Are suspension mounts on their way out?

They don't need to go away, just like anything they are open to improvement.

As we learned in another thread, Josh @ INDIE drums is reported to have said "...the rubber in them (RIMS and in the Atlas mounts) creates an oscillation in the drum where the rubber absorbs the resonance of the drum." Here ya go, you first need to point out a flaw in the current design which Josh did, calling out the rubber as a culprit. Now with that call out we're open to receiving an improvement.

Damn those rubbers causing oscillation, I want something better!
 
mikel said:
I love the Yamaha design of mount. I always loved Tama drums but that bent angle iron mount on some of the range just look industrial to me.
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Yeah, I don't care for those either. The newer starcast chrome mount systems were one's I was pimpin'.
 
Les Ismore said:
They don't need to go away, just like anything they are open to improvement.

As we learned in another thread, Josh @ INDIE drums is reported to have said "...the rubber in them (RIMS and in the Atlas mounts) creates an oscillation in the drum where the rubber absorbs the resonance of the drum." Here ya go, you first need to point out a flaw in the current design which Josh did, calling out the rubber as a culprit. Now with that call out we're open to receiving an improvement.

Damn those rubbers causing oscillation, I want something better!
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Well, Mr. Ismore,
This is what I think is better. I am working on a blog post that explains the concept behind it, but it is basically an adjustable spring mount that minimizes energy loss, and can be tuned to the drum it is mounted to. It will be available as an aftermarket add-on soon!
 

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indedrum said:
This is what I think is better. I am working on a blog post that explains the concept behind it, but it is basically an adjustable spring mount that minimizes energy loss, and can be tuned to the drum it is mounted to. It will be available as an aftermarket add-on soon!
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When ppl say they "think" its a sure sign they don't know (for sure). Let's be 100% sure, have some sellable truth bf changing the collective mind about rubber suspension mounts.

I 'think' its a great idea, but only bc I don't know for sure. We need to see/hear it work, video would help.

Also on the FT mounts, the wing screw/nut facing sideways instead of out would save a lot of space.
 
Les Ismore said:
When ppl say they "think" its a sure sign they don't know (for sure). Let's be 100% sure, have some sellable truth bf changing the collective mind about rubber suspension mounts.

I 'think' its a great idea, but only bc I don't know for sure. We need to see/hear it work, video would help.

Also on the FT mounts, the wing screw/nut facing sideways instead of out would save a lot of space.
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I "think" you misinterpreted my meaning of the word think. Emphasis on the "I"- In my opinion, they are better. I still need to convince anyone who has not had a chance to try them, and I am working on videos and explanations of the design to accomplish that.


Even with the perpendicular wing screw, the height is similar to most commercially available brackets. The current design allows for more flexibility, adjusting to fit 9.5-12.7mm mounting rods, and keeps the design simple and lightweight.
 
Whoever keeps posting that pics of Inde drums, can you please stop?

I really, really do not need another drum set. Like, really.
 
I have a Mapex kit with their lug mounted version of a mount. I like it. Works and shows a lot of the shell's finish. I'm happy to have suspension mounts. I wonder about you 80's guys that had that those huge boxy chunky mounts and the lugs that connected top and bottom with a big ugly metal strip. The the tom arms that went right through the shell. Not asthetically pleasing and the whole shell was covered in metal! Not that anyone knew any better in those days. But I like to think drums keep getting better and better.

I think there will always be a debate about whether they really make a difference or not. Look at the Tonewood debate in the electric guitar world. Some people hear a difference some don't. And people will get so worked up about it. If your ears hear it so be it. But if my ears don't? I hear more resonance from a suspended mounted tom. Plus I just lift the drum higher when positioning it to allow for downward sag. I like 'em!
 
When Premier marketed the re-issue Genista sets in Birch and Maple versions the Birch model had the mounting lugs bolted directly to the shell (the Maple set came with suspension mounts). I don't know how long these Birch Genistas lasted with the shell mounted lugs but I noted that the later models binned the shell mounted lugs and 'went back' to suspension mounts as standard. I think reverting back to shell mounts would be met with a cynical response and resistance from buyers.

Personally I like suspension mounts because they are (with few exceptions) pretty which is the most important thing - those Indie mounts also look great, I'd happily have those fitted to my drums.

