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Thread: Floor Tom troubles

  1. #1

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    Default Floor Tom troubles

    Hey,
    I am new to DrumChat but from what I have seen it's just what I have been looking for. I have been playing drums for about 26 years. I am a rare breed of woman drummer. I traveled with a Southern Gospel group for several years and really should write a book about being a woman drummer going into small churches in the south but that's a story for another time. I also played at my church. I own an older set of CB700's (which I love) with Zilgean cymbals. At church I played an older set of Pearls, probably mid 70's models with Z cymbals. For the past year I have had the privilidge to help start a new church. In the excitement of starting the new church someone donated the money for the drum set and someone "thought" they got a great deal at the local music store. At the time, I was tied up with my dad in the hospital and wasn't in on the deal until time to show up for practice. I was not happy but tried to make the best because we were short on funds and trying to make do. I think the name is Percussion something, (senior moment). They have extremenly cheap heads, the worst sounding high hat I have ever heard, cheap Paiste cymbals. I added my high hat and cymbals so I could live with them. All that being said, believe it or not the cymbals have grown on me and I never thought I'd like Paiste, I'm sort of a Z purist. I have worked with the toms till they are much better now than they were. Sometimes I am happy with the snare, sometimes not.
    New heads are coming now that we are on sounder fanancial ground if money wasn't an issue there are things I could have done. But I still can not get the floor tom to stop sounding like crap! I do mean crap. I've never head such an awful ring in all my years of playing. I even took the head off mine, (black dot) and tried it. It helped alittle but still I'm about to go crazy. I've tried a little cotton and duck tape every thing I know!!! Now, I'm not the most expert tuner in the world. I know what I want and what I like and I know when I get it there. It sounds right and it feels right. I have considered buying a tuner, but they are alot of money for something I might not like using anyway. Any tips or magical fixes? It's driving me crazy. I look so forward to hearing from you guys.
    Drummer Granny

  2. #2

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    well first of all welcome.
    mine had this same problem and what i had to do with it was tune the bottom head to a dead head and then tune the top head to about 80 psi. that took care of it for a while but then when the top head started to ware it sounded dead so i have it set at 60 psi on the bottom and 75- 80 on the top. that takes care of the ring and makes it sound deep but clear. if you dont want to buy the tune then get a tension key witch is around twenty bucks. you set it and then tune the drum and it will click when you reach you tension. its a much cheaper tuner basicaly and its not free from error but it should help.
    play till the day i die. it makes more sense that way.

    "You should set up your drums around the toilet. You know you must use it everyday and lets be realistic, nothing better is going on when your sitting on there. Why not take care of business and play the drums." silver dragon sound

  3. #3

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    Hey there Drummer Granny! Welcome to DrumChat. I am a new grandad, myself!

    I maybe a relative newcomer to the drumming world, and considering your experience, I may be way out of line for even posting here. I have made a study of tuning, though, and I at least have a pretty good handle on it, so may I start by asking what size floor tom you have, and what size are the ride toms? I'm just thanking about the intervals between the toms. The other question I would have is whether you pulled the heads off the floor tom to examine the bearing edges of the shell. Since it is a lessor quality set, I would make sure the bearing edges are even. Without that, they never tune right. At least these thoughts give me a place to start.
    Last edited by pastor_bob; 09-04-2007 at 06:55 PM.
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  4. #4

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    If they're that stuborn try doubling up a hydrolic head and ducktape on the bottom of the batter head (maybe) even though that might take the life out of the drum, as you and Pb mentioned, its a lesser quality kit so, to begin with they wouldn't have the most unique sound on the planet.

    Also, try muffling with a couple of old handtowels.

    I assume you've tried some sort of Emad device, if so, one thing that I've found to work on these sort of uber-resonating drums is to try putting the emad (or other variant) on the bottom of the batter head (with a small amount of tape).

    Well, thats all I have.
    DRUM NAKED!

    I Tried To Think Of Something Insightful, But This Is All That Came To Mind...


    -PerpetualFrog

  5. #5

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    You guys have given me a thought or 2 to think about, I'm going to try a couple and get back to you guys. It may be a bit due to a new grandson with colic but thanks for idea. As far as "drum naked" idea, never done that but have drumed 9 monthes pregnant, twice. That gets alot of strange looks as you waddle up and sit down.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drummer Granny View Post
    As far as "drum naked" idea, never done that but have drumed 9 monthes pregnant, twice. That gets alot of strange looks as you waddle up and sit down.
    Yeah, but tell the guys that they can look at you funny when they can pull off the 9 months pregnant gig themselves!
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  7. #7

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    Cool Floor tom troubles

    Hi, Drummer Granny!

