Shell mounting my pearl midtown tom

roncadillac

roncadillac

Platinum Member
I drive a pearl midtown kit and I absolutely love it. I posted in another thread about how I ordered a pearl chb830 bass drum mounted cymbal arm to add to my bass drum, I only use hats and a ride so I carry a boom stand for no reason and this mount will less my load. I'm already going to be pulling out the drill for my bass drum which got me thinking...

I hate suspension/isolation mounts! I always have. I prefer my mounts bolted right to the shell and I don't plan on ever selling this kit (wouldn't be worth much by the time I would of I ever did) so I'm thinking about ditching the stupid optiloc and bolting the mounting bracket from it right onto the shell. I know, I'll have to drill a 7/8" hole in addition to the three smaller bolt holes.

Is this dumb?
 
Its not a top of the range kit, so there’s not much to lose. If it makes your life easier then go for it. My old kits with bolt on mounts don’t sound any worse than my modern ones.

One thing though, if you can get a tom arm that’s around the right length, then you won’t have to drill the big hole - just mount the three screws and you’ll have a half inch of adjustment available.
 
Morrisman said:
Its not a top of the range kit, so there’s not much to lose. If it makes your life easier then go for it. My old kits with bolt on mounts don’t sound any worse than my modern ones.

One thing though, if you can get a tom arm that’s around the right length, then you won’t have to drill the big hole - just mount the three screws and you’ll have a half inch of adjustment available.
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Funny you say that, I took some measurements (and a serious visual inspection) and I agree that I don't think I'd have to drill the 7/8" hole for the tom mount. If the tom arm went any further 'in' it would actually pull my tom further away from me then is comfortable. Not sure if that made sense, I'll try to take pics. But if so, drilling just the three small holes feels like much less of a commitment then punching the larger hole. I know it's only 7/8" and I plan on positioning it where the optiloc currently sits so if I ever convert it back it would mask it but still... 7/8" hole would look huge in a 10x7 tom haha.
 
Does anyone know if I would need any sort of backing plate (does pearl use one on drums without Opti mounts, like the roadshow?) Or will the washers suffice?
 
roncadillac said:
Does anyone know if I would need any sort of backing plate (does pearl use one on drums without Opti mounts, like the roadshow?) Or will the washers suffice?
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You will run into 2 issues. The first is no backing plate and tiny washers. You will need bigger washers. The second is the tom mount does not have the same curve as the shell. It is significantly flatter than the drum. It doesnt look at all like it will sit flush. You might actually have to source the correct mount.

EDIT: I feel like a Tama style mount would be worlds simpler in this scenario. Blasphemy!
 
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Well, I already ran into one unforseen issue (fortunately I haven't drilled yet, this is why I keep putting this off). Where I would have to drill for one of the three bolt holes would go directly through the seam on the inner ply of the shell. Best case scenario it would be nearly impossible to avoid splintering, worst case scenario it would cause ply separation over time.
 
That worst case seems extremely unlikely, with all the glue used in shell making. Plus again you’re not talking about an heirloom drum here. Drill, use good sized washers, it’ll be fine.
 
roncadillac said:
I hate suspension/isolation mounts! I always have.
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I'm with you there, which is why my only "rack tom" is in a snare stand. What I like about Pearl's optiloc system is that it involves no shell drilling. It can be removed with ease, resulting in a virgin tom instantaneously.

Personally speaking, I'd be reluctant to drill my drums for any reason. But if you don't intend to sell the kit, customizing as desired shouldn't be a problem, so long as damage isn't imposed in the process. There's usually some degree of risk, however minor it may be, with any structural modification.
 
bongoman said:
That worst case seems extremely unlikely, with all the glue used in shell making. Plus again you’re not talking about an heirloom drum here. Drill, use good sized washers, it’ll be fine.
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I was thinking this as well. I mean Pearl's 'acousiglue' process ensures full permeation of wood with glue... It's, for conversation sake, one solid piece at that point. I can get larger washers from home depot for a couple bucks.

With that said...

C.M. Jones said:
I'm with you there, which is why my only "rack tom" is in a snare stand. What I like about Pearl's optiloc system is that it involves no shell drilling. It can be removed with ease, resulting in a virgin tom instantaneously.

Personally speaking, I'd be reluctant to drill my drums for any reason. But if you don't intend to sell the kit, customizing as desired shouldn't be a problem, so long as damage isn't imposed in the process. There's usually some degree of risk, however minor it may be, with any structural modification.
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I think I am going to put off drilling this shell for now. The main reason I hate suspension mounts, wobble and over-resonance, is not as much of an issue with the optiloc design. I do agree that it was ingenious for them to use a triangle based stability principal with the primary weight balancing on the central point of the shell via a second grommeted vent hole.

As for drilling the bass drum to add the cymbal holder... It's brand matching, I'm handy with these mods to make it clean, lifetime warranty doesn't extend past the original owner, and it's a 4 piece micro kit so who wouldn't want to carry one less stand haha. Not that I plan on ever selling it, but still.
 
If I was going to add a tom mount, I would use a Tama-type. Yes, it would require a different tom arm, but that way you would only have to drill two small holes. Peace and goodwill.
 
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