Isolation Mounts??

Manderson

Junior Member
cliff notes - Old drum set. Thinking of getting some isolation mounts for a 11 x 13 tom and a 16 x 16 floor tom. Any thoughts?

So Ive had this old pearl export kit since the 80's. I love them and they honestly sound great. I gigged with these drums every weekend for around 10 years. I see no need to buy a new kit because im happy with them. comfortable.

I am thinking about picking up some type of isolation mounts for the one tom and floor tom. looking around on here it seems a lot of you use RIMS. Just wanting advise on whatever you like.

I also question if they truly improve resonance? mostly the floor tom...getting it off the ground. or if its even possible?

thanks!
 
"RIMS" is kind of like "Kleenex" or "Q-Tip"...It's a brand name that has become the household term for that particular item. There are tons of "RIMS-style mounts", but most people just say RIMS.

If you're happy with them, why change? If you want more resonance out of the 13" tom, then I'd take the mounting hardware off the shell and try a RIMS mount. If you want more resonance from the floor tom, get some of those floor toms with the specially-designed feet (I don't even know the brand or how to describe them). Putting a 16" floor tom on a RIMS mount is going to give you positioning issues, and floor toms ring so openly anyways, that it just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Of course, I'm assuming you've changed your heads in the last 20 or so years and DO know how to tune. If your heads have been on your kit for a few years, when you change them, the sound difference will be night and day...
 
Hanging a 16x16 strikes me as not such a great idea.

I use the Pearl air-suspension feet on both a 14x14 and a 16x16, they'll make you forget about suspension mounts. Best $20 I ever spent on the kit.
 
RIMS are great for rack toms. Easy to install, cheap and they do improve reso and sound quality. I agree with the rest re: the 16" but before you go out to buy iso feet just try tweaking your tuning. The general rule is the closer the batter/reso heads are to each other the more resonance you will get. Stay away from Pearl's ISS mounts, they attach directly to the rim and affect tuning everytime you hit the drum.
 
I'm with the gang on floor tom feet instead of RIMS style mounts. The RIMS solution (for a floor tom) is probably a good one although I've only hit on a drum at a drum event somewhere and not personally owned one. Good rubber feet will enhance the resonance and are way easier to deal with when changing the bottom head where RIMS floor mounts live.

FWIW: I bought a 10" Gretsch tom off eBay to compliment my 12" on my Gretsch kit. I ended up getting the Gibraltar version of the RIMS solution to mount it. I happen to have the original RIMS mounts for my other Gretsch rack toms (12" and 13"...don't use the 13" with the 12" simultaneously). I bought the drums and RIMS mounts together in the early 80's. At that time, there were no other isolation mounts. It was a new concept with no competitors and used by a much smaller demographic. No drum companies were including any iso mounts on sets they sold. [There was also no internet or cell phones around..We also walked 20 miles in the snow to school.....but I digress]

I've definitely appreciated the extra resonance I've gotten with these mounts. Not everyone wants that. I'll also reinforce what's been said about heads and tuning. An iso mount will enhance good heads/good tuning but possibly amplify bad heads/bad tuning. It's best to make sure your house is in order before inviting in more guests...so to speak. :)

Jim
 
If you want more resonance out of the 13" tom, then I'd take the mounting hardware off the shell and try a RIMS mount. If you want more resonance from the floor tom, get some of those floor toms with the specially-designed feet ...Of course, I'm assuming you've changed your heads in the last 20 or so years and DO know how to tune.

Thanks Caddy! and yea, I change heads regularly and know how to tune. cant stand old heads.

I agree with Caddy. The floor tom iso-feet (Pearl makes some: http://www.davesdrumshop.com/Sticks-Hardware-Accessories/Parts/PEARL+RUBBER+ISOLATION+FLOOR+TOM+FEET ) should be more than plenty. As far as RIMS on rack toms, thumbs up there.

thanks harry! I'm going to order those exact ones.

I'm with the gang on floor tom feet instead of RIMS style mounts...[There was also no internet or cell phones around..We also walked 20 miles in the snow to school.....but I digress]

Thanks jim...you must be almost as old as i am lol!
 
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