Guru tom tree. It's done.

Larry

"Uncle Larry"
Well I done did it. I outfitted my Guru bass drum with a tom tree. I drilled zero holes in the shell. I didn't even widen any existing holes. I modded a Saturn 3 bass drum sliding tom mount. My welder did a really nice job IMO, but I told him to remove 2 & 3/8ths" of the rail... not from the middle. I miscalculated where the slide rail would sit. I was trying to cover the weld with the slide rail. That's the worst thing that happened. The weld part is closest to the throne, pretty much obscured by all the chrome of the tom tree. It's something no one will really see unless they get up close and look. It's purely cosmetic. On a scale of 1 to 10 it bothers me precisely zero point 1.

Other than that, I really could not be happier. Everything works beautifully. I did have to use a spacer on all 4 top tension rods going into the Saturn lugs so I could tighten the rods down all the way. I could get shorter rods but I probably won't because then I can use them if I decide to take it back to original. I'm pretty sure I'll never do that but you never know. This bass drum will be the real world guinea pig for Andy.

I have complete confidence in the strength of these shells, that's why I'm taking this "chance". I guarantee you these shells are plenty up to this task.

I can't even explain how jazzed I am about the thought of playing these for all my future gigs. I'd about died and gone to heaven at that thought.

So, if you feel like commenting, cheers or jeers, bring it on. It won't change anything, but I am interested
 

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lovely, reminds me of the old sonor designer but much much less bulky.

I can see why you did it too, the only time I play 2 toms up is when I have a mount to the kick (ie Yamaha stage custom) but when I don't have a mount, I only play 1 up (Sonor Prolite)

Do you have the same difficulties in getting the 2nd tom in the right position without being attached to the kick?
 
Good work Larry! And you can go back to the original whenever you want. Love it!
 
If it allows you to gig with the kit I think it's great. I'm not a fan of virgin kicks for gigging either (I know it's still technically a virgin kick but you know what I mean). That Mapex system is really slick but isn't that a lot of weight on those two skinny metal rods?
 
Nice. But surely the extra weight of the mount and the toms will absolutely ruin the sound of the BD.
 
Very nice work........I like that you can go back to original so easily if you wanted.

Nice work.
 
Looks good Larry! I'm glad this will make gigging these drums more doable for you. The combination of their sound and your playing is something the world needs to be hearing!
 
Looks great Larry. Mapex got it so right with the Saturn III (I own one) I'm just amazed more companies didn't do this. It is great for guys who want non drilled drums yet want a tom tree. Great job.
 
Nice work Sir. I love it when these drum mods work for the betterment of the drummer.
 
lovely, reminds me of the old sonor designer but much much less bulky.

I can see why you did it too, the only time I play 2 toms up is when I have a mount to the kick (ie Yamaha stage custom) but when I don't have a mount, I only play 1 up (Sonor Prolite)

Do you have the same difficulties in getting the 2nd tom in the right position without being attached to the kick?

Not really. I had more trouble with wingnuts not being able to turn because they were too close to things. I always got the tom positions I needed easy enough. Flying toms off stands...it's the cymbals on each stand that complicate things for me. I don't like complicated. A tom tree is an essential piece of equipment for me as a gigging drummer.

Good work Larry! And you can go back to the original whenever you want. Love it!

Thanks Matt. Yea, that was the original idea, non desecration. It makes me feel good.

If it allows you to gig with the kit I think it's great. I'm not a fan of virgin kicks for gigging either (I know it's still technically a virgin kick but you know what I mean). That Mapex system is really slick but isn't that a lot of weight on those two skinny metal rods?

The Mapex system is sweet. Great design. The total extra weight on the bass drum is exactly 26 lbs. That's 13 lbs a rail. It would take hundreds, perhaps a thousand pounds of force to bend that rail. It's 3/8ths steel. No worries here.

Nice. But surely the extra weight of the mount and the toms will absolutely ruin the sound of the BD.

This is the biggest impact. Yes the bass drum doesn't resonate as freely. I haven't yet messed with tuning the drum yet, I got it together late last night. It didn't ruin the sound. It altered it. Still, my ply shell bass drums with toms on top are plenty satisfying for me. I'm lacking nothing. A solid shell drum will still sound better than a ply drum, so if I'm happy with a tom tree on a ply shell, logic tells me I should be at least equally as happy with a tom tree on a solid shell. It's not a dealbreaker at all. I'll have to mess with the tuning today and I'll provide more detailed info after I mess with it. I'll get it sounding satisfying, count on it.

Very nice work........I like that you can go back to original so easily if you wanted.

Nice work.

Thanks River. Yes I had to preserve the integrity. My welder did a great job. I can't even see the weld itself.

Looks good Larry! I'm glad this will make gigging these drums more doable for you. The combination of their sound and your playing is something the world needs to be hearing!

I couldn't agree more lol. It's just a regular travesty to keep these drums sequestered away. I've always said if you have great drums use them out....provided there's a tom tree.

Looks great Larry. Mapex got it so right with the Saturn III (I own one) I'm just amazed more companies didn't do this. It is great for guys who want non drilled drums yet want a tom tree. Great job.

