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Thread: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

  1. #1

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    Default Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    Everyone out there has had a tom or two that hey just cant get to sound right...right? So What did YOU do to deal with it? I like my toms tuned mid-low, but my problem is that i think since im using a coated batter head, i cant get it loose enough and still resonating. I'm thinking of switching to evans hydraulics, any input?

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    I have evans hydraulics on my tama swing star sound just as good as my my custom kit just little harder to tune and keep in tune and seems i have to hit it harder then my custom kit remember to by a good resonant head also

  3. #3

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    I have the hydraulics on my Sonor set and am thinking about switching to the 2-ply coated Evans heads. Its easier to tune and I do like the warm tone that it provides...

  4. #4

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    The secret is tuning it right. There's no shortcut.

    The only two constants I have are DW and Zildjian.

  5. #5

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    Beat them! They're bad and you need to discipline them!

  6. #6

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    with the right head and proper tuning you should be able to get a good sound out of them. the'll never sound like a top of the line set ,but should be fine . while you have the heads off ,tighten all the screws on the inside of the shell , just snug them down,not as tight as you can get them,just nice and snug .. as for heads ,the evans hydraulic heads i think would be a good choice for a batter head,and evans G1's for the reso's.... and you might have to spent a couple hours tuning . but when your done you should have a pretty nice sounding set . good luck and have fun doing it .
    Tamaholic

  7. #7

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    I had a Peavy International set a couple of years ago, used Evans EC2's for the batters, and left the stock reso's on. They sounded pretty good after that.

    I have a 16" floor tom I wasn't happy with, put an EC2 SST on the batter, and the old Aquarian response 2 on the bottom, and it sounds great tuned really low.

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  8. #8

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    Quote Originally Posted by Nechre View Post
    The secret is tuning it right. There's no shortcut.
    +1

    And if I really just can't get a tom to sound good, I take the heads off completely and start over from scratch.
    Matt

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    good heads tuned correctly. Plus good shells help birch wood is amazing haha
    “Going out and playing music - that's what I do. I don't do much else.”- Dave Grohl

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  10. #10

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    I'm using a 12" maple PDP platinum rack tom, and I'm having a nightmare of a time dealing with the overtones. I figured a clear ambassador on the reso head would be ok with the coated vintage emperor on the batter side, but the overtones are really loud, and resonate much louder than the drum's initial tone. Maybe it's because the drum is tuned too high? I've been experimenting with little luck.

    Using muffles on my old sonor force 1001 did a crazy good job of silencing overtones, but they also made the drums sound deadened and they barely resonated.

  11. #11
    dave0549jv Guest

    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    you might have a problem with your drum. the bearing edge might be damaged, the shell could be out of round, or the hoop could be warped. I'd take it all apart and make sure everything is still shaped the way it's supposed to be, before i sunk any money into more heads.

    if you do have a problem with a bad bearing edge, that can be fixed fairly inexpensively, and hoops can be replaced and upgraded.

    if everything looks right, then your head might just be worn out. but in the end, there is no substitute for good old fashioned tuning.
    Last edited by dave0549jv; 10-13-2010 at 01:18 AM. Reason: addtl info!

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nechre View Post
    The secret is tuning it right. There's no shortcut.
    Of course there is- a good insurance policy and a well-timed accident!

    A simple, elegant design is good engineering.

    Axis | Ayotte | Evans | Gibraltar | Ludwig | Pro-Mark | Remo | Roc-N-Soc | SKB | Taye | Vic Firth | Whitney| Yamaha | Zildjian

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by dave0549jv View Post
    I'd take it all apart and make sure everything is still shaped the way it's supposed to be, before i sunk any money into more heads.... if everything looks right, then your head might just be worn out. but in the end, there is no substitute for good old fashioned tuning.
    That's what worries me, since the batter head is only 5 weeks old and has only been used for about 10 shows so far (i don't even use this kit for practice).

    It's strange, because the tone of the batter head by itself seems to be the dominant sound when the drum is played; shouldn't the reso head have more to do with how the drum resonates? When I bought the kit 5 weeks ago, I didn't replace the reso heads because they looked ok. If everything looks ok when I take the drum apart, I might buy a coated ambassador for the reso head and see if that helps control the overtones.

  14. #14

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    clear drum heads work for me, again i will agree, just sit down and tune that sucker!! it takes time and patience. maybe dampening might be your solution? good luck brother
    I play for God's glory

  15. #15

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    my problem is that its only like an 8 or 10 inch tom so i cant get it low enough without killing the sound. overtones i can deal with. but i think since its a coated head, i have to tighten it a bit more so i cant get it to resonate. We have the same identical tom at school with hydraulics on it and its tuned perfect. the only difference is that it has that annoying pearl clamp on mount.

  16. #16

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    I took the rack tom with me to practice last night, to see how it sounded with the band, and it actually sounded pretty good! I think part of the reason is that I couldn't really play it loud enough while tuning it in my apartment, so I didn't really know how it sounded when played at full volume.

    Quote Originally Posted by sinodira View Post
    my problem is that its only like an 8 or 10 inch tom so i cant get it low enough without killing the sound. overtones i can deal with. but i think since its a coated head, i have to tighten it a bit more so i cant get it to resonate. We have the same identical tom at school with hydraulics on it and its tuned perfect. the only difference is that it has that annoying pearl clamp on mount.
    If you have to loosen the batter head so much that it won't resonate, then it sounds like the pitch you want is just too low for such a small tom. Maybe try tightening the batter head and loosening the reso?

  17. #17

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    Quote Originally Posted by gatecrasher48 View Post



    If you have to loosen the batter head so much that it won't resonate, then it sounds like the pitch you want is just too low for such a small tom. Maybe try tightening the batter head and loosening the reso?
    .

    I'll try that before I sink money into a new head that may not work.

  18. #18

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    as always I suggest the Remo powerstroke3 heads on top and try tuning them to a bass guitar that is in tune example kick to top string then floor tom to second string mid tom to third string and so on watch the videos I posted in Mercy and Grace to here drums tuned that way live I hope this helps

  19. #19

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    I got the tom working. (I heart coated g2's and moon gel!!!!!!) now i'm having snare troubles. This thing is like 40 years old. and probably needs a new snare strainer assembly. i cant get the snare tight enough. keeps giving me funky reverb..... any suggestions? everything is maxed.... and it upsets me. Its a 42 strand snare on a 14" maple shell.
    Last edited by sinodira; 10-16-2010 at 04:46 PM.

  20. #20
    dave0549jv Guest

    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    The snares themselves might be worn out. If there are any strands that are bend out of shape, they should be replaced. Also, the snares might be too tight. Over tightening will give you a nasty buzz or ring. Try going looser.

    I've got a 40 year old drum that sounds fantastic. Remember... It's not old... It's vintage!

  21. #21

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    stop wingeing, buy a new snare and send that old thing to me. I'll even pay the postage.

    report back and see if that fixes it.



    Official cowbell hater.

  22. #22

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    There is probably nothing wrong with your snare. Try loosening you low tom ( closest tom to your snare ) batter a little and see what happens. If this doesn't work then tighten up the snare wires a bit. Good luck

  23. #23

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    Default Re: Whats the best way to make bad toms sound good?

    Add some triggers.
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