The conundrum of the 8" rack tom

I used to play 8”, 10”, 12”, 13” racks and the 8” was just an awesome little drum. I’d randomly throw it into the mix on hard rock double bass driven fills to give them more colour and it also worked great on ballads in a Copelandy way. Damn, thinking about it, I miss that drum…just another colour on the palette when you think about it…:)
 
If I'm specifically setting up in a Phil Collins or Chester Thompson configuration to play that kind of music, then I'll absolutely use the 8" tom. Actually, with the Chester set up I'll use pretty much every tom tom I have...

But I find 8" and 10" toms so sonically limited that generally I wouldn't use them unless I needed a lot of tom toms. If I'm playing more straight ahead rock or jazz I'll use either 13" and 16" toms if I'm playing 1-up/1-down, or 12", 13", 16" if I'm using 2-up/1-down. Unless the music requires something different I have no desire to play a tom tom smaller than 12".
 
I used to play 8”, 10”, 12”, 13” racks and the 8” was just an awesome little drum. I’d randomly throw it into the mix on hard rock double bass driven fills to give them more colour and it also worked great on ballads in a Copelandy way. Damn, thinking about it, I miss that drum…just another colour on the palette when you think about it…:)
I pared (sp?) down my kit because the band was playing 2 times a week, always in a different location. Now I play 1 up 1 dn and carry fewer drums.
 
like adding an effects simble

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8" added to 12/14 toms me ^ a gig with the Jeannette Glass City big band

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Jack ^^
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Again, my third option was "situation dependent." That said, there's some things I don't think are ever appropriate. I think anyone playing a kick that's larger than 24" as part of a kit has no musical justification.
You really oughta try it first. I say you haven’t lived until you experience a 26” bass drum. I for one, love the fact that I don’t have to work as hard to shake the walls 😉
 
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To much to say here on the 8. I've been through it all folks. Over all these years..decades really my Sonor kit has the 8 10 12 16 but I ditched the 12 and went 8 10 top 16 floor and I'm probably thee biggest Bonzo freak on the forum. It took me awhile to get the right head combo for the 8 to take it to its lowest without being paper. Once I got it the 8 10 16 was my all time favorite set up but I need a 14 to replace the 16. I'm a Bonham freak gone bad. Sound crews absolutely LOVE my set up.
 
When Premier announced they were going to discontinue the Signia line, I was able to order an 8" tom right before production stopped.

It has been used on 0 gigs. Maybe it made a brief appearance on a recording where I set up all my toms and did some ambient drum fills (?).

Either way, it has spent most of its life not used.

I like 8" toms in theory, but in reality, I don't have much use for them.
 
At home - yes (but I haven't bothered for a few years)
On a gig - no - won't cut through and that's one extra piece of gear I have to carry and setup.

They're a little bit harder to hit 'cos it's a smaller target, and because they're generally next to a 10 and 12 you would hang it off a stand, and I don't really like hanging toms off stands. It also means you have to have your ride and crash further apart. There's a few negatives there.
 
one added 8" concert tom can imply those long Hal Blaine 60s 70s concert tom runs
 
It's a bongo, a piccolo type tom sound. I wouldn't want to have it as my main high tom sound, right in front of the snare drum, where Weckl put it. I like where Ndugu Leon Chancler and the Foo Fighters guy put their little drums-- high on the left, so you need a reason to get over there to hit them.

Having 8/10" as the main rack toms like Weckl had them is sort of an extreme 80s thing to me-- like a Steinberger bass with Hartke speakers, or Weckl's mullet at the time.
 
To much to say here on the 8. I've been through it all folks. Over all these years..decades really my Sonor kit has the 8 10 12 16 but I ditched the 12 and went 8 10 top 16 floor and I'm probably thee biggest Bonzo freak on the forum. It took me awhile to get the right head combo for the 8 to take it to its lowest without being paper. Once I got it the 8 10 16 was my all time favorite set up but I need a 14 to replace the 16. I'm a Bonham freak gone bad. Sound crews absolutely LOVE my set up.
@Bozozoid Hey what heads worked for you on the 8? The sympathetic snare buzz on my 7x8" Starclassic walnut birch shell is super hard to tame
 
Again, my third option was "situation dependent." That said, there's some things I don't think are ever appropriate. I think anyone playing a kick that's larger than 24" as part of a kit has no musical justification.
I'd suggest to anyone saying this to play one & you'll see what the hype is about.
I'll agree that it's not a good gigging drum as it takes up a lot of real estate in both a vehicle and the stage.
But the sound you get from one is like nothing else. There's a reason guys like Bonham & Abe Laboriel Jr. use one on the regular.

I personally split the difference between a 22 & a 26 by getting a 24x18. Works well if I need to "reach out & touch someone". ;)
 
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I'm sure that the vast majority of posters here are far and away ahead of me as gigging pro drummers. As a 71yo, recreational player, who resurrected playing drums after 50 Years (1969), my opinions are to be taken with those few grains of salt. I have a 8, 10, 12, rack tom setup , with 14 and 16 floor toms, and for some add'l character , a Popcorn snare attached to my hi hat. I like the variety of playing across them doing fills while playing to My Music as a retirement Hobby / Pleasure. I added the new 8 tom after I purchased my PDP maple kit used in 2021. Having said that, I do find that I have some difficulty tuning the sucker. I have used various batter heads. It also generates Snare Buzz , more so than the other Toms. FTR, I am using EC2 clears on the rack toms , and G2s coated on the floors, a HD Dry batter head on my DW Design series Nickel over Brass 14 x 6.5 snare ( I've posted on another thread about a weird Hack for the snare), and Remo Control dot head on the DW Popcorn snare. I love Drums and having extras gives a nice varietal sound doing fills and such. Is having an 8 inch Tom really necessary? That's subjective for sure. It's fun experimenting.
 
I think it depends on the drum. I bought a Yamaha Tour Custom set a few months ago which has a 10 inch tom, and I found 3 half turns past finger tight on both sides with a coated emperor batter, clear ambassador reso ends up being articulate, surprisingly full, and sounds great with the 12 inch and 16 toms it's combined with. Doesn't sound boingy at all with that tuning and head combination, and I love the response. It picks up everything and has a great tone. With different heads and tuning I may not say the same but as a first time 10 inch tom owner, I'm impressed.
 
Buuuuut it is a PIA to tune and not get Snare Buzz.
Came here to say this. Once you get the rest of your toms tuned well, there’s not much wiggle room for the 8. If you tune your other toms high, you’ve backed yourself into the timbale range.

In my experience, drums have a sweet spot (some with a wider range than others). Between the sympathetic snare buzz and having the 10 where you want it makes the 8 hard to tune. I have the same problem when there is a 13 between a 12 and 14.

That being said… I love monster drum kits and would totally add an 8 to my kit if I was able Lol.
 

man statement
 
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@Bozozoid Hey what heads worked for you on the 8? The sympathetic snare buzz on my 7x8" Starclassic walnut birch shell is super hard to tame
For me a frosted was to muted for the 8..(amb) I went with a clear diplomat top and bottom. The clear kept the little guy open with a better tuning range which wasn't wide in the first place. The 8 became special and shocked a few drummers over the years...even me 😃.
 
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