Tom configuration......

[PhilCarter]

I assume a few of you are using a 10 and then a 12 tom above yr kick. Do any of you play with them the other way round? Ive given it a go and although it feels slightly unorthadox, some interesting fills can be found, including the feel of my playing.

As Virgil, Dom and Aronoff seem to use a similar configuration can anyone shed any light as to the main reasons for this, or is it just a personal preference kinda thing?

Peace (one day)

[palmerlouie]

yes i have m toms switched the other way around. for me, being a traditional grip player, i find that most of the brackets put on the bass drums are too far back meaning that if u use a 10" tom in front of u then its too far away. putting the 12" there instead closes the gap. also i like my ride cymbal as close as poss without loosing a tom. having the 10" underneath the ride brings the ride closer. virgil says that its like having the 12" and 14" (or16") as ur main toms and the 10" for decorative purposes. and the melodies can be intersting too.

[five eight]

I always thought the reversed rack toms looked weird when Gary Husband and Mick Fleetwood did it despite the sonic benefits one may derive from the set-up. Most pro drum kits nowadays eschew bass drum mounts in favor of mounting toms on a stand with a cymbal and you can get those in REAL close regardless of tom width. My rack toms are only 8” and 10” but DW has that sliding bass drum mount to position any sizes in as tight as you could possibly want.

[XNavyDrummer]

Bill Bruford on the "One of a kind" album, stradled his 12" tom with a couple of roto-toms. The 12" was tuned higher than the roto to the left. So when he did a run around the kit, you'd hear this pitch rise at the start of the fill. It was very cool sounding.