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Thread: How to Fix Mounted Toms from Dropping

  1. #1

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    Default How to Fix Mounted Toms from Dropping

    Hi so I have this really annoying problem with my tom holder. My drumkit is a Tama Swingstar and I have an omnisphere double tom holder on my kick drum. The problem is that the arm for my smaller 10" tom keeps dropping lower and lower no matter how much I tighten it but my other 12" tom seems to stay fine in place. Is there a right way to tighten it or a correct way to set it in place? (FYI I've fixed this problem before but I just don't know how I did it and now after moving it around and stuff the problem has returned) Can anyone please help?
    Last edited by BigMac; 05-08-2014 at 04:44 PM.

  2. #2

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    Default Re: How to Fix Mounted Toms from Dropping

    How old is the kit?
    Check that you didnt strip the thumbscrew, or you may have cracked the ball by overtightening it.
    Last edited by Northern Redneck; 05-08-2014 at 05:31 PM.

  3. #3

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    Not exactly sure how old the kit is because it's second hand but I can take some pics of it.

  4. #4

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    Duct tape.
    Stolen from EddieV:
    Boom, ching, boom boom ching, fuggadugga fuggadugga fuggadugga crash. Rinse, Repeat ad-nauseum.

    Quote Originally Posted by drummer View Post
    Come on Mark. You steal copy. Just look at your signature.
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    Nothing says 'tough' like a drummer with ducklings on his drums. Ha!

  5. #5

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    My old Swingstar has a lever that you flip to tighten and clamp down on the ball. Is yours the same design?

    If the ball is worn or broke, you can buy a replacement from Gibraltar for like $10.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  6. #6

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  7. #7

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    Here's the condition of the omnisphere ball/arm:



  8. #8

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    Thats pretty worn. You can buy replacements pretty cheap.

  9. #9

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    If you were near me, I have an extra mount.

  10. #10

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    Problem is I've already tried looking for one that I could buy around here in Australia but I couldn't find one except websites like ebay and it costs a lot. The closest that they sell here is a tom stand mount which costs $100+.

  11. #11

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    They are $8 on ebay. Look up Gibraltar L-rod Ball replacement.

  12. #12

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    $11 from USA plus $18 shipping? are you kidding?

    whats your local (large) shop mate?

    they should have an account with promusic Australia they are the Gibraltar distro

  13. #13

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    Here's something to try. Place a an extra washer or two underneath the wing nut that holds the Omni-ball in it's place. I've done that on a friend's tom holder, it could work for you too. If not then try ordering a Gibraltar L-rod like Itchie and NR say.
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drumbledore View Post
    Here's something to try. Place a an extra washer or two underneath the wing nut that holds the Omni-ball in it's place. I've done that on a friend's tom holder, it could work for you too. If not then try ordering a Gibraltar L-rod like Itchie and NR say.
    Hey thanks for the suggestion, what exactly is a 'washer'? I've only just started learning drums and still learning new stuff here and there.
    Thanks

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by itchie View Post
    $11 from USA plus $18 shipping? are you kidding?

    whats your local (large) shop mate?

    they should have an account with promusic Australia they are the Gibraltar distro
    Allans Billly Hyde Music is a large local music shop here in Sydney.

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by BigMac View Post
    Hey thanks for the suggestion, what exactly is a 'washer'? I've only just started learning drums and still learning new stuff here and there.
    Thanks
    Its a circular flat piece of metal with a hole in the centre - to spread the force over a larger area and avoid scratching up the finish when you tighten locking nuts/nuts and bolts etc, it also helps to stop the nut and bolt arrangement from working loose. Look under the tightening adjuster on your tom holder, any cymbal stand - or the bolts to tighten any drum head. The circular flat piece of metal underneath it is a washer. Check the size you need, or remove the one from your omnisphere mount, and go to any hardware store or D.I.Y outlet - they will sell small packs of them. They are the same thing as anything a drum store may sell but will be a lot cheaper.

  17. #17

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    [QUOTE=BigMac;592420]

    From what I see in this pic, it looks like he tried a washer already. You probably have to replace the L-rod as previously suggested.
    "it is what it is"

    "Dont rent anything you cant afford to burn in the backyard while drunk." - ThePloughman

  18. #18

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    Yep time for a new L-rod and ball.

