Drum size thoughts

sillypilot

Junior Member
Hi all - Thinking about a new kit with the following sizes. I'm a fan of larger toms for rock. I realize it is all personal taste, but I'm looking for feedback on something that I may not have thought about in coming up with this. So here we go....
24x16 bass
12x9, 13x10 rack
15x12, 16x13 floor.

Thank you!!
 
I may want to lengthen or shorten a few drums, but otherwise great rock sizes! Im a huge fan of a 14x24 bass.
 
They sound like great sizes. Love the 12/13 up top and the 15/16 down under for rock. 18" toms are kind of a lot. I think the 15 and 16 will give you all you all the thunder you need and be punchier than a 16/18. Personally, for a 24" bass drum, I'll echo what J-Boogie said. IMO, the 24 doesn't need any extra depth. The diameter does it and the 14" depth is the perfect compliment/balance
24 x 14's sound Bad. Ass. Punch you hard in the gut. It's my favorite sounding bass drum size, so I'm biased.
Tom placement is harder with a 24, so it's a tradeoff, unless you're real tall, or you're already used to it.
 
I don't usually like 1" intervals. 8/10/12/14/16 or 10/12/16 or 13/16/18.

If you like the 12/13 set up though I would go with 12/13/15/18. The additional inch as the drums get bigger allow you to run a higher tension on those and tame the rumble/sustain better with tuning vs muffling
 
Yeah, a 24" bass drum with a 13" tom is pretty much crying out for an 18" floor tom.

I do like the idea of 15" floor tom instead of a 16".
 
I'd change those ever so slightly... 8x12, 9x13, 14x15, and 16x18. I think 10"-deep toms are just generally too big, and even moreso on top of a 24" kick, and 13-inch-deep 16" floor toms have always sounded lame to me. Just not the same beef that I'm used to out of my 16x16s. Although, I'd also change those rack toms to 8x10 and 9x12 if it were my kit.

I've got 18-inch and 14-inch-deep 24" kicks, and they're both great. The shallower drum has more tone, but the deeper one has more punch. I think I'd be happy with a 16x24 too.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, unless you're particularly tall, I'd rethink that 13x10 over a 24" kick. That one's gonna be really hard to position well. I'd drop those tom sizes down to 12x8 and 13x9 in a heartbeat. The floor tom diameters sound fine, but with a 24" kick, you really want the extra bottom end of square size FTs. So 15x15 and 16x16 would be my recos.

The 24x16 is a great size. I love 16" deep bass drums, as to me they occupy the sweet spot between the punchiness of a 14 and the boominess of an 18. Best of both worlds.
 
i dont see a problem with any of those sizes, if you want those sizes, go for them! i rock 13x9 & 14x10 rack toms on one kit, and 12x11 & 13x12 on another kit :)

its if those drum sizes will give you a sound you want and feel you want in all honesty :)
 
Hi all - Thinking about a new kit with the following sizes. I'm a fan of larger toms for rock. I realize it is all personal taste, but I'm looking for feedback on something that I may not have thought about in coming up with this. So here we go....
24x16 bass
12x9, 13x10 rack
15x12, 16x13 floor.

Thank you!!
The sizes need some adjustment IMO. The 12/13/15/16 interval is kinda wonky. Sizes are bunched together with no clear space in between. You want to broaden the range of your drum kit...not smoosh it all to the center of the range.

The depths you've chosen for the rack toms are too deep, especially over a 24" bass drum. Positioning would be too high for most people. Go for a 12x8 and 13x9 if you're set on a 12" and 13".

10" and 12" rack toms are far more popular than 12/13 because advancements in shell technology have allowed deeper sounds from smaller diameter drums. The 12" and 13" interval hasn't been popular for 30 years.

A 15" floor tom is a fantastic size in my opinion, BUT it shouldn't be paired with a 16". That interval isn't enough to set them apart. For a 15" to be best utilized, you need a 15" paired with an 18" floor tom.

Also the depths of your proposed 15x12" and 16x13" are not deep enough to have enough oomph IMO. The problem with shallow floor toms is they tend to lack the rumble of deeper floor toms. You want that rumble! 15x15, 16x16 is the way to go. Or if you choose an 18" floor tom, you want an 18x16" for optimal performance.

The sweet spot for a 24" bass drum is 24x14". Anything bigger and you get too much boom and not enough definition or punch.

For a more optimal tonal range, easier positioning of the rack toms, and a higher resale value, here are my suggestions...

24x14, 10x8, 12x9, 14x14, 16x16

24x14, 10x7, 12x8, 14x14, 16x16 (shorter tom sizes make it easier to position the toms over the 24" bass)

24x14, 10x8, 12x9, 15x15, 18x16

If you're old school and insist on the outdated 12" and 13" rack toms...
24x14, 12x8, 13x9, 15x15, 18x16
 
Last edited:
This all hits pretty close to home for me. My typical set up is 12" and 13" toms with two 16" floor toms, and a 24x16 bass drum.

