 23" heads for it.

I've always thought 15" Floors were a bit unnecessary, you could get the desired sound of a 14 or 16 floor with the right heads and tuning. a 16x13 might be what you're after, the shallower depth would eliminate some low end and you could tune it up a bit higher.
 
As far as 23" bass drums go, one more item or option in our arsenal isn't really a bad thing. While it's possible (even likely) that DW is blowing smoke about the advantages of a 23" bass, the flip side is that there are people who can tell the difference, and DW is willing to accommodate them. That's a damn sight better than I can say for some other drum makers. As to the 15" tom, I have heard much wailing and gnashing of teeth about how "odd" sizes are a pain in the arse, and nobody likes them. Well, I'm not nobody kids, and I think that 13" and 15" toms are perfectly useful as long as you know how to apply them. having a 12, 13, 14, 15, 16" tom setup is a mostly unlikely scenario, whereas a 10, 13, 16" or 12, 15, 18 is much more apt to happen, so let's not be down on the odd sizes. It's also regrettable that these odd sizes are falling out of fashion, and most drum companies will only offer the 15" drums in their premium lines. I've said it before; there is NOTHING wrong with 6", 13" or 15" drums. NOTHING!! EVER!!!!
Have a nice day!
 
Take a few things into consideration.

- Manufacturer
- Shell construction
- Wood type
- Heads
- Tuning
- Room acoustics
- Pedal beater/stick

What are the chances that you will have a 22", 23" and 24" with all of these same properties at the same time. It will take a damn good ear to tell if a 23" is any better, it's more likely that having a unique size creates a placebo type deal(assuming you're going to get the best of both worlds). Same goes for the 15" tom.

Catch my drift? (sorry to parade all over your DW encounter Alex!)
 
As far as 23" bass drums go, one more item or option in our arsenal isn't really a bad thing. While it's possible (even likely) that DW is blowing smoke about the advantages of a 23" bass, the flip side is that there are people who can tell the difference, and DW is willing to accommodate them. That's a damn sight better than I can say for some other drum makers. As to the 15" tom, I have heard much wailing and gnashing of teeth about how "odd" sizes are a pain in the arse, and nobody likes them. Well, I'm not nobody kids, and I think that 13" and 15" toms are perfectly useful as long as you know how to apply them. having a 12, 13, 14, 15, 16" tom setup is a mostly unlikely scenario, whereas a 10, 13, 16" or 12, 15, 18 is much more apt to happen, so let's not be down on the odd sizes. It's also regrettable that these odd sizes are falling out of fashion, and most drum companies will only offer the 15" drums in their premium lines. I've said it before; there is NOTHING wrong with 6", 13" or 15" drums. NOTHING!! EVER!!!!
Have a nice day!


I agree. Personally, I would like to see all drums produced in odd sizes, from 7 inch toms all the way to 33 inch bass drums. The only reason we don't see more odd sizes is because manufacters like to standardize things for thier convenience and profit margin. There's no musical or technical reason, though, why odd sizes are any better or worse than even sizes.
 
I'm all about the availablity of odd sizes. If I used them, I would likely use stepped sizes, like 11/13/15 to keep clean intervales.

I have seen many drummers (like Dennis Chambers, Joey Jordinson and Vinnie Paul) still use 13 and/or 15.

Some like 10/12/13 or 12/13 15. Nothing wrong with that.

It's just easier for me to use existing 8/10/12 to achieve the sound I am after.
 
Nothing wrong with them, it's just that getting heads can be a bitch, especially if you're not in a major centre. That is even more so with the DW 23".

I always like the idea of running a 12" rack tom with 15" & 18" floors.
 
I had a 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 kit for years. The 14 and 15 toms sat in the corner the entire time. Never used them for ANYTHING, although it could just be that I wanted more of an interval between toms, and 5 1" interval toms just couldn't cut it.

My current kit is 10, 12, 16... If I thought I would use it, I'd grab a 14... but I barely use all three toms now (too long playing on a 4 piece).

I think we should do all drums in centimeters. :)
 
I had a 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 kit for years. The 14 and 15 toms sat in the corner the entire time. Never used them for ANYTHING, although it could just be that I wanted more of an interval between toms, and 5 1" interval toms just couldn't cut it.

My current kit is 10, 12, 16... If I thought I would use it, I'd grab a 14... but I barely use all three toms now (too long playing on a 4 piece).

I think we should do all drums in centimeters. :)

My new kit will have 5.08 cm intervales.

20.32 cm, 25.4cm, 30.48cm rack toms
35.56cm and 40.64cm floor toms and a 55.88cm kick.
 
My new kit will have 5.08 cm intervales.

20.32 cm, 25.4cm, 30.48cm rack toms
35.56cm and 40.64cm floor toms and a 55.88cm kick.

Gee, I hope those don't line up to inches... otherwise, the Metric Gods will come after you! :)
 
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