15 Inch Floor Tom

Budiesel

Senior Member
Anybody have one, or every use one? If so, is there much difference between it and a 16" floor tom?
 
I have a 15x12 rack, which I've used as a suspended floor tom between a 13x9 rack and a 16x16 floor. I've also played 15x14 floor toms. Certainly enough tuning variation to come very close to the sound of a 16, if need be, or pitched quite a bit higher, if need be.
 
I used one with my Yamaha Oak Custom kit. Although I hated the tone of Oak, 15" was a nice size. It had the lows of a 16" but you could still tune it up more like a 14" and retain that feel and tonality. The only hard part was finding heads in stock for it, even online.

Billy Ward swears by 13x15. He says atleast from DW they're a magical size.
 
13" drums are not hard to tune. Period. No drum from 6" to 32" is hard to tune.

I agree.

Maybe he meant in context next to a drum with only a 1" difference like a 12 or a 14?

Maybe he meant that, but they are still tunable. I had a 13 with a 12 one side and a 14 the other. They tune up really well if you know how.
 
I had a 15 next to a 16 on my old crappy ddrum diablo & it separated ok but i now have 14 & 15 floortoms. They are much nicer 10 12 14 16 go so well.

Yeah i had evans g1 & g2 on it. I wanted ec2's. After over 6 months of waiting i changed kits & told the shop not to bother. Right pain to get heads for. I had to ring round england to get the g1 for it & it was so old the evans logo was different lol
 
I think tunability in a given drum size depends on the setup. I want a 15" as my first floor tom mainly because most of the 14's I' ve tried and/or owned have not been able to take the lower tuning, but a 16 tuned to the same note would be too "timbale like" for my tastes. Now, to avoid the kind of tuning problems mentioned (1" differential), the whole range of drums will be 8, 10, 13, 15, and 18", which I think will yield a wide range of tones without having to set up like Nicko McBrain. I tend to regard odd sizes as a "plussed-up" version of the next size down anyway; 13's and 15's doing what 12's and 14's dare not try. If I could get 11 and 17" toms I would, just to see....
 
I just ordered a 15x14 floor tom from Yamaha because I couldn't decide between a 14" or 16" -- 15" seems to be the best of both...we'll see.
 
8, 10, 13, 16, 18 is a wicked interval between toms. Wicked open, great tonal difference, not muddy when played together and VERY BIG towards the bottom end of the spectrum of sounds.

I use 13, 16, 18 myself with a 24 kick.
 
Hey, if you're going to do a 7-pc. then make the most of it!


Although I might draw the line at 6, 12, 18. Just a bit much I think.
 
Hey, if you're going to do a 7-pc. then make the most of it!


Although I might draw the line at 6, 12, 18. Just a bit much I think.

LOL a 6, 12, 18 setup would probably sound so ridiculous. I would probably bust out laughing if I heard it.
 
I had an 11 piece kit years ago that included a 12x15. I often used the 15 as a floor tom when gigging because I didn't need the whole kit. I find it an excellent size, and prefer it over a 14" for a floor tom. 12, 15, 18 works quite well in a Bonham-esque set up, and 10, 12, 15 is good in a fusion-type set-up.

I wish the 15 was more popular.
 
A 5 piece kit would be nice with either..
10-12-15 OR 10-13-16 (with this config having 3" between each drum)
 
I really want a 15' currently my two kits are big; 12-16-22 and small 10-13-18 I really like the sound of my small kit with ec2s on the toms (yes thats a 13 x 11 for a floor tom, and it sounds big!) it sounds way bigger and badder in person then on paper thats for sure. my ideal sizes I think would be 12-15-20
 
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