I have some extra deep 12x11" and 13x12" power toms, and they're a little high for me riding over the 24" bass. I also have traditional 12x8" and 13x9" toms and I can put those exactly where I want them with no issues. Unless you're really sure deeper toms won't be too much for you I'd stick to traditional depths.

I have two 16" floor toms because they were easier (and cheaper) to find than an 18" floor tom, but I don't have any problem tuning two 16" far enough apart to get the typical pitch spread between them. BUT if I could I'd totally go for a 15" and a 16" because that would put the second floor tom just a little closer.

I have two different 24x16 bass drums, and while both sound a little different they both sound great. I love that size.
 
Thank you all for the replies. As I expected opinions are very diverse and interesting. I'm still going to go with the sizes I selected. I've never had an issue with 1" separation between my toms (and I've been playing for 30 years). I've also done the 10 & 12 thing and it worked fine, but I prefer larger toms. Like someone mentioned, with the new shell construction things can get even lower...and that includes the 12 and 13!! So I can get a thunderous sound from them. I used to have a 24 with a 14x11 mounted on top and it wasn't too bad, maybe I setup my toms funny, but it worked for me. As for floor toms, I have a 16x14 that sounds pretty big. I also have a 16x16 that sounds awesome...

Again, thank you all for the thoughts.
 
This all hits pretty close to home for me. My typical set up is 12" and 13" toms with two 16" floor toms, and a 24x16 bass drum.

I have some extra deep 12x11" and 13x12" power toms, and they're a little high for me riding over the 24" bass. I also have traditional 12x8" and 13x9" toms and I can put those exactly where I want them with no issues. Unless you're really sure deeper toms won't be too much for you I'd stick to traditional depths.

I have two 16" floor toms because they were easier (and cheaper) to find than an 18" floor tom, but I don't have any problem tuning two 16" far enough apart to get the typical pitch spread between them. BUT if I could I'd totally go for a 15" and a 16" because that would put the second floor tom just a little closer.

I have two different 24x16 bass drums, and while both sound a little different they both sound great. I love that size.
I like your setup!! Those are some nice toms.
 
Thank you all for the replies. As I expected opinions are very diverse and interesting. I'm still going to go with the sizes I selected. I've never had an issue with 1" separation between my toms (and I've been playing for 30 years). I've also done the 10 & 12 thing and it worked fine, but I prefer larger toms. Like someone mentioned, with the new shell construction things can get even lower...and that includes the 12 and 13!! So I can get a thunderous sound from them. I used to have a 24 with a 14x11 mounted on top and it wasn't too bad, maybe I setup my toms funny, but it worked for me. As for floor toms, I have a 16x14 that sounds pretty big. I also have a 16x16 that sounds awesome...

Again, thank you all for the thoughts.
nothing wrong with having 1" between drums, ive got 13x9, 14x10, 16x15 and 18x16 drums on one kit and ive never had an issue either with regards to tonal intervals :)
the shorter your toms are, the less decay you have and the quicker the attack time, so if you want shortstack floor toms and deeper-than-average toms, you get them :) nobody can say its wrong or right :)
 
The sizes need some adjustment IMO. The 12/13/15/16 interval is kinda wonky. Sizes are bunched together with no clear space in between. You want to broaden the range of your drum kit...not smoosh it all to the center of the range.

I agree.
With the toms that close together I would do the above ^ or just forego one of the mounted toms since they're occupying much of the same pitch range. Placing the single tom just left of center would also solve any height issues with the 24" bass.
 
Hi all - Thinking about a new kit with the following sizes. I'm a fan of larger toms for rock. I realize it is all personal taste, but I'm looking for feedback on something that I may not have thought about in coming up with this. So here we go....
24x16 bass
12x9, 13x10 rack
15x12, 16x13 floor.

Thank you!!
I have 12x9 and 13x10 rack toms and they fit me pretty well. It’s just one inch deeper than traditional sizes. At one point I had 15x12 and 16x13 and I hated those. They did not sound deep enough for me. I think if you went with 15x14 and 16x16, you’ll be happier and it won’t be so much of a special order (I know Pearl stocks a 15x14 tom, but not sure who else does). If you’re willing to wait, I suppose you could get whatever you want. I do know Pearl will take 6-8 months to get you a non-stocked size.

But really, I’d go 12/13/16/18, in stock sizes. An 18” floor tom to me isn’t too much.
 
15/18 both in 14” depths in a Maple/Mahogany is all you need!

7BFB3630-867B-49C7-A4C8-70B9979934BF.jpeg

The perfect sizes and wood lay-up, as the wood makes that you can do with shorter depths and yet surpassing drums from other woods with deeper depths.

13/15/18 makes a great 3” interval. Although I went with 10/12(is being made at the moment)/15/18/22.

A 21” gong could finish the 3” interval off for those thunderous experiences, although my 18” has already so much lows, a gong would have hard time being useful.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top