Concert Toms

[BackStreetDrums]

Danny Seraphine (former drummer for Chicago), used concert toms during many early CTA recordings and live shows back in the 70's. They were furnished by Slingerland and latter he switched to Rogers.

Last Friday evening in NYC, Chicago was inducted into the RRHOF. For his performance with his former mates, once again, concert toms. This time, DW, tho the finish was his original WMP. The following night at The Cutting Room, a small jazz venue, he performed with his new band, once again using the kit from his RRHOF performance.

They sound punchier, deeper.

Anyone use concert toms? Would removing the resno heads give the same results, or are concert toms made differently than regular toms. They sound, to me at least, phenomenal. I am thinking of trying it....but the thought of undoing the way my toms are sounding and trying to put them back seems to daunting.

By the way, on HBO, April 30th, the RRHOF show will be broadcast

[Olimpass]

I bet that was great seeing Danny!
I have concert toms on my Ludwig Vistalites.
You could remove the lower heads and rims on your kit but the lugs would be there of course.
They really don't make them differently, just without lower lugs.
My former Pearl Export kit was all concert toms too.
The Ludwigs actually have a bearing edge on the bottom of the toms but the Pearl kit did not if I remember correctly.
You can click on my name, view public profile, view my picture album named drum and see the kits.

[BackStreetDrums]

Thanks for the reply...

Thinking of experimenting with an unused 14x14 tom...I will remove bottom head, but think I will put only rim back on so it does not look weird, if I decide to go with it.

Yes, Danny was/is amazing...at The Cutting Room in NYC Saturday night, he was on stage with Donnie Daccus and the Lauder de Olivera, percussionist...doing old Chicago tunes

[kay-gee]

Trouble with putting the rim back on is it can create noise like a rattle. You may want to just try it a while with nothing on the bottom.

Although, passe' in today's drum world, there is absolutely nothing lacking with bottomless drums. They may be a little drier sounding to you the drummer, only because all the sound is leaving the drum immediately, not resonating against the bottom head. Your audience still hears the full sound.

Concert toms were very popular in the 70's. I don't believe they're made different. As Olimpass says, some had bottom bearing edges. Probably was easier to just make shells all the same and then fill orders as they came in for the drums.

all th best...

[dangermoney]

I purchased a Ludwig Quadra Plus outfit back in the late 70's. The concert toms that came with this kit did come from the factory with bottom edges because I remember converting them to double headed toms later on in the 80's ...

[PopsOldSkins]

I used to love the sound of concert toms.
I still wanted the bottom rim on for looks, so I just took an old used head and cut out most of it so the rim would still fit nice and snug.

[Pearl MCX Man]

Can't wait to see Chicago on RRHOF. Danny Seraphine influenced me as drummer next to John Bonham.
As for concert toms I had them back in the 70's and loved the sound of the open toms for years. One head to tune which was great and also for transporting you could sit one tom inside another.

[inthpktplayer]

Not concert toms, but back in the day I did remove the reso heads and rims:

[Ricardo]

Love the red pillows with fringe......................

[nubdrummer]

My 5 piece Slingerland kit from 1980 has concert toms - even the floor tom has no bottom rim. At the time I was just buying the best kit I could afford. Later I found matching 8 and 10 inch concert toms to add to it. Little did I know they would come back in style so many years later. So glad I never got rid of it!

[Pearl MCX Man]

Always loved those internal mufflers back in the good old days. Now you don't see them as much. Wonder why.

[longgun]

Not concert toms, but back in the day I did remove the reso heads and rims

I think we all did!

[alvanko]

I can't help but think the sound of those drums was determined more on how the drums were mike'd and EQ'd, more that that they were concert toms.
Everyone removed the bottom and front drum head back in the late 70's & early 80's.