Are 13" toms obsolete?

Orbit

Junior Member
With regard to rack tom sizes, I'm old school 12"&13" on top. I find it very frustrating that practically all modern off the shelf kits are 10"&12" nowadays! Are 13" toms gonna become collectors rarities?! I love the way 12"&13" configuration look, cos they look the same size....almost...and I like this uniformity! OCD anyone? Also, I think a better tone is got from these sizes....I find 10" toms too high and should only live up above the hihat in rototom land! 13"ers are a great mid range tom! People claim they can get a good depth out of a 10" but I think not! I'm 12"&13" all the way and cos you just can't get that no more, I've had to go get a custom kit built.....which is Very Exciting! Any thoughts folks? Are we gonna end up with 6"&8" as the main rack toms in the future?
 
Re: ARE 13" TOMS OBSELETE?

I'm with you. I have no use for a 10" tom. It's 12 & 13 all the way too. I quickly disposed of my Catalina "Euro" kit because of the darn 10" size.

I'd look vintage if I were you. Ludwig Standards.

Good luck.
 
Re: ARE 13" TOMS OBSELETE?

Funny thing is there have been many on here that say the 12's are hard to tune but mine is fine. My current set up is 8, 10, 12 although I am looking for 13 , 16, 24 if I can sell the 8, 10, 12, 14 set. So will 6 and 8 be the next thing? I doubt it. You can still find 12, 13, 16 but they seem to no longer be the norm as you said.
 
"Fusion" sizes have become popular with almost every company, but I also don't have much use for a 10" tom, except when it's part of a concert tom set! :)

I doubt that 13" toms will go away thoughm, it's still a widely-used size in a two-tom configuration, such as 13 & 16", or 13 & 18". Not counting concert toms, I have 17 13" toms in my arsenal (vs only 5 10" toms. )

Bermuda
 
An unmiced 10" tom probably won't work very well in a live setting, the tone doesn't carry. At home however, I'm currently playing 1 up 2 down with a 10" rack tom with 14" and 16" floor toms, the 10" is without doubt providing enough depth. And the 8" and 12" toms just lie there on the floor waiting patiently to regain my interest... :)
 
In a 12, 13, 16 tom set up, I've always struggled with the 13...when I tune it to where it sounds good it's too close in pitch to the 12. When I tune it lower, it sounds bad.

12, 14, 16 has always made much more sense to me because (in theory) you get a more equal interval between the toms. However, unless it's really shallow or you're really tall, mounting a 14" tom over the bass drum is gonna cause some positioning problems!

For the record, when I'm not playing rock or metal type stuff, I love a 10 inch......tom.
 
With regard to rack tom sizes, I'm old school 12"&13" on top. I find it very frustrating that practically all modern off the shelf kits are 10"&12" nowadays! Are 13" toms gonna become collectors rarities?! I love the way 12"&13" configuration look, cos they look the same size....almost...and I like this uniformity! OCD anyone? Also, I think a better tone is got from these sizes....I find 10" toms too high and should only live up above the hihat in rototom land! 13"ers are a great mid range tom! People claim they can get a good depth out of a 10" but I think not! I'm 12"&13" all the way and cos you just can't get that no more, I've had to go get a custom kit built.....which is Very Exciting! Any thoughts folks? Are we gonna end up with 6"&8" as the main rack toms in the future?

I've noticed in most kits throughout my lifetime the configuration was always 13/16 toms and 22 or 24 bass drums. Those sizes work for everything and I agree, 10s sound a little too small most of the time. People would argue they don't, and if you mic up most of the time I suppose it doesn't matter. But the 13 rack and 16 floor in traditional depths just sounds right on most of my gigs because that music was probably made with those sizes. 10 & 12 racks sound too modern, I suppose. Remember when Weckl (and Vinnie to an extent) were using 8 & 10 rack toms? For some reason I thought it only sounded good if you played with the Chick Corea Elektrik Band ;) Just like how iPhone photos only look good on iPhones.

