Two floor tom set ups. 14/16 or 16/18?

14/16. I like the tonal qualities, the smaller footprint, and hey, 18" heads ain't cheap.
I'm searching for a 16"FT for my kit that isn't outrageously priced.
 
16/18.
I'm of the "big, tubby drum size" camp and want that maximum low end. 18's are tricky to get tuned right, but once you do, all others are based on that one.
Plus, the combo of sound from a 16/18 hit is unreal to me. 🤘 🤘

That being said, you can sometimes get twin 16's & have one deeper than the other. Giving you a similar, but higher pitched combo sound.
 
I play only a 16", but if I were to add a second floor tom, it would be a 14" to the left of my hats. An 18" has imposing flair, but it's something of an upright bass drum. Its tonal range is so low that articulation can suffer at some tunings. A 16" gives me ample low-end, so a 14" would be the logical addition for my applications.
 
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I build around the bass drum size, with the 22" bass drum sitting in the middle. I played a 22, 14 (rack), 16, 18 for years (decades). Buy I've also paired 14 & 16 inch floor toms with a 22 inch kick. Any bass drum smaller, then I like the smaller sized floor toms. (13, 14, 16 .... I currently have). Larger kicks get larger floor toms. My 24 and 26 inch bass drums roll with 16 & 18 inch floor toms.
 
I build around the bass drum size, with the 22" bass drum sitting in the middle. I played a 22, 14 (rack), 16, 18 for years (decades). Buy I've also paired 14 & 16 inch floor toms with a 22 inch kick. Any bass drum smaller, then I like the smaller sized floor toms. (13, 14, 16 .... I currently have). Larger kicks get larger floor toms. My 24 and 26 inch bass drums roll with 16 & 18 inch floor toms.
Like a Bonham kit.
Start with the biggest shell & go down from there. (y)
 
That being said, you can sometimes get twin 16's & have one deeper than the other. Giving you a similar, but higher pitched combo sound.
Also known as a towel holder :), I never in any video seen Buddy hit that second floor tom.

I say 14/16 because of 20 kick and like the interval from the 12. 16/18 would be fun. I think 15 definitely have their utility, just never owned one.

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Playing a 24" bass drum the 16/18 is a shoo-in. I'm not overly fond of 14" floor toms in general. If I were playing a 20" bass drum I would choose a 15" floor tom over the 14" any day of the week. The 15/18 floor toms to me are the most appealing set up. Too bad most major drum companies don't offer 15" floor toms that much anymore.
 
i had 16 & 18 floor toms on my kit, i dropped the 16 from my setup as i couldnt reach the 2nd tom comfortably enough, so i went down to 18 floor tom only
Like Vinnie Paul. He had those "square sizes" so I can only imagine what an 18x18 would sound like. :oops:
Playing a 24" bass drum the 16/18 is a shoo-in. I'm not overly fond of 14" floor toms in general. If I were playing a 20" bass drum I would choose a 15" floor tom over the 14" any day of the week. The 15/18 floor toms to me are the most appealing set up. Too bad most major drum companies don't offer 15" floor toms that much anymore.
Well said. I do the 14x12 floor tom on my small footprint kit. The kick is a 22, but it's only 8" deep. So the higher punch is complimented well by the smaller floor.
 
On my DW Design kit I have 14/16, and that works great. On my Rogers kit, I have a 15/16, and I think it works better (12x15/16x16). That 15" has so much more sound when compared to a 14". I'm surprised manufacturers didn't jump on the 15" bandwagon. It could've been a contender!
 
My SQ1 kit has 16 & 18 and if I could do it all over again, I'd do 14 and 16

16/18 just takes up so much room and I feel like I can get a more versatile sound with 14/16..

Biggest issue for me is Im starting to prefer 10" as my main rack tom and 10 to 16 is a big ass jump.
 
I'm a smaller guy and 18" is a lot to fit in a car besides a bass drum. I think 12/14/16 works well for me in the genres I play (from jazz and theater to punk and hard rock). My Ludwigs are 13" and 16" and I've contemplated rewrapping a used 12x15 to fill in that middle note as well - but in my perfect world I'd find 8x12 and 14x14 3-ply shells to rewrap and match.
 
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