STM Mounts

[asmorbidus]

anyone know where one would be able to buy PDP style STM tom mounting brackets online? right now iv got stock pearl style tom mounts on my less than perfect kit, but i want the flexibility of the former. any help is greatly appreciated.



- Mike

[asmorbidus]

so, nobody?

[Russ]

in order to work with STM(suspended tom mounts), i think you would need the lug shape that they are designed to accept, in order to install them on the drum of your choice. also, it would have to be a special order from pacific drums themselves, so it might take months to get them. pearl's optimounts, or gibraltar's RIMS(sometimes called D.S.S.) might be decent alternatives if you want a non penetrating solution for a tom holder. pm me for details on other mounting systems

[RHD03]

I would also suggest RIMS suspension mounts...never heard 1 bad thing about them.

[Bafke]

The STM system looks great, but it isn't really that efficient.

They hold the lug shapes, so you can't just take them off real easy, but that is obvious.
Something else is the problem I face:
The suspension mount's curve is a little bit less curved then my tom's shell (13"), that means there is tension on the tension rods, applied by the mount. If you are tuning, you have more friction if you don't pull the mount back. If you mount it, you have to pull it back or you won't be able to get the tension rod in the lug. This occurs on the 2 outer lugs held by the mount.

I hope you understand what I'm trying to say, it is not really easy explaining in English.

Other than that, I'm really happy with them.

[Russ]

theres really no perfect suspension, they all have good and bad points, but stm's dont require you to remove the mount to change heads. d.s.s. does, but it gives your drums more sustain and still maintains shell isolation, but it also limits how close you can put your toms next to each other; pearl's optimount is a good option, but you need pearl's arms for it to work, and some people think it's unattractive over their drums but it still allows resonance but you must again remove the mount from the rims when you change heads; i.s.s. can be mounted easier on the shell, but some critics argue it's unsafe for a drum to be suspended at such a small point, especially when that drum is heavier- it is however convenient to use and doesnt use a lot of space. personally i like pdp and mapex's shell suspensions because they are lug mounted so never need to be removed unless for cleaning, which cuts down my tuning time, and are evenly spread out so as not to cause stress on the lugs, thus assuring they never come off. d.s.s.(rims) suspension does have one of the best available tom to floor tom conversion systems, which is basically a metal hoop with floor tom legs set onto it which accepts the tension rods from the bottom of the tom, and that makes it so you dont have to drill your shells for brackets, if you're trying to cut back on air openings in general on fresh shells. drummaker carries them, as well as other d.s.s. sizes and colors for the other drums, i think the smallest they have is for 8"

[asmorbidus]

first, i wish to thank you all for the responses, and insight. second, i regret to inform you it was for nought. i seem to have misled you with talk of STM mounts, when in reality i was just looking for mounting brackets the go straight on the drum and accept an L-rod. which i have for a somewhat reasonable price. but i do have one more question... if i am required to drill for the new brackets, is it recommended to drill in from the outside, or out from the inside.


- Mike

[RHD03]

Do you HAVE to drill at all? Maybe just use a snare stand if it's one of the high toms? But I would recommend from the outside.

[asmorbidus]

if i was to continue using a 4 piece set up that probably wouldnt be a problem. but i started with a 5 piece and hope to one day be able to afford a 6 piece, and i just feel like im missing the sound from that one drum. theres only so much you can do with only two toms.


- Mike

[Russ]

i wouldnt drill into a shell, generally you want to avoid shell contact as much as possible