Tama Drums on a Gibraltar Rack - L Rod or Tom Holder?

jvvtheater

Junior Member
Hi everyone, this is my first post here.

Does anyone here uses a Gibraltar rack on their Tama set? If yes, can I just ask what you use on your Toms. Do you use a Tom holder connected to a clamp or do you use an L-Rod connected to a clamp?

Or do you have any suggestions?

I'm getting a gibraltar rack but can't decide whether to get tom holders or just an L-Rod

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
I do not have a rack but. I would think the L rod in a rack clamp would be very limiting.

I personally would opt for single tom mounts

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The use of just a "L" rod is in my opinion the best way to go. That is what I use because it cleans up the kit and lightens the load. It is also not limiting in any way what so ever because you can move the clamp on the rack and you can move the "L" rod in the clamp.
you can also "memory lock" the "L" rod to the rack clamp, and also "memory lock" the drum to the "L" rod.
 

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Well, welcome to Drummerworld. You need to "envision" your plan/goal. Nic25's system works "for him" because, within the confines of his needs, all the geometry comes together. If he was hanging a 14 or 15 inch rack tom above a 26" kick, perhaps he'd be singing a different tune. Or running roto-toms above a 28" kick. Especially with racks/hardware, you wind up once-in-a-while having to get "another part" to make it work. The ball/socket L-arm tilter will certainly be "more adjustable". The question is "do you need all that adjustability"?
 
On a previous set I had 4 up on the rack, and used the Tama l-arm holders. They worked well, and I got a deal on them.

For my new kit, I will have 3 up, and I am ordering the Gibraltar. I like the simple, round appearance of the gibraltar as well. I have checked them out before and they are very strong.

I decided that whether it's 1 drum or many, a single l-rod arm allows for more positioning options and you aren't locked into a double tom holder. They also look nicer because there is less clutter on the rack.
 
Welcome! I used a Gibraltar rack with my Ludwig kit for years, and clamped the L arms directly to the rack. I did so out of necessity, though- it's what I had, and I was a poor college student who couldn't afford anything else. I can report, though, that as long as you like the HEIGHT of your cross bar, the L arms alone provide enough adjustability to make most guys happy- thanks to the round tubing. If you use a "standard" setup, you'll probably be reasonably happy without all the extra hardware.

You won't be able to do EVERYTHING, though. For example, if you like the look of a cross bar running low right over your kick, you won't have room to clamp the L arms to the bar- the toms would hit the kick. You'd need tom holders to get them higher. Same thing if you want a tom mounted significantly lower than the bar. If you want a tom CLOSER to you than the curve of the bar, you'd also need a tom holder, but with only 2 toms up, you can adjust the cross bar itself with no issues.

Again, though, if you use a "regular" setup, the rack will work with just the L arms.
 
Welcome! I used a Gibraltar rack with my Ludwig kit for years, and clamped the L arms directly to the rack. I did so out of necessity, though- it's what I had, and I was a poor college student who couldn't afford anything else. I can report, though, that as long as you like the HEIGHT of your cross bar, the L arms alone provide enough adjustability to make most guys happy- thanks to the round tubing. If you use a "standard" setup, you'll probably be reasonably happy without all the extra hardware.

You won't be able to do EVERYTHING, though. For example, if you like the look of a cross bar running low right over your kick, you won't have room to clamp the L arms to the bar- the toms would hit the kick. You'd need tom holders to get them higher. Same thing if you want a tom mounted significantly lower than the bar. If you want a tom CLOSER to you than the curve of the bar, you'd also need a tom holder, but with only 2 toms up, you can adjust the cross bar itself with no issues.

Again, though, if you use a "regular" setup, the rack will work with just the L arms.

hmy dream [experimental] hardware setup is exactly that, TAMA drums on GIBRALTAR hardware, since i have no money to afford a shard of either these. haha, anyway, just wanna share. sorry if i'm a nuisance. :p
 
Thanks very much vanntolentino, dkerwood, trkdrmr, harryconway, nicotine25 and rmandelbaum. I appreciate all your suggestions, and other suggestions from another drum forum.

I just got my gibraltar rack today. And I've decided to go with Tom holders because it's got more pros than cons and I can't afford trial and error because money is an issue.

I like the idea of L-rod and I think nicotine25's set up looks cool with that L-rod hanging upside down.

But like harryconway said, it depends on what I need and the setup I have.

I will post some pictures here as soon as I get the rest of the hardware.

By the way, this is in no way related to hardware, but I originally posted this question on a Tama Forum, and found it here when I was browsing for related forums.
Does that really how it works...

Anyway, thanks again guys!
 
The use of just a "L" rod is in my opinion the best way to go. That is what I use because it cleans up the kit and lightens the load. It is also not limiting in any way what so ever because you can move the clamp on the rack and you can move the "L" rod in the clamp.
you can also "memory lock" the "L" rod to the rack clamp, and also "memory lock" the drum to the "L" rod.

I've always liked this method, save for one limitation- having a tom holder in the clamp adds an extra height adjustment option. (If you want to raise/lower the toms pictured, you have to do it either with the suspension mount's position on the L-rod or with the height of the vertical rack bar.) I have mine mounted on the Tama double-tom holder that used to mount on my bass drum. I took a plumbing pipe cutter and cut the tube length in half; didn't have to file the edge 'cause the cutter bends the end of the tube inward. Using the double holder = 1 clamp & memory lock; no slippage issues at all. Also, I'm playing Pacifics now so I simply replaced the Tama ball-end rods with the Pacific ones that came with the shell pack. (Still in the Tama holder.)

I've often wondered why I see toms mounted on upside-down L or ball arms...?!? If the wingnut on the suspension mount fails, your tom's on the floor or the bass drum! Turn those L-rods right-side up and lower your horizontal bar! Extra bonus- the hardware doesn't block the view of the drums' finish!
 
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