ludwig owners--rail consolette vs. center post? vibraband vs. old tom mount?

jp-90

Junior Member
Hey Ludwig guys, I have a ludwig maple classic with a virgin kick, but I'm going to drill it to have a mounted tom on the kick and I want to get some advice on what hardware to go with. This is somewhat of a aesthetic vs. functionality debate.

FIRST, the mount on the kick:

Does anyone here have the new rail consolette? How do you like it? Will it hold up in the long haul? I love how it looks, but I'm concerned that over time it would strip and drop the tom like the old ones. I'm also concerned that setup at gigs would be slower than the traditional center post.

If I get the center post, I want to match the maple classics as best I can. In looking at pics on the internet, it seems that the classics with one tome came with the "rocker" single tom holder--is this right? I see that Ludwig makes a classic double tom holder, but I don't see a classic single.

so...center post or rail consolette in terms of funtionality (because I definitely prefer the rail mount for looks)

SECOND, the tom mount:

Most people seem to recommend the vibraband over the old-style mount drilled onto the tom. I prefer the simple look of the old style, but what do y'all think about functionality? Is the vibraband annoying when changing heads? If I went the old-school direction, what do I buy? Is there a special tom mount, or is it the same as a floor tom leg mount?

THANKS
 
I use RIMS when mounting/suspending toms. With a Yamaha tom mount attached to it. Toms get thrown on a snare stand, or suspended off a stand, with Yamaha hardware, or suspended off a rack (also Yamaha). Virgin drums remain virgin. Drilled kicks .... I ignore any factory flange .... except the Yamaha Recording Customs. I've used that flange to hold the 12" rack tom.​
 
My new Ludwig Classic Maples have the center post mount. I got it because I like being able to place two toms on the bass drum when I want to. My DW Classic drums have the "banana rail" mount attached to the base drum and my vintage Pearl drums have a double tom mount attached to the bass drum. The tom mounts on my Ludwig kit have the "Vibraband" mounts on the 10, 12 and 13" drums.

It all depends on what you like, there is no right or wrong way, just preference.

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Dennis
 
Dennis, thanks for the reply. So, do you like the vibrabands? Are they at all cumbersome when changing heads?

While I realize it's not the same rail mount as ludwigs, what are your opinions of the DW mount? built to last?

I hear ya on personal preference. My preference aesthetically would be the old-style rail (like on your DW) and the old style tom mount (like your pearl). Functionally, however, I can't say--there's nowhere in my town to try out these different mounts. No matter how good something looks, it's got to be functional and sturdy.

Please, keep the opinions coming.
 
I just changed heads with the Ludwig vibrabands and it is a little harder than a hard mount. To me it's worth it to use them because they keep my two rack toms from knocking into each other. Not that it's a huge issue, but with all of the distractions of gig set-ups, things often don't get tightened properly

I've never believed that vibrabands (or RIMS or any other trade name) sound better than hard mounts. You can choke a shell to muffle sound, but try doing it with your bare hands and a drumstick. It isn't easy to choke a shell and a hard mount isn't going to choke it enough to make a difference. Ultimately, I would say to go with what you are comfortable with. You've got great drums!
 
I find no problems at all doing head changes with the vibra-bands. The hoops come off with the tension rods and the vibra-bands just sit and balance on the lugs. The only difference is that I can't get my fingers on the threads of the tension rods where the vibra-bands sit on the lugs, so I just end up using two drum keys to get the tension rods to their starting position being just in contact with the hoops surface. I've played both, the vibra-bands and the toms with the mount directly connected to the shells. I prefer the sound of this Ludwig kit with the vibra-bands. On my DW Classic kit, I heard much less audible difference between the two types of tom mounts, but still went with DW's "suspension tom mounts" because of their isolation properties.

To be perfectly honest, most people will not be able to hear much of a difference, especially if the two different mounts were not sitting side by side and the same heads and tuning were not identical on the same exact size of drums.

For stability purposes, I would have to pick the center post mounting system over the banana rail mount. I found that the bass drum rail mount on a Ludwig Legacy set of drums had much more "give" and flexibility than that of the center post configuration. Both systems had 13" x 9" toms.

Dennis
 
I have a 2012 Club Date with the Rail mount.
It is no problem at all. I installed a memory lock on it and I installed a smaller wing nut to allow the mount to fold flat in transport.
I didn't like the vibra band so I mounted the tom the old fashioned way.
Here is a thread where we talk about the Ludwig rail mount.
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86031&highlight=club+date

I have also used the Gibraltar rail mount and is is better than the ludwig mount.
Here is the thread where we talk about the Gibraltar rail.
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86343
 
A friend of mine bought new Luddies with the consolette. They've been troublesome with lots of sudden slipping. He's now gone to using a dedicated Tom stand. Just another experience...
 
Thanks for the info, guys.

Bobda--i read on one of your posts that you removed the vibraband from your tom--why didn't you like it?
 
Thanks for the info, guys.

Bobda--i read on one of your posts that you removed the vibraband from your tom--why didn't you like it?
I don't like suspension mounts on 6 lug toms because the tom bounces and rocks to much for my taste. I started playing in the early seventies and I just can't get used to suspension mounts. I do have a fusion kit where I use suspension mounts on the stand mounted floor toms. They are eight lug toms and six tension rods go through the suspension band so the drums are very stable compared to a six lug tom that only has four tension rods going through the band.
The Gibraltar rail mount is without a doubt better than the Ludwig rail mount.

I believe that a rail mount works best with one mounted tom. If I was using two mounted toms I would go with a single post mount with two L-rods such as the Tama, Yamaha, Sonor, and Mapex style.
 
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