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Thread: Tom tuning?

  1. #1

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    Hi, I am getting a big "King Kong" sound from my toms, kind of want a better sound from them without getting too high of pitch, what should I do when tuning?

  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by IrishDrummer View Post
    Hi, I am getting a big "King Kong" sound from my toms, kind of want a better sound from them without getting too high of pitch, what should I do when tuning?
    HI IrishDrummer I will try to help you as much as I can. Slacken off your lugs till they are realy loose and then finger tight. Once this is done I would give 1/4 turn of the key and tap all around the edges of the lugs till they sound all the same and this would be the lowest pitch or tone of your tom. If you are not happy then continue in 1/8 increments till you find that sound that you are looking for. This works for me very nicely and my toms just scream and sound open. I give the reso head an extra 1/3 tighter than the batter. Good luck and hope you find your sound.

  3. #3

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    + 1 only my reso get an additional 1/8 turn to 1/4 nice phat rock tone with perfect resonance.

  4. #4

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    +1

    start again

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    HI IrishDrummer I will try to help you as much as I can. Slacken off your lugs till they are realy loose and then finger tight. Once this is done I would give 1/4 turn of the key and tap all around the edges of the lugs till they sound all the same and this would be the lowest pitch or tone of your tom. If you are not happy then continue in 1/8 increments till you find that sound that you are looking for. This works for me very nicely and my toms just scream and sound open. I give the reso head an extra 1/3 tighter than the batter. Good luck and hope you find your sound.
    + 1

    Good advice
    Gretsch Catalina ash kit
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  6. #6

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    Just basicly cleaning my setup today and trying to get rid of all the stuff all over my drumheads that have been there since I got the kit because I didn't know how to tune and there was no other way to make them sound half decent...so an hour and one piece of moongel later I've actually got a nice sound out of my awful snare. However moving on to the toms I just can't seem to get that punchy sound I want, all I get is massive "echoey ring" if that makes sense. The heads are awful stock heads that need to be changed but I don't have any money right now so tuning is my only option. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by weebrad View Post
    Just basicly cleaning my setup today and trying to get rid of all the stuff all over my drumheads that have been there since I got the kit because I didn't know how to tune and there was no other way to make them sound half decent...so an hour and one piece of moongel later I've actually got a nice sound out of my awful snare. However moving on to the toms I just can't seem to get that punchy sound I want, all I get is massive "echoey ring" if that makes sense. The heads are awful stock heads that need to be changed but I don't have any money right now so tuning is my only option. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.
    The cheapest way for you right now would be to take the reso and switch them with the batter heads. The reason for this is that the reso are probably in better shape than your batters. Now if the heads are the same single ply then that would work, if the batters are 2 ply and the reso single then it might not work as good. Experiment with this and let us know also at the same time you will get more experienced on tuning so have fun and keep on drumming.

  8. #8

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    You said it yourself, you are limited to purchasing a new set of bater heads. Just play and forget about how ba it sounds and focus on saving up. How much can it be or how long will it really take if you devote your focus onsaving up !. Just ruin the heads wen you get them lol

  9. #9

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    Hmmm never thought of that PearlMCXMan....I'll have to try it. Spent most of my day tuning and I'm quite surprised at how good the toms sound now but my floor tom is just a nightmare, it sounds too boomy and then it makes the snares rattle when I hit it. I know that's a normal problem and I've given up on tuning for now. I'll let you know on progress as it comes.

    Animal, you're right, new heads should be just around the corner as they aren't too expensive. So while we're on the subject...Any recomendations??? So many options out there I just don't know where to start. Thanks

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by weebrad View Post
    Hmmm never thought of that PearlMCXMan....I'll have to try it. Spent most of my day tuning and I'm quite surprised at how good the toms sound now but my floor tom is just a nightmare, it sounds too boomy and then it makes the snares rattle when I hit it. I know that's a normal problem and I've given up on tuning for now. I'll let you know on progress as it comes.

    Animal, you're right, new heads should be just around the corner as they aren't too expensive. So while we're on the subject...Any recomendations??? So many options out there I just don't know where to start. Thanks
    yes I have had good luck with Ean's G2 over G1 or Remo Emperors over Ambassadors. These are 2 plies over single plies and they are great combiinations. Try to get them in pre-packed as they would be cheaper than buying individually. Still try what I recommended swap your batter with the reso for now and se what happens. Floor tom should be tuned finger tight with a 1/4 turn and tap around edges to adjust tensions all around this should be your lowest pitch. If snare still buzzes hen experiment with the tuning on all your toms. Good luck.

  11. #11

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    Just looking through the packs of heads. What's the diference between clear and coated?? Price is very similiar but what about sound??? Sorry for all the constant Q's I see alot of people go for coated over clear, or clear over clear, don't think I've ever seen coated on the reso side

  12. #12

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    I'd say getting Pinstripes for your toms and probably coated ambassadors for the reso heads. This will cut the resonance on the drum and give it more of the punch sound you're looking for.