The reality is I use twin ply heads so I probably wouldn't hear any difference regardless of which mounts were used.
 
Wave Deckel said:
As already said, it does make a difference. You get more resonance, more dynamics, more sustain out of a tom if it has a good suspension system.
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I don't recall asking for more resonance or sustain from my tom-toms. Suspension mounts (such as the original R.I.M.S.) did tend to prevent the "choking" that would occasionally occur on some drums that were mounted directly on the shell, but if the drums was built well and the mount had enough flex, the improvement was minimal. As for the added sustain, I play drums, not timpani.

Suspension mounts, like Tama's, Pearl's, or Sonor's, are downright hideous, add extra weight, and solve a problem that no one had (for the most part).
 
Maybe in a few years drummers will hold their noses when someone mentions RIMs just as many do today when someone mentions Keller. Eewwww.
 
PorkPieGuy said:
Whoever keeps posting that pics of Inde drums, can you please stop?

I really, really do not need another drum set. Like, really.
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What, you mean like this? :)
 

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Woolwich said:
I believe in each to their own. My preferences are for shell mounts and drilled bass drums purely on a practical level as shell mounts allow for tom positioning without the "give" that suspension mounts can have. That being said, once you've got your positioning sorted out then it's no longer a problem as long as what your tom is fitted to can be set up consistently, which is why I prefer drilled bass drums. Of the suspension mounts I've tried I preferred the Mapex system for its solidity, but that being said (& this is an honest enquiry/observation) I find it hard to understand how a mounting system hard fixed to two lugs on a shell differs from a block hard fixed directly to a shell. There's no 'give' in the former sytstem as I far as I can see unless I've got the wrong end of the stick and am missing something.
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I agree with 'to each their own', but even disregarding aesthetics I can't stand drilled bass drum mounts. Depending on the size of the kick, the size of the toms, and how you like to position things I just can't get as comfortable an arrangement with a bass drum mount as I can with a tom mounted to the cymbal stand. There's just less room to move things around: you have the length of the mounting hardware and that's it.
 
Tom positioning is more intrinsically restrictive on kick mounted systems and aesthetically they look bad. Like those who favor the aesthetics of one up one down kits, offset tom or toms to the left or right of the kick drum depending on whether one is right or left handed looks lean and mean.

I'd re title the OP to Are kick mounted tom mounts on their way out?
 
Why I like kick mounts:
you don't need to buy extra, heavy duty cymbal stands
you aren't restricted to cymbal position because of the tom
you can mount more on the cymbal stand without the tom
If you mount two toms on a stand on the left and you're rt.-handed you have a bigger arc to play when "rolling down" the toms
and a tom stand takes up more room on the left and weighs more than a kick mount.

Oh, back to the thread- I really like the Sonor and Yamaha tom mounts.
 
AllTheCoolNamesAreTaken said:
I agree with 'to each their own', but even disregarding aesthetics I can't stand drilled bass drum mounts. Depending on the size of the kick, the size of the toms, and how you like to position things I just can't get as comfortable an arrangement with a bass drum mount as I can with a tom mounted to the cymbal stand. There's just less room to move things around: you have the length of the mounting hardware and that's it.
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Slide Track mount(s)
 
If drummers prefer kick mounted toms then it begs the question are all these drummers abnormally tall with tremendous reach? Bo has tried to explain this to me from an engineering standpoint but I still fail to understand why manufacturers seem to place the mounting systems away from the batter side, close within most people's arm length, and toward the resonant side of the kick drum.
 
Drumlove65 said:
If drummers prefer kick mounted toms then it begs the question are all these drummers abnormally tall with tremendous reach? Bo has tried to explain this to me from an engineering standpoint but I still fail to understand why manufacturers seem to place the mounting systems away from the batter side, close within most people's arm length, and toward the resonant side of the kick drum.
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You don't want the central mass of the hanging toms, especially two of them, close to the edge and toward you. Having the tom mount away from you, toward the reso side, balances and centers the mass of everything over the bass drum not on the edge of it.

I am short 5' 6" and have short arms, and never had an issue reaching toms on a bass drum mount. Yamaha and Sonor systems have much flexibility of angles too.

Bass drum mounts also save on hardware to lug around to gigs - only lighter cymbal stands are needed, not big heavy ones that support toms and cymbals. I've added all these parts up and you can save many pounds.
 
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