Does anyone still make a reasonable 20" floor tom?

[Discount Bassy]

I recently picked up a Yamaha 18" floor tom and love it as an addition to my 16" Pearl Forum floor tom. Now I've got the floor tom bug. Yeah, I know, there is only so much space to put crap around your kit, but my kit stays at home for the most part and I have the space, so...I want a 20". I've used the 16" and 18" apart from the kit to accompany small groups of jammers with mallets. The addition of a 20" would be handy for me. Any ideas, or should I focus my search on used items?

 

[Moejo]

I see more Slingerland 20" floor toms than any other brand. Im not sure that any company builds them as a "standard" anymore. Thats not to say you cant find one though. Im sure they can be custom ordered.

 

[Discount Bassy]

I see more Slingerland 20" floor toms than any other brand. Im not sure that any company builds them as a "standard" anymore. Thats not to say you cant find one though. Im sure they can be custom ordered.

I've hit on a couple of used Slingerland 20's, but nothing has come through of yet. I'm not looking to break the bank at this point, but would feel alright spending two to three hundred for the right drum. Does anyone do custom 20" floor toms in that range? Seems like a foolish question, now that I've asked it, but it makes me wonder if it would be worth taking on the construction of one as a project, starting with a pre-fab shell.

 

[Bozozoid]

My first Ludwig kit was 14x26..12x15..16x18..18x20..I just had to one up Bonzo. The store I ordered it from back in the day told me that Ludwig actually put it on their showroom floor for awhile befor shipping it out!.

 

[jda]

71 if you have

a time machine

 

[Discount Bassy]

I wonder if the way to go would be to nab a used 20" bass drum and affix some legs. Would the wooden rings vs. steel rings make much of a difference in attempting to match tonality?

 

[jda]

no You'd just have to clear them with your sticks

 

[Discount Bassy]

It appears that Keller can supply a shell that can be cut to desired length and that Drum Factory Direct (or other) can supply metal rings, hardware and the likes required for fabrication. Further research is required, but in the absence of other options, I may end up putting some tools to work.

 

[jda]

companies may still catalog 20" Gong drums single headed things..

Some vintage (even MIJ cheap) bass drums can be converted to tom tom 20" (hoops) if you can find them and If the Lugs 'height' line up with hoop rod holes

 

[jda]

8 hole...

20" 8 Hole 2.3mm Triple Flange Drum Hoop, Chrome, Brass, Black [S-2320-8] - $25.99 : drum parts, sticks, drumheads, cymbals, stands, drumfactorydirect.com

20 inch 8 hole chrome, brass, black chrome 2.3mm triple flange drum hoops or rims for tom tom drums, tom tom drum rims, by World Max aka WorldMax

www.drumfactorydirect.com

 

[DrumEatDrum]

I know Ludwig and others made 20" floor toms in the 70's and perhaps early 80's.

But I can't think of any major manufacturer that had 20" floor toms in their catalog in the late 80s or after.

 

[Discount Bassy]

The price of parts from Drum Factory Direct and a 20"x20" shell from Keller comes out close to $500 in required bits alone. That is a chunk of cash for a first go at a drum project.

 

[jda]

sometimes a fantasy is all you need
--------Billy Joel 1982

 

[jda]

WFL 18x20 Vintage Floor Tom - 50's/60's - WMP | Reverb

WFL floor tom, 18x20 [20" diameter, 18" depth] with four legs; 3-ply with rerings; mahogany interior; 3 pieces were added (two clamps to hold maybe a cowbell or small cymbal) and a slide mount [see pictures]; there are 2 EXTRA holes in the shell underneath the badge [see last picture]; light scra...

reverb.com

 

[Discount Bassy]

The hunt is on for a used 20" bass drum of a reasonable depth.

WFL 18x20 Vintage Floor Tom - 50's/60's - WMP | Reverb

WFL floor tom, 18x20 [20" diameter, 18" depth] with four legs; 3-ply with rerings; mahogany interior; 3 pieces were added (two clamps to hold maybe a cowbell or small cymbal) and a slide mount [see pictures]; there are 2 EXTRA holes in the shell underneath the badge [see last picture]; light scra...

reverb.com

Nice drum. The price is a bit out of my league. If I can score a reasonable bass drum donor, I might be able to make something work.

 

[TheDrummerFromAmsterdam]

I recently picked up a Yamaha 18" floor tom and love it as an addition to my 16" Pearl Forum floor tom. Now I've got the floor tom bug. Yeah, I know, there is only so much space to put crap around your kit, but my kit stays at home for the most part and I have the space, so...I want a 20". I've used the 16" and 18" apart from the kit to accompany small groups of jammers with mallets. The addition of a 20" would be handy for me. Any ideas, or should I focus my search on used items?

Add a Yamaha 20” bass drum like Jimmy did.

 

[Totigerus]

My first Ludwig kit was 14x26..12x15..16x18..18x20..I just had to one up Bonzo. The store I ordered it from back in the day told me that Ludwig actually put it on their showroom floor for awhile befor shipping it out!.

dont tease me baby. Show me those pics

 

[Moejo]

Theres one on auction right now. Its only at 100 bucks. Keep an eye on it, you might be able to snag it fairly cheap.

RARE Vintage Slingerland 20 Inch Floor Tom | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">The drum was found at a storage auction with other matching drums.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">The drum was refurbished with a flat black wrap and 3 of 4 legs mounts have been drilled out with different screws but...

www.ebay.com

 

[Woolwich]

I seem to have a memory of DW doing a set of legs with clamps on them which attached to a bass drum to convert it to a floor tom, maybe worth pursuing too.
Here's a link to a similar product I've just found

Black Swamp Percussion Multilegs for Bass Drums

Leg Set for Bass Drum Set of 3 legs, For using bass drums horizontally, Universally suitable for bass drums, 2-Way collapsible, Colour: Black

www.thomann.de

 

[Discount Bassy]

Theres one on auction right now. Its only at 100 bucks. Keep an eye on it, you might be able to snag it fairly cheap.

RARE Vintage Slingerland 20 Inch Floor Tom | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">The drum was found at a storage auction with other matching drums.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">The drum was refurbished with a flat black wrap and 3 of 4 legs mounts have been drilled out with different screws but...

www.ebay.com

I've been in contact with the seller on this drum already. It is part of an estate auction featuring some other Slingerland pieces being sold individually. It took me a few messages back and forth to get an answer if the legs were present. I can only wonder about finding out if the drum is actually still round or has undamaged bearing surfaces. EBay is a bit of crap shoot in general, but there are some gems. The price of just an unfinished shell from Keller is about $190, so it is a deal if even a donor. I'll be minding that auction as it progresses.