Thanks Mr. Man of Steel :) The Saturn bass drum mounts were exactly what I was hoping to find. It's even better than Ludwigs stuff because it goes over 4 lugs. I was very fortunate that the Guru Tour lug holes were the same distance apart as the Mapex lugs. I so got lucky there, dodged a bullet. I was totally unaware of this tom tree system until Tommy_D brought it to my attention. Thank you Tommy.

Nice work Sir. I love it when these drum mods work for the betterment of the drummer.

Oh man I feel like it's Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, the 4th of July, my birthday and Fathers Day all wrapped up in one. Everybody out of my way!

Looking good Larry :)

(Said through clenched teeth?)

I accept full responsibility. I realize you didn't design the drums for a tom tree and the weight of 2 drums and a cymbal on it. I publicly release you from all responsibility. I'm so not worried, you'll see.

I can't believe I'm finally able to gig these drums with ease. No more PITA setups. I've always modded my drums to suit my needs. This is a need. My drums serve me, I don't serve them. It's a complete and utter waste having these drums in my studio where no one but me really appreciates them. They should be seen and especially heard. My ash steambent is my home kit, my wife kit. Yolanda is my girlfriend kit lol.

Having walnut Guru drums at home, but not gigging them....is like being filthy rich and choosing to live like a homeless person.
 
Last edited:
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikel View Post
Nice. But surely the extra weight of the mount and the toms will absolutely ruin the sound of the BD


That was very much a joke, Larry. Apologies.
 
Beauty, LA! Is that a 24" kick?
 
I am glad that worked out for you Larry, looks good, I always liked that Mapex bass drum mount. I just got home from hand surgery but I wanted to give a thumbs up on your tom tree.
 
Looks really good Larry (professional)-you are one bold son of gun to drill holes in that beautiful virgin shell. You dirty dog-drilling a virgin. Does it affect the tone of the kick to any significant degree?
 
The only thing I don't like about the last pic is the Starfire head. Mostly because there is a reflection of another Guru kit, and that makes me a little jealous.

Starfire head looks awesome btw.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikel View Post
Nice. But surely the extra weight of the mount and the toms will absolutely ruin the sound of the BD


That was very much a joke, Larry. Apologies.

Ha ha I totally missed that. I thought you were just being yourself. It is true though. So the bass drum fundamental is unchanged. I played it at normal volume just a little while ago. It's the afterglow that is shortened and with not as good quality. But that's me listening to a bass drum in a quiet room. When the band kicks in, it shouldn't matter.

There is afterglow still, I just notice that it's not all it was before. The afterglow on my steambent ash bass drum is the really amazing one. Even in my crappy little studio.

The walnut afterglow is like an octave lower compared to the ash so it's not as prominent right from the get go. I did retain, as far as I can tell, all the fundamental after the mod....that's what the audience hears. My studio is not the best room to evaluate a drum in. My recordings and what I hear while playing in the rooms I play in are how I actually judge my drums. My little low ceiling-ed studio do not do these fine instruments justice, for real. They sound totally different in the rooms I play in.

If I had to play acoustic jazz in an intimate setting unmiced, I'd switch it back to factory specs :) After I learned how to play jazz of course :p

Beauty, LA! Is that a 24" kick?

Nope. 22 x 16. The 24's, as much as I dig the tone, it puts my toms up too high. 22 is all the bass drum I need anyway.

Great work, Larry. Hope it works out for you.

Paul, it's already working out. All is right now. It was wrong before. I was with the wrong woman.

I am glad that worked out for you Larry, looks good, I always liked that Mapex bass drum mount. I just got home from hand surgery but I wanted to give a thumbs up on your tom tree.

A metaphorical thumbs up to you too my injured friend.

Looks really good Larry (professional)-you are one bold son of gun to drill holes in that beautiful virgin shell. You dirty dog-drilling a virgin. Does it affect the tone of the kick to any significant degree?

Yea Art, I went crazy with that drill. I was throwing the drum up in the air and having it land on the spinning drill bit, and drilling the holes like that. I figured that was the most precise way to do it. I'm really happy with the results too.

The only thing I don't like about the last pic is the Starfire head. Mostly because there is a reflection of another Guru kit, and that makes me a little jealous.

Starfire head looks awesome btw.

Lol, pretty funny man. The Starfire is my look. I have them on all my favorite bass drums. I actually prefer the tone to any other resonant head because it's so crisp. It's my Goldilocks head. Plus it mesmerizes people, I catch them tripping out to it lol. It adds a visual component to my bass drum playing that just adds to the fun. Bo unwittingly introduced me to that head. He had a black oyster pearl Tama kit with the chrome Starfire and it plum knocked me out.

I feel so incredibly content now. Ahhhhhhh. Pure satisfaction.
 
Something tells me Andy has developed a twitch since seeing this.

Instigating,
8Mile
 
That looks great, Larry! Glad it all worked out in the end and that you didn't have to drill any new holes. Also, you can slide the toms forward and backwards to have ultimate flexibility in the setup. Your welded did a great job, BTW. You may want to put some paint over the bars, or at least some sort of clear coat over the welded area. Just the moisture in the air is going to make that area look like a rusty pile of poo in couple weeks.

I have to say, I really like the look of the new bling on top of the bass drum. I am a bit of a sucker for chrome, though. I know people like to dog Mapex, but they build really solid gear and this tom tree is no doubt a beast.

Did you end up putting in any internal support inside the bass drum, or did you leave it open?
 
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