How to fix this hole in the Tom

Rhythm666

Active Member
Guys,
I have a question, I recently bought a Pearl Masters studio kit from I think the beginning of the 2000's.
22x 16 bass drum, 10x10,12x10 and 13x10(I guess) rack toms and a 16x6 floor.

The father of the guy I bought it from drilled some holes in the toms for some reason.
This Master kit came with the Pearl ISS suspension mounts back then. I am going to use the newer Optimounts for it
and shorten the toms a bit.

I want to know how I can get these holes closed. Do i need to find a piece of Birch which they are made off,
cut a hole and glue it in, sand etc and repaint or can i use some kind of wood filler, or... any help and tips are welcome.

See attached pictures.

13 inch tom.jpg13 inch tom-1.jpg
 
Guys,
I have a question, I recently bought a Pearl Masters studio kit from I think the beginning of the 2000's.
22x 16 bass drum, 10x10,12x10 and 13x10(I guess) rack toms and a 16x6 floor.

The father of the guy I bought it from drilled some holes in the toms for some reason.
This Master kit came with the Pearl ISS suspension mounts back then. I am going to use the newer Optimounts for it
and shorten the toms a bit.

I want to know how I can get these holes closed. Do i need to find a piece of Birch which they are made off,
cut a hole and glue it in, sand etc and repaint or can i use some kind of wood filler, or... any help and tips are welcome.

See attached pictures.

View attachment 125179View attachment 125180
Holes, what holes?

If they really bother you, maybe use high quality wood filler then black lacquer touch up paint.
 
I'd also leave the holes alone. The Optimount should cover or mostly cover the hole, and I think trying to plug it is far more trouble than it's worth.

I'd also reconsider trying to cut them shallower. Removing and reinstalling the reinforcing ring is a lot of work in itself, but cutting around the bottom lugs will either result in really short toms if you completely cut off where the lugs are currently, or extra holes from the current lug position if you don't go that shallow.
 
I'd try to fix it.
That's a pretty big hole where the arm goes through,
but you should be able to find a wood plug for it at a hardware store.
If not, a hole saw on a sheet of wood might get you close. IMO, it's too big for filler.

You can usually find a standard size wood dowel for the smaller holes.
How far to take it from there is up to how picky you are.

There's also the option of just leaving it alone and playing it as-is.
What you want to do is not really 'fixing' (something that's broken),
but 'modifying' something to be more of what you want..
 
Will those holes affect the sound of the overall drums or is the difference minimal if i just slap on the optimounts and leave the holes as is?
Or instead of the optimounts just use the tom arms ?
 
I'd find a thin piece of wood (thin enough to bend a little) or a firm, thin piece of black plastic. Then, use the current bracket as a template and trace the square onto a piece of material and cut it out. I'd then paint it gloss black and put it over the outside hole using the same mounting holes thus making a patch of some kind. No extra holes, no need to sand and paint over the shell, etc. Or heck if you used wood, you could always customize it in some way if you want.
 
Will those holes affect the sound of the overall drums or is the difference minimal if i just slap on the optimounts and leave the holes as is?
Or instead of the optimounts just use the tom arms ?
Think when I drummer puts his rack tom on a snare stand. Does he plug the holes ??? I'd leave the drums alone. Get the Pearl cover plate, if the looks really bother you (or make your own).
 
Congrats Rhythm666,

On your new Pearl Masters Studio MBX kit!
It's 4 plies of birch, with 4 ply re-rings. It also looks like the color of your kit is #154 Midnight Fade. (The same color as my Masters Custom Extra MRX kit, and one of my personal favorites. :cool:(y))

Because of the re-rings, I'd would be very leery about cutting the toms down in size. Unless, you have a reputable and trusted drumsmith/woodworker doing the work.

The existing holes won't do anything to really affect the sound. If you don't like the look of the holes, the already suggested Pearl GK90's will do a fine job of covering them up. The bonus being that you could always easily remove them if you ever wanted to mount the previous hardware back on. The addition of OptiMounts will make a nice upgrade to an already fantastic kit! :)
 
Will those holes affect the sound of the overall drums or is the difference minimal if i just slap on the optimounts and leave the holes as is?
Or instead of the optimounts just use the tom arms ?

That mounting plate looks pretty slick. Must be a lot of people doing that mod if Pearl makes a special plate for it.
Knowing there's holes underneath the plate, may or may not bother you.

About holes affecting the sound - yes they do. But I don't know if anyone has researched it.
Imagine a drum with a whole lot of large holes, and just a spider web of wood left, or a wood roto-tom type drum.
Lots of holes and open space there, and it's got to affect the sound. Maybe good - maybe not so good.
 
That mounting plate looks pretty slick. Must be a lot of people doing that mod if Pearl makes a special plate for it.
Knowing there's holes underneath the plate, may or may not bother you.

About holes affecting the sound - yes they do. But I don't know if anyone has researched it.
Imagine a drum with a whole lot of large holes, and just a spider web of wood left, or a wood roto-tom type drum.
Lots of holes and open space there, and it's got to affect the sound. Maybe good - maybe not so good.
One standard, Pearl tom-arm mount sized hole in the afore mentioned toms (including the vent hole), is not going to alter the sound by any perceivable level audible to human ears. Measurable to advanced scientific equipment maybe (sure, why not), but not most human ears.

Yes, a drum with a whole lot of large holes (resembling a piece of Swiss cheese) will affect the sound of said drum. A hole 7/8ths of an inch will not make that kind of drastic difference, even less so if it's covered up. At this point, it becomes more of a question of aesthetics over loss of sound quality.
 
One standard, Pearl tom-arm mount sized hole in the afore mentioned toms (including the vent hole), is not going to alter the sound by any perceivable level audible to human ears. Measurable to advanced scientific equipment maybe (sure, why not), but not most human ears.

Yes, a drum with a whole lot of large holes (resembling a piece of Swiss cheese) will affect the sound of said drum. A hole 7/8ths of an inch will not make that kind of drastic difference, even less so if it's covered up. At this point, it becomes more of a question of aesthetics over loss of sound quality.

He asked if holes will affect the sound of the drum. I said yes, and stand by that.
Whether or not people can hear it is a different question. :unsure:
 
I just ordered the Pearl GK-90 covers for all the toms and gonna go with that. Going to setup the kit and see if the bigger toms then im used to will feel comfortable to play as im used to the shallower debt toms of my session select. Also ordered the optimounts for the toms and the air suspension floortom legs.
 
I just ordered the Pearl GK-90 covers for all the toms and gonna go with that. Going to setup the kit and see if the bigger toms then im used to will feel comfortable to play as im used to the shallower debt toms of my session select. Also ordered the optimounts for the toms and the air suspension floortom legs.
Pearl Air Suspension feet make a huge improvement to floor toms
Mick
 
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