13" Toms

scottser

scottser

Junior Member
I went to my local music store over the weekend and noticed that all the kits without exception were variations of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 configurations. No 13s at all. Now, I would never be without one. I love the interval between 13 and 16 and if I'm using a 4 piece with a 22 kick, the 13 and 16 kill it every time.
Also, it's getting harder to find 13" heads in stores. Are we witnessing the demise of the 13" tom?
 
scottser said:
I went to my local music store over the weekend and noticed that all the kits without exception were variations of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 configurations. No 13s at all. Now, I would never be without one. I love the interval between 13 and 16 and if I'm using a 4 piece with a 22 kick, the 13 and 16 kill it every time.
Also, it's getting harder to find 13" heads in stores.
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Any GC you visit has plenty of 13" tom heads from what I've seen. There are lots of 13, 16, 22 kits out there. I own 4 drum sets, and each one has a 13" rack tom.

scottser said:
Are we witnessing the demise of the 13" tom?
Click to expand...

Nope. You're just looking in the wrong places IMO.
 
both my bigger sized kits have 13" toms with them :) i think its just a modern trend atm to have the even sized toms all the way round. like one thing ive noticed myself is a lack of 18" floor toms on kits these days for sale. ive got an 18" for my premier and an 18" for my tama and i love them, so big and beefy <3
 
scottser said:
Are we witnessing the demise of the 13" tom?
Click to expand...
No, we're just witnessing the changing tastes of the market. But as long as Ludwig sells 4-pieces, there'll be 13" toms.
 
alparrott said:
No, we're just witnessing the changing tastes of the market. But as long as Ludwig sells 4-pieces, there'll be 13" toms.
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This. It's all cyclical.
 
scottser said:
I went to my local music store over the weekend and noticed that all the kits without exception were variations of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 configurations.
Click to expand...
There has been a decades long trend to have 2" separation on toms. This became apparent in the 80's. And continues today. A 60's/70's 5 piece kit used to have 12, 13, 16 as common sizes. It's been replaced with 10, 12, 16. And this has been going on, for 40+ years.
scottser said:
No 13s at all. Now, I would never be without one. I love the interval between 13 and 16 and if I'm using a 4 piece with a 22 kick, the 13 and 16 kill it every time.
Also, it's getting harder to find 13" heads in stores. Are we witnessing the demise of the 13" tom?
Click to expand...
In shopping for a 4 piece kit ...... 22, 13, 16 and 20, 12, 14 are still very common sizes, however you'll mostly find them in the higher tier drums. Of course, 22, 12, 16 is also very popular. Charlie Watts preferred sizes;) And a lot of modern drummers seem to run 12's rather than 13's in their 4 piece kits. I currently have 3 kits with 13x9, 1 kit with a 13x10, and 1 kit with a 13x13.

No problem finding 13" heads here (Los Angeles area) ...... but your results may vary. Sweetwater may be your friend:)
 
Chris Whitten said:
13" is pretty standard in a one up, one down kit (13 and 16).
In kits with a 10" high tom, it kind of makes sense to go down in 2" measures (10, 12, 14 and 16).
Back in the day I often had a 13 instead of the 14 (10, 12, 13 and 16).
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Back then 12/14/20 and 13/16/22 where the common option. They combined them to get bigger kits without needing new tooling
 
Only owned 1 9x13 in 10 sets. It was in a 1982 Aqua Superstar Tama set I purchased new in 82.
The Premier had an 8X14 (where a 9x13 "would be"..)
All other sets- 1st set was 2 "12's"- were 12 and 10&12

So if never a 22/13/16 guy may have never got one
and over 50 years later No desire to own a 9x13- even when I see- RB Gretsch ones
unless it's a 60s Aqua Satin Flame one (never say never) for peanuts
 
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drumnut87 said:
both my bigger sized kits have 13" toms with them :) i think its just a modern trend atm to have the even sized toms all the way round. like one thing ive noticed myself is a lack of 18" floor toms on kits these days for sale. ive got an 18" for my premier and an 18" for my tama and i love them, so big and beefy <3
Click to expand...
18s rock. My favourite set up is a 24 kick, 13 rack, 16 and 18 floors.

Interesting responses from you guys, glad to hear the love for the 13 still strong. I have nearly all the drum sizes from the Mk1 Premier Projector range; 10, 12, 13, 14f, 16f, 18f, 20k, 22k, 24k. As above they 13, 16 with 24k get the most use
 
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scottser said:
18s rock. My favourite set up is a 24 kick, 13 rack, 16 and 18 floors.
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yes!! glad someone else rocks the 18" floor toms <3. my sizes atm are 12x9,14x11 and 18x16 over a 22" kick, but i want a 24" kick cause theyre meaty AF!
 
I've got a serious problem...has anyone here heard from many drummers that they absolutely cannot get on with 13" drums?. I gave them my best shot over the years but it's just not happening. I almost think that most drummers have a problem except me of course... 😃
 
scottser said:
18s rock. My favourite set up is a 24 kick, 13 rack, 16 and 18 floors.
Click to expand...
My Slingerland kit is 24x14, 13x13, 16x16, 18x16. My Ludwig 3 ply kit is 26x14, 14x10, 16x16, 18x16. I do love me my double floor toms. Unfortunately, when piecing together vintage kits ..... you just have to grab what comes up for sale. I run my Gretsch 24x14, 13x9, 14x14, 16x16 (would love an 18x16). And my Yamaha 8000/9000 kit I run 24x14, 13x9, 14x14, 16x16 (because again, finding a matching 18x16 is hella hard).
 
Bozozoid said:
I've got a serious problem...has anyone here heard from many drummers that they absolutely cannot get on with 13" drums?. I gave them my best shot over the years but it's just not happening. I almost think that most drummers have a problem except me of course... 😃
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I never had a problem with them. They work just as well for me as any. Back in the day, 5 drum sets mostly had 12 and 13, and nobody seemed to be bothered by them.
 
Took a while for the 13 to get in many a US brand 5 piece.
many many were initially 2-12s
or the odd Premier 8/12 and 8/14.
Took Premier (what) till 1972 or so to 9x13
the Modern Solo Slingerland and Hollywood Ludwig were 2- 8x12s
Makers thought you 'the modern soloist' just wanted another 'target ---then it hit them to make it another 'tone
 
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scottser said:
18s rock. My favourite set up is a 24 kick, 13 rack, 16 and 18 floors.

Interesting responses from you guys, glad to hear the love for the 13 still strong. I have nearly all the drum sizes from the Mk1 Premier Projector range; 10, 12, 13, 14f, 16f, 18f, 20k, 22k, 24k. As above they 13, 16 with 24k get the most use
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Yep, bought about every size tom available for the stage custom series but didn't get a 24. May need to fix that
 
I seem to remember the FAST sized kits (DW) were all even sized, with the larger toms having odd size depths. That said, 10,13,16 toms as a kit work for me.
 
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