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by crispycritters View Post
    Its a circular flat piece of metal with a hole in the centre - to spread the force over a larger area and avoid scratching up the finish when you tighten locking nuts/nuts and bolts etc, it also helps to stop the nut and bolt arrangement from working loose. Look under the tightening adjuster on your tom holder, any cymbal stand - or the bolts to tighten any drum head. The circular flat piece of metal underneath it is a washer. Check the size you need, or remove the one from your omnisphere mount, and go to any hardware store or D.I.Y outlet - they will sell small packs of them. They are the same thing as anything a drum store may sell but will be a lot cheaper.
    YES! So I figured out what a washer is and yeah like the others said I know there's already a washer under the nut but I went to my dad's toolbox and found and an extra round piece of rubber washer and added it and it worked! The thing is in place for good. 2 washers = tight grip on the ball! Thanks so much!

  20. #20

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    Easy Fix! Gotta love it!

    all the best...

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by BigMac View Post
    Allans Billly Hyde Music is a large local music shop here in Sydney.
    Really? You're in Sydney? What suburb? I'm in Toongabbie, be about 10 mins drive from Allans Billy Hyde in Parramatta. Is that the store you're talking about or elsewhere?
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  22. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drumbledore View Post
    Really? You're in Sydney? What suburb? I'm in Toongabbie, be about 10 mins drive from Allans Billy Hyde in Parramatta. Is that the store you're talking about or elsewhere?
    Yeah that's the one, near Westfield Paramatta haha, small world lol.

  23. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drumbledore View Post
    Really? You're in Sydney? What suburb? I'm in Toongabbie, be about 10 mins drive from Allans Billy Hyde in Parramatta. Is that the store you're talking about or elsewhere?
    Quote Originally Posted by BigMac View Post
    Yeah that's the one, near Westfield Paramatta haha, small world lol.
    I know a Dentist that lives in Sydney. His name is P. Sherman....lives at #42 Wallaby Way.....
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  24. #24

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    OK, so I realize that this thread is really old, but considering I was just having the same problem and arrived after a quick search online, I'm going to post my solution here in the hope that it could help someone else in the future.

    I too have been having a problem with the Omnimount slipping on a real big-axx rack tom (14x15), but unlike the original poster, the ball in it is actually in very good shape. I suspect it's probably hardened a bit over the years, but no major gouges or cracks. The tom is just too heavy and bulky (despite the fact that Tama used to make an even bigger 15x16 rack tom in this line as well (Rockstar DX)).

    Anyway, the suggestion above about the additional washer got me thinking. Adding a washer externally won't make a difference in terms of being able to tighten the arm any further on the ball (that's limited by the mount housing and the thread length), but adding something extra inside the ball housing might. So I looked around in my junk bins and found a rather thin piece of pliable material (one of those thin promotional magnetic calendars that banks and stores give out to stick on one's refrigerator).

    I cut a roughly one inch diameter circle out, opened the Omnimount housing, slipped it onto the lower half of the "clam shell," tightened it back up with th eball in place over it, and... SUCCESS! The tom doesn't budge, and I'm not even tightening it completely down.

    What I used works, but I would say anything similar would work equally well as long as it is a) relatively thin, b) flexible to contour to the curvature of the ball and shell, c) is rugged enough to withstand pressure without tearing, and d) is not slippery and offers some resistance.

    A thin piece/disc of rubber or a thin, pliable washer could work as well.

    Good luck!

  25. #25

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    Nice fix... i had the Omnisphere holder on my 85 Swingstars. If I can remember correctly here... it use to be a bit of a struggle to get the toms in the right position and dealing with the one drooping tom from time to time but overall it seemed like a pretty good design.

    Those were the days when I was using the holder on the kick. Then i went to a double tom holder and eventually ended up with the 1up 2down with nothing mounted on kick that i still use today.

    I think about adding the other tom a lot but don't want to mess up my clearances if that makes sense
    RDM/Damage Poets
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    AQUARIAN

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