Using a 10'' tom as main rack

I posted twice earlier in this thread, and now I do not even have a ten inch tom. Peace and goodwill.
 
If I could have only one rack I'd use the 10. So I have a high tom and a low tom. A medium tom is nice, but on my kit it doesn't trump the high tom. More important than the size of the drum is what you do with it.

I wish an 11" tom was a common size. I think I'd be all over that.
 
On a 4-piece I prefer a 12" but I have recently gone back to a 2 up configuration with 10 and 12 inch toms and I'm digging the 10" in that spot. There's something about the 10" tom's tone that is just punchy and pleasing. Nothing wrong with using a 10" alone if you like it.

EDIT: Damn, didn't realize this was an old thread. Always forget to check the date.
 
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I've been running a short stack 10" and a deep 16" floor for a while now.

I really like it. Runs between the two don't sound like anything is really missing. Depending on how you play the mind almost fills in that gap.

I like that sound of high to gutteral in one fill.

But then if my second floor tom (a 14") had longer legs then I'd like to try it instead of the 10"
 
On a 4-piece I prefer a 12" but I have recently gone back to a 2 up configuration with 10 and 12 inch toms and I'm digging the 10" in that spot. There's something about the 10" tom's tone that is just punchy and pleasing. Nothing wrong with using a 10" alone if you like it.

EDIT: Damn, didn't realize this was an old thread. Always forget to check the date.

Yeah, I bumped this thread up myself after searching for threads where folks use a 10" rack tom as their only rack tom.

Your description of "punchy and pleasing" pretty much describes what I hear too. I think I'm going to experiment more with different tunings, but I can easily get a 10" tom to sound cleaner and punchier than a 12" tom. I struggle with 12" toms and it's driving me insane.
 
For years and years I have used a 10" rack and a 14 and 16" floor. I decided I really wanted to include my 12" but didn't want to add a drum for gigging. For about a month now I have been playing with just my 12" and 16" and love it! I do miss the 10" though. It is my favorite size tom.
 
Just my two cents here folks....

for a single rack tom I prefer either a 10" X 9" deep Ayotte or a 12" X 8" Rogers rack tom.
I can get a nice punchy tone out of eiher.

I also have a 12" X 10" deep Ayotte rack tom, I don't like it as a single rack tom, I only use it to compliment my 10 X 9 tom.

hey, it's my first post here!
Yahooo!
 
I usually favor a small tom up top. I like a higher, more project-ant sound for my high tom. The floor I tune nice and loose and rumbly.

To be honest, one of my pet peeves is having two toms that are too close to each other in tone. I like lots of tonal separation. You can vary your strokes and dynamics for all kinds of different sounds from both drums.
 
I'm a little quirky about the aesthetic however that doesn't deter me from experimenting with the tom sizing. So, yes I use a 10/14 combo with my 20" kick and when i bump up to 22-24" kicks I bring out the 12" rack in place of the 10" and add a 16" floor. I'd say tho, 85% of my weekly gigs are using the 10/14 combo.

Justin Foley of Killswitch Engage also uses relatively small drums for a heavy metal band - he says the smaller sizes can cut through the loud guitars it's also a side benefit when loading/unloading your gear!
 
At one point in the 70s I was playing a standard 5 piece Ludwig vista lite set. I was talking with a local musician who had just done some recording and he was talking about the ability of the smaller drums to be heard well. So, logically and not so logically, I expanded my kit to a 10 piece kit! I added two smaller toms and two large concert toms. I do think the smaller toms cut better.

Right now I play a 6 piece with 10, 12,13 mounted and a 16FT and a 22x18 BD. They are the deeper toms. I just ordered a new set and I ll have 8 10 12 mounted and 15 Ft and 20x18 bass. I did it partly to get rid of the mass and to secondarily lower and level my mounted toms. I really don't think any audience members will notice and proclaim I am not really using rock drums. But I do think the drum sound will be a little less muddy within the overall sound.
 
I think that's pretty normal. Benny Greb, Florian Alexandru Zorn. Here you even have Vinnie on a 4-piece 10 + 14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO-ak4nvX2A


I play a typical 6-piece 10, 12, 14, 16, but I definetly play the 10 and 14 more than the other two. Has a bit to do with placement, but..........
 
Does reducing toms to 10 and 14 only, require a change of head?

I have been playing 10 and 14 only for a few years now.

Interestingly enough, when I used tree or four toms I tried to find a coherent sound with nice, even intervals. With only two toms I can go for radically different tunings. So, at the moment I have a semi-tight ambassador on the 10 and a pin-stripe as low as it goes on the 14. Boooom!
 
I just bought a used stage custom that came with 10,12,16,22.
I play 1 up 1 down . The 10 is being played and the 12 is staying home ;)
 
I mostly play 10/14/20

I have a 12" tom, but its a deep 'power' tom and it looks too big on the 20" bass.
Oddly enough, when I have tried using the 12 as the only rack tom I've found myself tuning a bit higher to get the sound I like, only to discover later on that I've inadvertently tuned it to the exact pitch of my 10" tom.

So I use a 10" as my single rack tom most of the time, occasionally adding the 12 as a mid tom.
 
I've been using 10" as my main tom for years, even on rock gigs. I'm more comfortable with smaller toms for some reason, nicer response I think, nicer sound, and I like the contrast between 10 and 14, as opposed to 12 and 14.

I'd like to add a 16" floor tom though ..
 
I've been playing 10/12/14 toms for years. In fact, I the thought for stock 5 piece kits, this became the standard years ago.

I remember back when 12/13/16 seemed to be the standard. But then people wanted a 2" difference between the rack toms.

Does anyone play 12/13/16 anymore anyways?
 
I've been playing 10/12/14 toms for years. In fact, I the thought for stock 5 piece kits, this became the standard years ago.

I remember back when 12/13/16 seemed to be the standard. But then people wanted a 2" difference between the rack toms.

Does anyone play 12/13/16 anymore anyways?

I actually really badly want to do a 12/10/16 setup but I can't get the placement right without using a rack. With this being the case I used a 10" rack alone for years and did 10/14/16. I wanted to drop the 14 and 10/16 seemed like a huge gap so 12/16 is what I landed on. Love it! But I can't imagine my beloved 10inch will be retired for long.
 
Does anyone here use 10'' tom as main rack tom? I experimented with it last night and I do like it a lot. I think it sounds great with a 10, 14, 16 combo. The only hang up I have is the fact that I'm 6'3 and it looks tiny in front of me. What do you guys think?
I personally LOVE a 10" & 14" set up. It just feels so good!
 
I love it... The 10 & 14 combo can't be beat. It makes it so easy to maneuver, I use a 20" kick, so it looks nice and balanced, strangely enough I use a 24" ride!!!
 
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