To me it is but it's not for everyone as most seem to prefer the even sized floor toms. I was in your shoes once looking for something in between the 14x14 and 16x16 that I was using and just decided to give it a try. Over the years, I've been tempted to get a 14x12 every now and then but when I play the 15 the temptation wears off. Hope it works out for you ...
I have a C&C Player Date I kit which has an amazing 14" floor tom. I have it tuned very low and it is one of the nicest sounding floor toms I have ever heard. I think the fact that it is made out of luan (sonically similar to mahogany) contributes to it be able to have such a clear strong note even at very low tunings. While my preference is low tunings, I did crank up the tension just to see what it was like, and I think, for jazz, it would also be an excellent choice.
So, to answer your question, I think a 14" floor tom can be very versatile. It will depend on the wood the shell is made of, the quality of the wood and the tuning range of the drum. The tuning range can really vary from different brands / models of drums. There greater the range - the greater the number of musical scenarios you will be able to use the drum in.
I've never had a 15" to try.
I have a 12X15 and 14X16 concert toms along with a 14X14ft and 16X16ft and that sounds real good together on my right side with 12,13,14 toms.
Conrad
I never thought I'd be able to use just a 14" floor tom. Thought it'd always be too small. Then I played the 14" floor tom that is on my church's kit (a cheaper pearl forum I think) and daggum if it isn't the biggest sounding floor tom I've played in a while. Love it more than my Ludwig's 16". I guess heads and tuning really does make a difference! I definitely could be happy with just a 14" now.
Kits:
-C&C Player Date 13/16/22
-65' Ludwig Super Classic 13/16/22
Snares:
-DW Nickel Over Brass 6.5x14 snare
-Ludwig Black Galaxy Acrolite 5x14 snare
-Ludwig 65' Super Classic 5x14 snare
-Ludwig 64' Pioneer 5x14 snare
-PDP Classic Wood hoop 6x14 snare
Rides:
-Zildjian 22" Constantinople
-Zildjian 22" Kerope
-Zildjian 20" Constantinople
Hats:
-17" A Medium crash over K custom dark crash
-DW 9000 pedals
^haha just laughed at daggum cause I could hear someone with a thick southern accent saying that haha
My Pearl set has 12, 13, 14, up toms, and 14 and 16 floor toms with 22X20 BD's.
My Ludwigs are 13, 14, up toms, 16 and 18 floor toms with a 14 and 15 mounted over the FT's. The BD's are 24x14.
I have a 2nd BD and a 12, 13,and 16FT sitting around for when the mood strikes.
14 for me is still a rack tom, just can't really get the same deal out of it I can with 16's and 18's as far as floor tom characteristics go. Drums that I generally don't use for playing are 15's and 13's, they sound weird and out of place so i'll stick with either all of, or some of 8/10/12/14 rack toms, 16/16/18" floor toms(one of the floor toms for the other side). Sometimes i'll play a smaller variation based on this lineup, but I generally stick to those sizes cause they're the easiest to work with.
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
Forum Rules
DrumBum
No metronome?
The Rudiments
Collectors Black Ice Finishply
10x8,12x9,15x12,16x14,20x18,24x16
14X6 Collectors 10 and 6 snare Natural Satin
14x8 Collectors Black Nickel over Brass
Well, I'm thinking toms 12,15,18. And I could use the 15 by itself if I needed to. How does that sound to you guys?
As for the rest of the kit, I plan on not building a snare drum (just using my vintage supraphonic) and having 20" and 24" basses.
Tama Swingstar 3 piece 1993 (refinished wine red)
Ludwig Breakbeats (Azure Sparkle)
1964 Ludwig Supra
Old no-name Luan 12x8 tom/snare (refinished wine red)
Mapex MPX 14"x5.5" snare (refinished in gloss black)
Pearl Vision 14"x14" ft/snare (refinished wine red)
Aquarian heads
14" Sabian HHX Stage Hats
15" Meinl Extra Dry Thin Hats
18" Meinl Vintage Trash Crash
18" Wuhan China
18" Thin Zildjian Crash
18" Thin Zildjian Crash with rivets
19" Meinl Extra Dry Thin Crash
22" Istanbul Mehmet Legend Dark Ride
23" Matt Bettis Dry Ride
I have an 18 on my Yamaha and it is so deep it might as well be a kick drum lol But with that said I also had to use a better mic when out live with it to pick up the deep tones better because it was so deep. so if you play out live you might want to invest in a nice mic as most tom mics places use are not that great for deep tones I've found in my travels.
Tama Swingstar 3 piece 1993 (refinished wine red)
Ludwig Breakbeats (Azure Sparkle)
1964 Ludwig Supra
Old no-name Luan 12x8 tom/snare (refinished wine red)
Mapex MPX 14"x5.5" snare (refinished in gloss black)
Pearl Vision 14"x14" ft/snare (refinished wine red)
Aquarian heads
14" Sabian HHX Stage Hats
15" Meinl Extra Dry Thin Hats
18" Meinl Vintage Trash Crash
18" Wuhan China
18" Thin Zildjian Crash
18" Thin Zildjian Crash with rivets
19" Meinl Extra Dry Thin Crash
22" Istanbul Mehmet Legend Dark Ride
23" Matt Bettis Dry Ride
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