    I think the brand name you're trying to recall is Percussion Plus (I have a five-piece Percussion Plus set I bought back in 1998 (but didn't finish paying off until 2002!), and I've experienced a little ringing myself on my floor tom...

    Might want to try pb's suggestion on checking the bearing edges and drummerdavie's suggestion about a tension key...although keep in mind the tuning should be even on all lugs no matter which kind of key you use. Have you tried tapping the head around the tom about two inches in from the lug? The sound should be the same at each lug--if it isn't that could contribute to the ringing, too...

    Welcome aboard!
    keep the beat goin' ... Don't keep it to yourself!

    Charlie

    "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." --Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854

    "There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value." --In memory of Frank "fiacovaz" Iacovazzi

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  8. #8

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    Somthing I learned along time ago that has helped me with tuning is: get all your heads at a comfortable tension. Even if it seems too lose. Make sure that it is even around the rim. (see

    Then sit them on a carpeted floor. Tap the Batter(top) head. You will get the tone isolated from the drum sound. See how it sounds. Do you like it? If not then experiment. Adjust the tension tight to loose, there are mulitiple possibilities.

    When you find a good tone for your Batter Head then flip the drum over and do the same with the bottom(resonant)Head. You will get each head's tone isolated so that you can discover which combination of tones(by multiple flips and tension adjustments) Batter heads should produce a quality clear ring that sounds out.

  9. #9

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    Hello welcome to the site!

    No offense but at times with lower end kits it's possible that the company just crafted a bad drum altogether or they made bad bearing edges at the factory. My my first kit was a Percussion Plus kit and I ALWAYS had problems tuning them(no matter the tuning or the kind of heads I used). In the end they were only $300 drums so there's no surprise there.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drummer Granny View Post
    Hey,
    I am new to DrumChat but from what I have seen it's just what I have been looking for. I have been playing drums for about 26 years. I am a rare breed of woman drummer. I traveled with a Southern Gospel group for several years and really should write a book about being a woman drummer going into small churches in the south but that's a story for another time. I also played at my church. I own an older set of CB700's (which I love) with Zilgean cymbals. At church I played an older set of Pearls, probably mid 70's models with Z cymbals. For the past year I have had the privilidge to help start a new church. In the excitement of starting the new church someone donated the money for the drum set and someone "thought" they got a great deal at the local music store. At the time, I was tied up with my dad in the hospital and wasn't in on the deal until time to show up for practice. I was not happy but tried to make the best because we were short on funds and trying to make do. I think the name is Percussion something, (senior moment). They have extremenly cheap heads, the worst sounding high hat I have ever heard, cheap Paiste cymbals. I added my high hat and cymbals so I could live with them. All that being said, believe it or not the cymbals have grown on me and I never thought I'd like Paiste, I'm sort of a Z purist. I have worked with the toms till they are much better now than they were. Sometimes I am happy with the snare, sometimes not.
    New heads are coming now that we are on sounder fanancial ground if money wasn't an issue there are things I could have done. But I still can not get the floor tom to stop sounding like crap! I do mean crap. I've never head such an awful ring in all my years of playing. I even took the head off mine, (black dot) and tried it. It helped alittle but still I'm about to go crazy. I've tried a little cotton and duck tape every thing I know!!! Now, I'm not the most expert tuner in the world. I know what I want and what I like and I know when I get it there. It sounds right and it feels right. I have considered buying a tuner, but they are alot of money for something I might not like using anyway. Any tips or magical fixes? It's driving me crazy. I look so forward to hearing from you guys.
    Drummer Granny
    I salute you drummer granny! Welcome!

  11. #11

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    Hey Drummer Granny!
    Welcome, I'm new myself and find I learn something with each post.

    Something my drum teacher from long ago suggested was that instead of towels, etc. to muffle or dampan the sound and to keep the overtones to a minimum, was to wad up newspaper (like you are throwing it in a trashcan for 2 points) and put in the tom. Personally I haven't tried this, but it may be worth trying.

    Currnently I'm toying with tuning my floor tom to a decent sound I like and have put on evans clear heads for the resonant head, with a small strip of blue painter's tape off center, and have a clear EC2 on the batter head, with two moon gels by the rims on the batter, on almost opposite sides. It still doesn't sound perfect, but at least I'm not getting upset every time I play. But it still needs a lot of work! And my shells are vintage Japanese 1970's imports. Good luck!

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