Mounted vs virgin kick

I know there's arguments about whether or not it affects the sound but I can't tell if I hate or like the way it looks. I went to guitar cent and tried a Catalina club and damn it really sucked trying to get in the right position. The mount looks different compared to higher end kits like the Brooklyn or broadkaster. What do you guys think about mounts?..
 
Every kit with a bass drum mount places the toms in pretty much the same place. So if you had trouble with the Catalina Club, you may have trouble with any other kit with a mounted bass drum. (With the exception of the few drum makers that have sliding bass mounts.)
 
Every kit with a bass drum mount places the toms in pretty much the same place. So if you had trouble with the Catalina Club, you may have trouble with any other kit with a mounted bass drum. (With the exception of the few drum makers that have sliding bass mounts.)

Idk if it's a height issue (I'm 5'4) so the mounted Tom always about 2 inches above the snare and it makes hard for me to drum roll with angling the Tom at an almost 90 degree to get the rims closer together
 
Height can be a big factor, since tom mounts mean your toms can never be lower than the bass drum, whereas if you have an offset tom stand, or put your rack tom on a snare stand, you can get it lower. I personally like the convenience of a bass drum mount - it's one less stand to worry about, the positioning is more consistent every time I set up, and it's a good place to mount a splash cymbal.
 
I've not mounted my rack tom on the top of a kick drum in about 20 years. I like using a snare stand or at least a separate bracket.
 
I definitely like non mounted toms for the positioning aspect. I don't think my ears can hear any sound difference, though I will not dispute the fact that the less holes in the shell, the better of a chance it has to resonate.

On a purely shallow level, I think the non mounted toms thing looks more professional than the big klunky tom mount and toms on a drum, which reminds me of entry level kits...
 
I think there are a lot of variables here.

As for height and placement, with me, that issue went away once I got my throne high enough. That goes for the ride cymbal as well.
 
It's partly ergonomics.. being able to set up your kit so it's all optimized for your body. the virgin kick tom stand allows more flexibility in getting it just right.
In terms of sound.. a kick mount probably diminishes the sound 'a bit'.. but hard to hear the difference after the sound is projected/mic'd, processed by sound tech etc.
It is convenient to not have to carry tom stand(s) around if you use a kick mount - but sliding a drumbag/case on a virgin kick is a breeze - nothing to get hung up on.
 
After having flown my toms off the cymbal stands for ages, I startet using bass drum mounted toms a couple of years ago. I really don't know why it took me such a long time to realize what my needs suits best. No more hassle to find the right angles anymore.
It's set up really quick, offers constant positioning, no matter what cymbal set up is required or where the stands have to go in order to deal with narrow space. And I wouldn't even think virgin bass drums look better.
 
My Sonor kit had bass-drum-mounted toms and I was never totally comfortable with the arrangement. My Tama kit has the toms mounted to stands and it is much better. The positioning of the bass drum is independent of the position of the toms.
 
Flying toms off of cymbal stands is just plain annoying. Nothing convenient about that arrangement, so if going with traditional 5pc setup, bass drum mounted toms are the way to go. Can't position the toms lower than the kick, if a tom is flying off of each cymbal stand in a traditional 5pc setup anyway, so why create the extra hassle? With toms offset to the left or a 1Up configuration, the BD mounted setup becomes the bigger pain. The Brooklyn kits with smaller BDs almost aways come with mounts, unless special ordered.
 
I've done both but much prefer mounted on the bass. That said, ergonomically for me the largest bass drum size I can play comfortably is a 20 in order to position my toms where I like them (mounted or otherwise).

When I purchased my Gretsch Brooklyn and USA Custom sets (both 18"), they were not drilled. Today they are now both drilled. An easy do-it-yourself with the right bit and patience. Would never go back. It's been a LONG while since I did it, but as I recall I may have positioned the hole a little more towards the batter side (perhaps 1") than the standard hole comes. This allowed me to position them exactly where I wanted them to be.

My Yamaha Absolute Hybrids came mounted and I'm happy as a clam. Else, they would be drilled by now as well.

I do not hear a sound difference and for me it doesn't matter.
 
I like both and see advantages to both. So maybe "everyone" should have , at least LOL , two kits so one in each configuration is my suggestion. A sure cure for GAS and for those froggy moments where ya just want a change up.
 
I definitely like non mounted toms for the positioning aspect. I don't think my ears can hear any sound difference, though I will not dispute the fact that the less holes in the shell, the better of a chance it has to resonate.

On a purely shallow level, I think the non mounted toms thing looks more professional than the big klunky tom mount and toms on a drum, which reminds me of entry level kits...

Nothing wrong with not liking the way something looks. It's just as natural as liking the way something looks.
 
Both are cool. I have kits with them and kits without them and I do like the convenience of the mount sometimes. But if you want to experience pure ergonomics, try a front rack. I use an ICON straight rack with my Reference kit and it mounts my two rack toms and my crash and ride and it works really well. Of course, the weight of the rack is a little lighter than carrying two tom/cymbal stands, and since everything is memory locked and pre-set, the set up is the same every time. Maybe you could try a rack?
 
Both are cool. I have kits with them and kits without them and I do like the convenience of the mount sometimes. But if you want to experience pure ergonomics, try a front rack. I use an ICON straight rack with my Reference kit and it mounts my two rack toms and my crash and ride and it works really well. Of course, the weight of the rack is a little lighter than carrying two tom/cymbal stands, and since everything is memory locked and pre-set, the set up is the same every time. Maybe you could try a rack?

I finally got a rack set up this past year and love it. No more stands on the floor, and everything sets up the same after every move!
 
I far prefer the convenience of the Tom mount on the bass drum. I recently picked up a Sonor Vintage Series kit with a Virgin bass drum and I was using the kit with a Tama Classic series tom stand and it sounded fine, but I just couldn't get the tom exactly where I wanted it. I purchased the Sonor Vintage series bass drum mount and tom arm and installed it. I found no sonic difference and now I can get my tom exactly where I want it repeatedly.

With my Noble and Cooley Horizon kit with the 24" bass drum, I kept that bass drum virgin because the tom would be too high for me if I added a bass drum mount and tom arm.

I really dislike mounting toms off a cymbal stand as I find that either the tom or the cymbal is not in it's optimal position.
 
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