12" tom tuning?????

Drumpy69

Junior Member


I have a huge kit with 6 toms, 2 kick drums and to many snare drums to mention and I can tune all the drums with ease EXCEPT the 12" tom!!!!! This has been a problem for years with me and I begin to think I am losing the plot....

Are there any other drummer having the same issue and can anyone give some solid advise on the matter?
 
When you say it won't tune, what exactly do you mean? Can't find the tone of the drum you like, it's resonating too much, no resonance at all?

First things I would check is:

Is the drum out of round, are the bearing edges not cut properly or damaged, are your hoops out of round

What kind of drums are they and what heads are you using on the batter and reso?
 
Yeah what I mean is, I can't get that sweet spot where the tone is just right. The shell is perfectly round and the head seats perfectly as well... It is Tama Starclassic Birch Bubinga with Evans G2 Coated. Like I said, the other drums sound sweet, but that 12" oh my word, I just can't get it sounding right when comparing with the other drums in the kit
 
I have 2 kits with 8, 10, 12 and 14 toms, it's the same story, the 12 just won't tune as nicely as my other toms, no idea why. Maybe it's me?
 
Just curious. Have you tried any other head on it like a clear g2 or remo emperor. Sometimes it's the head that's the issue. My Yamaha kit I tried coated heads on and well 2 of my drums just sounded terrible. Went back to clear and they sounded great
 
Drum master Bill Bruford once said, "There are two rules to drum tuning. One is that no matter how many drums you play, one will not sound right. Two is that it is not always the same drum."

That sums it up quite well I think. Peace and goodwill.
 
Well, I have tried all sorts but I must admit the EVANS EC2's sounds better than any head on this kit.... That said, I played around tonight and finally figured something out, the relation between the top and bottom head is more crucial on the 12" than on any of the other drums.... So I managed to get a real sweet but "low" sounding tone out of the 12", so much so that I had to retune the 14" floor tom. I bought a tuning clock today and made sure that the top and bottom head are exactly at the same tension...

Still, its not as punchy as the 10", so I guess its trial and error!!!

Thanks for the advise though, much appreciated!!!!
 
Well, I have tried all sorts but I must admit the EVANS EC2's sounds better than any head on this kit.... That said, I played around tonight and finally figured something out, the relation between the top and bottom head is more crucial on the 12" than on any of the other drums.... So I managed to get a real sweet but "low" sounding tone out of the 12", so much so that I had to retune the 14" floor tom. I bought a tuning clock today and made sure that the top and bottom head are exactly at the same tension...

Still, its not as punchy as the 10", so I guess its trial and error!!!

Thanks for the advise though, much appreciated!!!!

I don't think a 12 will ever be as punchy as a 10 just by the nature of the size and higher pitch the 10 has.
 
Hmmm, I never had a problem tuning a 12"
I have had many 12 inch drums over the years on several kits.
I just tuned my 6 piece tonight. 10 and 12 racks above 14 and 16 floors.
I hadn't tuned it in a few months and I tweaked the whole kit to perfection in about 20 mins.

I used to have a kit that had four rack toms. 12, 13, 14, 15. with a 16" floor.
I always had trouble with the 13 in that mix.
I eventually stopped playing the 13 and 15 inch toms and I went to a 5 piece kit.
I love a 13" tom as a single rack, but I no longer use one next to a 12".
 
Hmmm, I never had a problem tuning a 12"
I have had many 12 inch drums over the years on several kits.
I just tuned my 6 piece tonight. 10 and 12 racks above 14 and 16 floors.
I hadn't tuned it in a few months and I tweaked the whole kit to perfection in about 20 mins.

I used to have a kit that had four rack toms. 12, 13, 14, 15. with a 16" floor.
I always had trouble with the 13 in that mix.
I eventually stopped playing the 13 and 15 inch toms and I went to a 5 piece kit.
I love a 13" tom as a single rack, but I no longer use one next to a 12".

The 13" on my yamaha was a real pain to tune in the mix with a 12 and 14, like you I stopped using it all together and went with the even size increment drums I had, 8,10,12,14,16, put the 13 and 15 to the side
 
I think that perhaps that may be the OP's issue Kona,
He says that he has 6 toms.
That could mean 4 rack toms in one inch increments.
He may have his 13" tom tuned the way that he likes it better than the 12.
That's what used to happen to me.
I could tune each tom to my liking but I couldn't like both of them next to each other.
 
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Thanks guys ;)... its awesome getting all the feedback. I recorded some tracks last night and the 12" on the recorded mix, blended PERFECTLY. With the Tama Tension Watch I could really pin point the tension and get a really good sound, so I guess I needed some hardware to assist me in getting the tone just right.
 
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