Choose between 8 inch Tom or 14 floor

pt3407

Senior Member
I'm gonna order a tama star classic maple kit but I don't want to spend the money to add both an 8 inch rack and a 14 inch floor Tom to the shell pack. So I only want to choose one of the two. If you had to choose one, what would you pick and why? I play a wide variety of music (metal, jazz, fusion, pop, r &b, etc)

Thanks
 
I'd personally go with the 14in floor. An 8 for me is too high pitched for me to get much use out of it. You can get more out of the 14. If you really enjoy playing high pitched fills then go with the 8.
 
I'm not a fan of 3 rack toms. As an owner of two kits with 2 floor toms, I like having the flexibility of using a 16 or a 14 if I'm only going to use or bring one tom. There are times when I'd prefer one over the other and its great to have that option.
 
The 14 would be my pick by a longshot
 
I’d get the 14”. It’s more useful unless you’re doing a bunch of Neil Peart fills where you want the percussive 8” sound. If you like both, the ideal thing is to get both. I have an 8” and 14” and love em both.
 
Another 14" here. I'll add a second floor tom first. I can deal with minimal rack toms, but only one floor feels naked.
 
maybe look into which one is harder to find? Might want to go with that one first and you can add the other down the line. I know I bought the second to last 8” Tom available in the finish I have, so availability could play a role here too.

Im biased towards 8” toms. Most people don’t like them but I think they’re sexy 😂

think about space, availability, price, and which you’ll get the most use out of.

I only bought my Starclassic as a 5pc because I wanted the 10” Tom and the 14” floor. Don’t you wish you could choose the configuration?! Now I have 12” and 16” toms that get no love haha
 
If you play a bunch of Stewart Copeland type stuff, ska, or reggae, get the 8". If not, the 14" would be an option. I'm not a big 14" FT fan. It pushes the 16" a bit too much out of the picture for me. If I ever go back to 2 FTs it will probably be for a 16x18.
 
If you play a bunch of Stewart Copeland type stuff, ska, or reggae, get the 8". If not, the 14" would be an option. I'm not a big 14" FT fan. It pushes the 16" a bit too much out of the picture for me. If I ever go back to 2 FTs it will probably be for a 16x18.

Didn't Copeland play 10/12/13 in his heyday?
 
Two up two down has always felt best to me. Every time I add a third rack tom things just feel off kilter. Floor tom all the way.
 
That’s classic -

😂 I like how your name is in reference to a drumming legend who usually in size preference, skipped over the 14” tom. 😂

I would go with the 14” simply because, material cost, and opinions like this, the 8” is a cheaper add on you can find later on.

You're thinking of Neil Peart, the late drummer from Rush. That's not me. I'm Neal Pert. Totally different.
 
I have a kit with 8,10,12,14,16 toms. For gigs I take the 10,12,14 lol. I used to bring the 8 as 3 racks is super fun, and doesn't take up as much room in a vehicle. I personally don't have a ton of use for 2 floor toms, but it can work too. Heck, Put 20 toms on a kit I'd use them, but I wouldn't want that setup for gigs or moving it. At the end of the day it's not up to us. What fits YOUR sound and what you play, WHY do you need the extra tom? what are you trying to achieve?
 
I'm obviously very very very much in the minority, but I adore 8" toms and have never found a 14" tom — floor or rack — that I really loved. While 8" toms aren't for every genre, or every song, I love how in the right context they just cut through, while to my ears 14" toms tend to be neither quite here nor there, not giving the low end I want from a floor tom, or the definition of a rack tom. For gigging purposes, 12" and 16" generally do me fine, meaning I would rarely take the 8" out, but in the studio or when just having fun, give me an 8" any day.
 
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