Pearl ISS Tom mounts

Masheanhed

Masheanhed

Senior Member
A friend gave me a couple of Pearl Export toms that had the ISS tom mounts (has two chrome "claws" that hold the top of the hoop). The biggest tom was a 13". The mounts will fit a 14" X 12" tom I have but my question is has anyone had trouble with these bending the hoops. They just look like the design would put a lot of stress on the hoop in one spot.

Thanks
 
I never did because I never owned any, but have played quite a few Vision kits. The hoops on those drums are only 1.6mm in thickness. Being thin, the ISS mounts can and will skew the hoops because of the weight of the drum and the pressure exerted on the drum from being hit, especially 12 and 13" drums. This can also alter their tuning a bit when hit. This in my opinion is the weak link in their Vision series. I'm not sure on the thickness of the Export hoops, but I for one wouldn't buy drums with ISS tom mounts. If it was a deal that I could not refuse, I would replace the ISS with Pearls Optimounts.

Since they were given to you, you got a deal that you couldn't refuse, lol.

Dennis
 
audiotech said:
I never did because I never owned any, but have played quite a few Vision kits. The hoops on those drums are only 1.6mm in thickness. Being thin, the ISS mounts can and will skew the hoops because of the weight of the drum and the pressure exerted on the drum from being hit, especially 12 and 13" drums. This can also alter their tuning a bit when hit. This in my opinion is the weak link in their Vision series. I'm not sure on the thickness of the Export hoops, but I for one wouldn't buy drums with ISS tom mounts. If it was a deal that I could not refuse, I would replace the ISS with Pearls Optimounts.

Since they were given to you, you got a deal that you couldn't refuse, lol.

Dennis
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Yes, Dennis nails it. My son has a vision kit with these mounts. They are possibly the worst piece of mount design ever, especially when you know just how important the hoop resonance is in shaping the overall sound. I'd rather drill a big hole in the tom & shove a tube through it, & that's saying something. Although ISS are absolutely the worst example, I don't favour any mount that holds the tom from one side only. If you're going for a suspension mount, go for something that supports the drum evenly.
 
Thanks guys. I was going to use one of these on another kit I have that has old style mounts but I am going to bypass that idea now.
 
Interesting. I have ISS mounts on my Pearl Masters and have not had any problems in 15 years of use. They still sound great.
 
I have them on my Export kit, but it is less than a year old, and the only mounted tom is a ten inch tom. Time will tell.
 
Bonzo_CR said:
Interesting. I have ISS mounts on my Pearl Masters and have not had any problems in 15 years of use. They still sound great.
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If your Masters has 2.3mm hoops, then it will be less of a problem. The ISS Mounts have a long history of bending 1.6mm hoops, especially on the slightly larger tom sizes.
 
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