Thoughts on the 13" tom

Well for me the 15 x 13 rack tom in the first floor tom position is probably one of my favorite drums. The 14" has always seemed too small there. The natural progression for me higher up the kit then is the 13" x 10". I have always found the 13" one of the hardest toms to tune. Even on my 1980's Rogers it was a pain. It takes a bit more time, but I eventually get it. Now on my Roland kit it is a breeze to tune. :)
 
I haven't had a 13 in the last 5-6 years but I liked it better than the 14 in I presently have. As I recollect, Tony Williams played two 13 in mounted toms just different depths- 9 and 10 or 11. He obviously had no problem tuning or making them babies sing! Right now I'm pairing down from 10,12,14, 16 to just two toms. Getting back to basic.
 
I've often heard that 13" toms are difficult to tune. I just have to say that the 13X9 tom on my Ludwig Classic Maple kit is a breeze to tune. It's difficult to make this drum sound bad!

I guess people that had trouble with 13's just had individual drums with issues - maybe bad bearing edges, drums or hoops out of round, etc.

Anyway, my 13" is a counterexample to the idea that they are hard to tune!

Why should an odd-sized drum be more difficult to tune? That just sounds like a young husband's tale. Sizes are arbitrary and tuning depends on non-arbitrary things like head, shell, lug and hoop properties. I would like to see drums in all sizes and one-inch increments.
 
I like my 13" tom allot. I use it as a floor tom and it far outshines the 16" it replaced.
 
Why should an odd-sized drum be more difficult to tune? That just sounds like a young husband's tale. Sizes are arbitrary and tuning depends on non-arbitrary things like head, shell, lug and hoop properties. I would like to see drums in all sizes and one-inch increments.

I'm not saying that I believed the young husband's tales, only that I have heard them over the years. Heck, I bought the 13, after all.

Interesting how all this "knowledge" gets passed down. I'm just always curious how these ideas get started, because I'm sure the initial idea had to have some cause. It just likely wasn't that a 13" tom is, by nature, hard to tune. That is how someone interpreted the initial data, though.
 
I'm not saying that I believed the young husband's tales, only that I have heard them over the years. Heck, I bought the 13, after all.

Interesting how all this "knowledge" gets passed down. I'm just always curious how these ideas get started, because I'm sure the initial idea had to have some cause. It just likely wasn't that a 13" tom is, by nature, hard to tune. That is how someone interpreted the initial data, though.

Yeah, I never thought you actually believed that - but I guess there are some people who do. Maybe because 13 is an unlucky number?
 
13"s have got the bad rap because they sit next to 12"s, not because they are hard to tune in and of themselves. People don't start tuning in the middle and work their way out. They go left-to-right or right-to-left. The 13" gets stuck with whatever's left between a sweet-sounding 12" and a sweet-sounding 16".
 
13"s have got the bad rap because they sit next to 12"s, not because they are hard to tune in and of themselves. People don't start tuning in the middle and work their way out. They go left-to-right or right-to-left. The 13" gets stuck with whatever's left between a sweet-sounding 12" and a sweet-sounding 16".


I think that is the most reasonable explanation for the origin of the rumor.
 
I find smaller drums more annoying to tune because no matter how I tune them, they sound like crap compared to my floor toms. My sing like angels but my rack toms compared to them don't sound as good.
 
I'm between a 12x8 and 13x9 (Ludwig CM), the rest of the drums: 24x18, 16x14, 18x16. I want a powerful punchy rock sound, also I'm a hard hitter.

What do you think?
 
I'm between a 12x8 and 13x9 (Ludwig CM), the rest of the drums: 24x18, 16x14, 18x16. I want a powerful punchy rock sound, also I'm a hard hitter.

What do you think?

13X9! Perfect size, IMO, with the other sizes you mentioned.
 
I find the 12x8 tom easier to tune than the 13x9, even when used alone.

In a four piece set most people would choose one of the two classic configurations 12T 14FT 20BD or 13T 16FT 22BD, but I personally enjoy using the 12x8 and 14x14 with a 22x14 bass drum. I love the jazzy sound toms mixed with the rock bass drum.

I own Ludwig Classic Maples.
 
Why should an odd-sized drum be more difficult to tune? That just sounds like a young husband's tale. Sizes are arbitrary and tuning depends on non-arbitrary things like head, shell, lug and hoop properties. I would like to see drums in all sizes and one-inch increments.


People run into problems trying to get 'anything but' second's, or third's when tuning a 13 with a 12 and 14 etc. You can't expect to get a 4th, the timbre will be off.

I prefer 12-13 toms to 10-12, and even 4ths with 10-12-14 it can get dicey with the timbre depending on the drums (quality).

Its not the 13's fault, it only plays well between others in short tuning intervals.


Yes, an 11" tom would be cool (again), as would a 9 and 17... might as well do a 7 too, and a 19 kick.
 
I only like to play a 13 inch tom when I play a kit with a single rack tom.
I never use the 13 inch size when I have more than one high tom.
I use a 10 and 12 when I play a two-up kit.
The 13 inch tom in a one-up set is great.
The cheese has to stand alone I guess :)

The reason is thus, The 13 inch tom when it is next to a 12 inch tom makes me crazy!!!
 
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13" rack toms....meh. For the same reasons as everyone else.
Now, 13" floor toms...OMG.
If you ever see a 13" x 13" or 13" x 10/11/12 floor Tom, check it out.
The best sizes I have ever used , a backline kit :
Yamaha MCAN with 20" kick, 10/12/13ft/15ft, both with legs, not hanging drums.

Neal
 
I feel exactly the same about the 13" tom today as when I posted on this same thread in March of 2011. This is why I included the 13" x 9" tom on my most recent set of drums, it works great in a variety of different configurations. It's all in the tuning.

Dennis
 
I think people like and buy what they are told to. Up until early 90's the standard set was 12-13-16 or 18. People wanted bigger drums back then.

I like the 13" drum and have often wondered why the classic sizes have disappeared. I figure it's all about value marketing. The adverts push the smaller sizes to use less material. Then they sell you the drum set for the same price with smaller drums.
 
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