Advice on drum additions

RambleOn

Junior Member
I have recently picked up drumming and I love it. I purchased an old school Pearl Masters Drumset that includes 5 drums:

Snare: 14x6.5
Rack Toms: 13x9 and 14x10
Floor Tom: 18x16
BD: 24'

I am looking to expand my drumset into a 6 piece or 7 piece set in the most cost efficient way possible. I understand many people dislike the 13,14 rack tom setup, so I was wondering what would be good sizes for 2 additional toms. I was thinking a 12x9 rack tom and 16x16 floor tom, but I don't know how well a 12,13,14 setup will sound. Thanks in advance. Ramble On.
 
That's huge!

My initial recommendation would be to find a 10/12 pair and bring the 14 down to the floor position with a dog-bone.

That said, if you're new to drumming, you might want to experiment with what you have for a while longer, and see if you develop preferences before making subsequent purchases. Often times, Cymbals and Snare are the better investment.
 
If you're stuck on buying new toms I agree with the KamaK

I also agree that money is better spent elsewhere.. new heads? New snare? Better cymbals?

Especially the new snare. You use it way more than the toms.
 
+1 on what Kamak and James said.

Don't forget to experiment with tuning your mounted toms - you can cover a lot of territory with heads and tuning. After you play a while, you'll know how to spend your money.
 
If it were me, I'd do just what you're thinking of doing, which is pick up a 12" mounted tom and a 16" floor tom.

Those are the standard, classic sizes, in my opinion, and probably easier to find in matching finish. That would be the most utilitarian option for me, because if you want to cut down to a smaller kit, either for gigging or for jazz or something, you can have a nice tight 4 piece. Ringo style, Elvin style, you name it, the 12" rack tom and 16" floor tom are the staples that have been used by so many classic drummers.

You don't mention what kind of music you like to play, which makes giving advice more difficult.

One question to ask yourself is what seems to be "missing" in your sound. As others have pointed out, you can tune your 13", 14" and 18" higher if they're just too low.

It's taken me 2 years to even feel comfortable integrating both my mounted toms into my playing. I don't do the big rolls across multiple toms.

If you just want more toms to have fun playing, then it doesn't much matter at what end you add them. Throw a 10" and a 12" on the top end. Stick a 16" in between the 14" and the 18", which, given your handle, might be the best.
 
Give the 9 X 13" tom a chance, especially since you have a 24" kick and an 18" floor tom. Play it awhile and see if it grows on you. If you were to add one other drum consider a 16 X 16" floor tom. If you decide you like the 13/16/18/24 arrangement then you might want to consider selling the 14" tom at some point to offset the purchase of the 16" floor tom. Apply the remainder of your funds towards other improvements: heads, cymbals, hardware, etc.

My two cents.
 
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