Matching Toms?

Living Dead Drummer

Living Dead Drummer

Platinum Member
Anyone here every play with, or currently use matching toms? I believe Moon used 3 13" mounted toms, and I know Buddy Rick and Lars both used matching Floor Toms. Rich I think used two 16" and Lars currently does the same, but used two 18" in the 80's. I used two 16" Floors last year on one gig where the backline kit was kind of Frankensteined together. I kind of liked it, and am considering making I a regular thing.
 
Nope, my toms are 10/12/16. Peace and goodwill.
 
I never have, but it could certainly work. You can Tune 1 to a B and 1 to an E2. I don't know why anybody would buy two 16" when a 14 and a 16 would be cheaper , but if its a yard sale throw together kit why not?
 
Moon early used three 8x14 I'm not sure may have been the largest Outfit tom Premier offered at the time..
- probably not for any melodic reason but having that many just made target practice easier
 
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Idris used two 12s and two 14s in a "dollar bill green" Remo Masteredge set and also on Precision website is his set of their shells 2-12s 2-14s floor- mainly for space reason he said in an interview

different depths on the Precision floors
IM.jpg

AW.jpg

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I regularly use two 16x16" floor toms. Unlike Buddy, I actually hit the second one instead of using it as a towel holder.

Even though they're both Ludwig drums, the shells have significantly different fundamental pitches, and I've never had any problem tuning them to different notes. That said, to increase the ease of getting a different pitch (especially since I tune one of them really low) I do use a thicker head on the second floor tom to help tame any unwanted overtones and keep the sustain similar between both of them.
 
Andy's Guru kit has two 10 in toms if I'm not mistaken-sound great!
 
I wonder if doing so can allow you to have more preferred head tension (and thus rebound) for a given note.
 
I think it can work, provided the matching diameter drums have different depths for tonal variation. Looks like Idris's matching diameter drums have different depths (at lease in the first pic @jda posted), and I think @Andy's 10" toms do, as well, if I'm not mistaken?

Otherwise, what's the point? The same reason some drummers prefer dual bass drums as opposed to a double pedal?
 
Living Dead Drummer said:
Anyone here every play with, or currently use matching toms? I believe Moon used 3 13" mounted toms, and I know Buddy Rick and Lars both used matching Floor Toms. Rich I think used two 16" and Lars currently does the same, but used two 18" in the 80's. I used two 16" Floors last year on one gig where the backline kit was kind of Frankensteined together. I kind of liked it, and am considering making I a regular thing.
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You mean matching both in size and tunning? because yes I have used that but I tried to have a slightly different tunning on each otherwise I felt like I was just wasting the space.
 
As a kid I threw together two kits and ended up with two 12x8 rack toms and two 16x16 floor toms. I didn't like having to tune them way differently to achieve different tones, and wouldn't do it again.

On my current kit I have a 12" rack tom and a 12" timbale, tuned very differently, but they're very different to begin with.
 
early mid 60s Ludwig and Slingerland sets Outfits had 2 mounted 8 x 12s. One was called "Modern Solo" seemingly more for the "new motion" than any melodic concern

1967-68_slingerland_3.jpg
 
jda said:
Space savings
(even reach savings..
Tighter-compact
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Wouldn't it save space, and be easier to reach, having just one drum and not two identical ones?
 
beatdat said:
Wouldn't it save space, and be easier to reach, having just one drum and not two identical ones?
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There was also a new consideration- "It" twin mounted toms and such) started to become a "new" physical thing ....a new Motion
prior was the Krupa/ Rich motion of one up...
A "new Thing"
2 -12s were intially thought to "be enough" before the 12/13 came in;
even in the 1962 Ludwig catalog dbl. bass outfit below:

Vintage Snare Drums online Ludwig, Slingerland, Leedy, Camco, Gretsch, Sonor

Vintage Drum History is all about history for Ludwig Drum HIstory, Slingerland Drum History, Rogers Drum History and the History of Vintage Drums, Vintage Snare Drums amd Vintage Drum Sets.
www.vintagedrumguide.com
 
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jda said:
There was also a new consideration- "It" twin mounted toms and such) started to become a "new" physical thing ....a new Motion
prior was the Krupa/ Rich motion of one up...
A "new Thing"
2 -12s were intially thought to "be enough" before the 12/13 came in;
even in the 1962 Ludwig catalog dbl. bass outfit below:

Vintage Snare Drums online Ludwig, Slingerland, Leedy, Camco, Gretsch, Sonor

Vintage Drum History is all about history for Ludwig Drum HIstory, Slingerland Drum History, Rogers Drum History and the History of Vintage Drums, Vintage Snare Drums amd Vintage Drum Sets.
www.vintagedrumguide.com
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I'll give you the "new" motion thing, but that's putting the cart before the horse, no? Or maybe it's a chicken and the egg thing. Either way, it seems like a lateral move, if not a redundant one. Which company first introduced two different size rack toms?

Living Dead Drummer said:
Pretty interesting discussion we got going on.
IF I end up going with a 2nd 16" the depth would be the same, but I would probably tune one lower than the other to make them slightly different.
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I'd say try 14"x16" and 16"x16" floor toms, but that probably wouldn't suit a drummer with the handle "Living Dead". But, it does beg the question... don't you have an 18" Floor Tom?
 
beatdat said:
Which company first introduced two different size rack toms?
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who cares the motion was the same - "the new motion"

ya ain't pulling in a gadda da vida off with a 4pc
and the 12/12 was 62 -65 12/13 coming in 66-67
nor a White Room w/ Cream and .....there was likely early -65 pop bubblegum 45s that utilized "the new move" twin tom sets

what gene Krupa did was what was called a stripped' down kit (all it had was a cowbell and 4 pc) https://www.drumtek.com.au/the-evolution-of-the-modern-drum-kit/ compared to the prior "traps" that included Chimes and Tympani (ala Sonny Greer) and that 4 pc lasted till Rock
prior yes there was two toms clipped on the bass in the Leedy Zutty Singleton Dixieland days https://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Zutty_Singleton.html an 11" and a who knows what maybe 14
 
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