    The only two constants I have are DW and Zildjian.

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by weebrad View Post
    Just looking through the packs of heads. What's the diference between clear and coated?? Price is very similiar but what about sound??? Sorry for all the constant Q's I see alot of people go for coated over clear, or clear over clear, don't think I've ever seen coated on the reso side
    That's all preference to which skins to use coated or clear. I use all clear on my toms and always have. I want a nice warm sound but at the same time I want it open and loud. Coated to me are too warm and low. Another thing is I don't like coated cause they make your kit look dirty and you get stick marks all over the cymbals from the coating but that is me.

  14. #14

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    What's wrong with the King Kong sound?

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greenmonster206 View Post
    What's wrong with the King Kong sound?
    For me I want a tom to have a punchy sound rather than a ring/echoe that lasts 10 minutes...

  16. #16

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    FWIW, your drums are going to sound very different out front. This may not be a concern if you aren't playing with other people, but it is if you are. If you tune out to much of that king kong echo, your drums may sound lacking in presence to bandmates or audiences. That said, you tune your batter heads for feel and the initial attack. Tune your reso for the desired pitch, and switch them out for the desired ring. A thin reso (diplomat, genera reso) will give a shorter sustain than a medium reso (ambassador, G1).
    Mmm... Saturns.

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by weezy View Post
    That said, you tune your batter heads for feel and the initial attack. Tune your reso for the desired pitch, and switch them out for the desired ring. A thin reso (diplomat, genera reso) will give a shorter sustain than a medium reso (ambassador, G1).
    This is something I am interested in, I always get a good sound from my toms but I use a fusion kit (so a 14" as my floor tom) and I always want to get it lower in pitch and booming a bit more, would that come from tuning the reso lower than the batter? I have really always tuned both heads the same or the resos higher, maybe I just need bigger diameter drums for what I am after.
    Mike.

    "If men are from Mars, and Women are from venus then drummers... are from Pluto!" - Hughie (as played by the amazing Billy Connolly) taken from the film 'Still Crazy'.

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  18. #18

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    Mike,
    When you tune a reso lower or higher than the batter you initially hear the attack from the batter, then a pitch bend down or up to where you have the reso tuned. If you want a more booming sound, try tuning it lower than the batter. There's no reason why a 14" floor tom can't sound huge.
    Mmm... Saturns.

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by weezy View Post
    Mike,
    When you tune a reso lower or higher than the batter you initially hear the attack from the batter, then a pitch bend down or up to where you have the reso tuned. If you want a more booming sound, try tuning it lower than the batter. There's no reason why a 14" floor tom can't sound huge.
    Cool man, thanks for that , I will do a bit of re-tuning tonight at rehearsal, like I said I get a good sound out of them, I have a good ear for tuning, but I always wondered how to get a bit more boom out of a smaller tom, plus at the moment on my 12" and 14" I have Hydraulics batter and EC resos so its a bit overkill on the resonance and until I can afford G2s coated over G1s I am stuck with only tuning for options.
    Mike.

    "If men are from Mars, and Women are from venus then drummers... are from Pluto!" - Hughie (as played by the amazing Billy Connolly) taken from the film 'Still Crazy'.

    "The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering" - Brandon Lee

    http://www.jerzeystreetband.com
    http://www.myspace.com/jerzeystband
    http://www.facebook.com/jerzeystreetband

  20. #20

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    Yeah, I can't imagine that they sound very open and boomy with that head combination (probably more of thick thud), but you can always play with the tuning in the mean time.
    Mmm... Saturns.

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by weezy View Post
    Yeah, I can't imagine that they sound very open and boomy with that head combination (probably more of thick thud), but you can always play with the tuning in the mean time.
    So i had a play last night and they do boom more with resos tuned lower but with my head combo its really just a bigger thud, so I decided to scrap something I was saving for and buy some coated G2s, still would like the G1s as resos but at least I can change the batters.

    Sorry for hijacking the thread for my own personal gain by the way.
    Mike.

    "If men are from Mars, and Women are from venus then drummers... are from Pluto!" - Hughie (as played by the amazing Billy Connolly) taken from the film 'Still Crazy'.

    "The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering" - Brandon Lee

    http://www.jerzeystreetband.com
    http://www.myspace.com/jerzeystband
    http://www.facebook.com/jerzeystreetband

  22. #22

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    Yeah, the G2s should open it up some for you. I can't recall if EC reso are slightly heavier or lighter than G1s, but you'll probably notice more of a difference going from the hydraulic to G2 batters than you will with going from EC to G1 resos.
    Mmm... Saturns.

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