Yamaha Recording Custom Tom Size ?

[14vision]

I am looking at buying a yamaha rc shell kit with 22x16 bd 12x10 & 13x11 toms and 14x14 and 16x16 floor toms.

My question is how the slight;y larger toms will sound vs traditional 10X8 & 12X9 sizes and since they are only 1" apart in width and depth.

Thoughts or comments? Yamaha has this shell pack with these standard sizes and I though it was a little different.

Thanks

Doug

[alparrott]

Originally Posted by 14vision

I am looking at buying a yamaha rc shell kit with 22x16 bd 12x10 & 13x11 toms and 14x14 and 16x16 floor toms.

My question is how the slight;y larger toms will sound vs traditional 10X8 & 12X9 sizes and since they are only 1" apart in width and depth.

Thoughts or comments? Yamaha has this shell pack with these standard sizes and I though it was a little different.

Thanks

Doug

My answer is not unique to RCs but applicable to all shell kits: I don't like to get toms that are only one inch apart in diameter, because they're generally difficult to tune discretely from each other. Often I find the 12" tuned a bit too tightly and boingy, or the 13" low and flappy. There are exceptions, and possibly the high, high quality of the RC shell will overcome this common obstacle.

I would seriously recommend trying before buying, and not just a casual tap test either - play them, tune and retune them, give them the real once over. Make sure it's something you can live with before you plunk down hard earned moolah.

[Bo Eder]

The set-up of 12", 13" and 16" toms is ultra traditional. It looked good too. Adding a 14" floor tom just gives you another note. I don't think there's that much of a problem with this size range - I think alot of us have grown up with it, although the newer generations have gotten shell packs with at least two inches between drum sizes, which does help, but it isn't impossible to have one inch separating them.

[harryconway]

Originally Posted by 14vision

I am looking at buying a yamaha rc shell kit with 22x16 bd 12x10 & 13x11 toms and 14x14 and 16x16 floor toms.

They'll sound just fine. My Yamaha RC's are 22, 12, 13, 14.

Originally Posted by 14vision

My question is how the slight;y larger toms will sound vs traditional 10X8 & 12X9 sizes and since they are only 1" apart in width and depth.

It's funny, 'cause I come from the generation/era that "traditional" sizes for rack toms are 12x8, 13x9, 14x10, 15x12 and floors are 14x14, 16x16 and 18x16.

[Bad Tempered Clavier]

Originally Posted by harryconway

They'll sound just fine. My Yamaha RC's are 22, 12, 13, 14.

Same here: 12,13,16,22 RCs and they tune up a treat: bear in mind that the standard 13 tom is also an inch deeper, so you're getting significantly extra volume and mass between the 2 - i.e. Pi times 12 square inches times 9 inches is 4072 cubic inches and Pi times 13 square inches times 10 inches is 5309 cubic inches. It's been a while since I did high-school maths but I think that's right. I've never weighed them so I couldn't tell you the difference in mass, but it's more noticeable than that 1 inch difference in diameter suggests.

[KarlCrafton]

Originally Posted by harryconway

It's funny, 'cause I come from the generation/era that "traditional" sizes for rack toms are 12x8, 13x9, 14x10, 15x12 and floors are 14x14, 16x16 and 18x16.

Same here, 12x10 and 11x13 were "Power" sizes when I was a kid, and they became the "big thing" everyone had so they became "standard".

I do like the so-called "fast" sizes (9x12, 10x13, etc...), but I prefer, and use the old "traditional" sizes.... Back where I started.

It might be that we try different things, and have a "grass is greener" thinking at times, but it seems like I always end up with the "standard" size drums 8x12, 9x13, 10x14....12x15 is one of my favorite sounding sizes, but it's just too big for how I set up my kit. Maybe someday.

I still love, and mainly use my 20x26, but, I also love my 16x26, and use it a lot.
I don't own a 14x26, or I'd use that too.

Have fun if you buy that kit 14. It'll sound great, RC's were always great drums.

[RedeyeSPR]

Originally Posted by Bad Tempered Clavier

Same here: 12,13,16,22 RCs and they tune up a treat: bear in mind that the standard 13 tom is also an inch deeper, so you're getting significantly extra volume and mass between the 2 - i.e. Pi times 12 square inches times 9 inches is 4072 cubic inches and Pi times 13 square inches times 10 inches is 5309 cubic inches. It's been a while since I did high-school maths but I think that's right. I've never weighed them so I couldn't tell you the difference in mass, but it's more noticeable than that 1 inch difference in diameter suggests.

You actually square the radius, not the diameter, so:
12x10 is 6^2*3.14*10=1130
13x11 is 6.5^2*3.14*11=1459 (29% more volume than 12x10)
14x14 is 7^2*3.14*14=2154 (+48%)
16x16 is 8^2*3.14*16=3215 (+49%)

Doing the same thing for "new" standard sizes (10x8, 12x9, 14x12, 16x14)
10x8 is 628
12x9 is 1017 (+62%)
14x12 is 1846 (+82%)
16x14 is 2813 (+52%)

I'm not sure exactly how total volume inside the drum changes the sound as opposed the head size only, but there are the numbers.

Personally, I like square floor toms, but that's another discussion.

Also - if these are the new re-release RCs, they do not come with YESS mounts for some moronic reason, but rather have the tom mount screwed to the shell. I think they wanted a nostalgic re-release of a best selling kit, but my old RC had a YESS mount, so I'm not sure what's up with this call.

[Bad Tempered Clavier]

Originally Posted by RedeyeSPR

You actually square the radius, not the diameter

Whoops, you're right - of course. It did sound a lot when I did the sum . . .

[MusiQmaN]

I used to have the 10x8, 12x9 Oak toms.

Now im using the 10x8, 12x8 RC toms (and 16x16 ft and 20x14 kick) and i just love them. Not to mention that its easier to set with that 1'' less.

Imo the old mount (like with the new re-realease) sounds much better than the Yess mounted RC's.