13s are here to stay. Don't worry.
 
Fusion sizes have become very popular. I feel like sizes come and go just like styles of music come and go. When hard rock starts making more of a comeback on new rock/alternative stations, drummers will want "standard" sizes again. Just my thoughts.
 
13,16,24" kits seem to be the new cool. I agree with Three here, 12 and 13 are just too close, they are basicaly interchangeable. The real reason I like a 10 is that a 12 just doesn't sound good tuned too high.
 
Last edited:
could it be the 'now' sizes are all a big ploy to make you buy new cases. ;-) ;-)
 
When I started playing (late 80's-early 90's) most basic sets came 12-13-16. Now they are 10-12-16 or 10-12-14. Maybe a lot of drummers feel that it easier to space out the tuning, or maybe drum companies are saving money producing smaller drums? You didn't see as many shell packs either. A drumkit included everything but cymbals....

I play 10-12-13 on top and 14 rack tom hung low next to my 16 ft. My next kit will be 13-14 on top and 16-18 down low. Long live the 13" tom!!!
 
Quote...."12, 14, 16 has always made much more sense to me because (in theory) you get a more equal interval between the toms."

I disagree here to a point. They are only a more equal interval if the depth is the same. Most 12 and 10 inch toms also vary in depth so just because the are 2 inches apart in diameter, doesn't necessarily make for a uniform sound. You have a volume of air to move and if you do the math they aren't quite as related as you may think.
 
I just recently in my older years have gone back in time to the good old days ( full circle )purchasing a 13,16,24 Ludwig Legacy kit. The 13 and16 were pretty much the norm in the 60's, the 13 will never go away. As far as 10's sounding too high they don't on a DW kit. DW's are lower in tone than most other drums. Matter of fact there is not much difference between the DW 10 and the Ludwig 13. Also bear in mind the DW's in my opinion sound best tuned medium to medium low. It can actually sound deeper than the Ludwig. It is taking me a while but I'm getting used to the smaller 4 piece set up after playing 6-7 pieces for ever. So at least for me the 13" is BACK.
 
I dunno, I've got both and I like both and I like both. I've got my rack toms offset to the left. I basically have it set up as a 4-piece with an extra tom off to the left. On the Stage Custom the one on the left is a 10 inch, on the old Gretsch it's a 12 inch. Not that much difference to me. I'm liking the 10 inch tom for the middle drum break in "Wipeout".

When I first got the Yamahas I asked the other band members how it sounded. They said that the drums sounded different but it still sounded like me.
 
IMO - a 4 piece kit should be 13up & 16down with a 22 or larger bass drum.
(The exception being Bop kits, of course).

For my own kits though I like 5 piece.
With 10+12up, 14down, and an 18 or 20" bass.
Those suit me just fine. Absolutely no complaints.

I had 13/14up, 16 down w/22 for a while and wouldn't want it again.
 
13 is my fave tom ever, my fave combo is 13-16-22.

13 is the Goldilocks tom - not too big, not too small'
 
People claim they can get a good depth out of a 10" but I think not!
I strongly suggest you listen to the video we're releasing late next week :)

Over the last few years, the demise in popularity of the 13" tom has broadly mirrored the rise in popularity of the 14" floor tom. For me, a 13",16", 22" is a great all round setup that can deliver a good thump when required, so I don't see the 13" going away anytime soon. The 14" floor tom is most partnered with a 12", or even a 10" tom, with a 20" bass drum. With a 24" bass drum, I like a 14" tom, with 18" floor tom for rocking out big open grooves.
 
Regarding the shell packs, Anton Fig and Allen Schwartzberg started with the 10/13/16 tom configuration and I thought that was really unique back in the 80s. There was such a separation between tom tones. That was very cool. I'm surprised that configuration never really took off.
 
Back
Top