15x12 floor toms?

[BBeyer]

Who’s using one? How do you like it?
I have a 15x14 floor Tom in my corder kit, and it’s great, but the 12” depth scares me away from using this other drum as a floor Tom.
The drum in question is a fiberglass pearl concert tom. I want to build a double bass setup akin to what Nick Mason used during the Pompeii era... I can’t find ludwigs that don’t cost an arm and a leg, and I have these naked FG pearl shells. I figured a silver sparkle pearl FG double kick setup is cool, even without the Pink Floyd connection... but I want something cool to use in my Floyd tribute band.
Anyway, he had two different bass drum sizes, and 12-13-14-16 toms. I dislike the use of a 14” floor Tom unless the larger rack Tom is a 12”
Going from 13 to 14 in a drum fill just doesn’t please my ears...

Anyway, is anyone out there getting a good floor Tom sound out of a 15x12?
I thought about using the 15x12 and the 16x14 concert toms, with edges and lugs added to the reso side, as a dual FT setup with these, but I worry that I just won’t like the 12” depth for a floor Tom. It seems very “DW-ish” and I think guys have had luck with shallow floor toms from Dw...
What would a FG pearl shell act like in that size, though, I wonder?

I might just run this kit with only one ft, being the 16x16 that I also have (shown in pic) and wait it out until I find an 18” floor

 

[FLratrodder]

I’m curious about this as well.

 

[TPC]

I have an ash stave set from JTP, 8x12, 12x15, 15x20.

The 15 sounds and plays wonderfully. No issues whatsoever.

 

[drumsforme]

Have a '65 Slingerland kit with 8x12, 14x20 and 15x12 from 1964 that was previously a marching drum. Sounds great, just not a lot of head choices. .
Snare drum is a 1978 10 lug- 5 ply TDR model.....

 

[VintageUSA]

I have a 1977 SSB Gretsch USA kit.
I'm playing one-up, two-down.
The rack tom is a 9X13; the FTs are 12X15 and 16X18.
All sweet...…..

 

[Houndog]

I have a 15x12 , it’s just fine .

 

[DSDrummer]

I use a '67 Ludwig 12x15 marching tenor drum (no snare-bed) converted to a floor tom and I love it. I added the wood hoops because I stumbled on to a pair. They didn't appreciably change the sound, but they look cool.

 

[zenghost]

As a general rule, floor toms start at 15" for me (12/15/20 set-ups mostly). Although I do not have any 12x15, I have several 13x15 and would have no qualms with a 12x15. I've had no problems with head availability.

 

[shuffle]

Who’s using one? How do you like it?
I have a 15x14 floor Tom in my corder kit, and it’s great, but the 12” depth scares me away from using this other drum as a floor Tom.
The drum in question is a fiberglass pearl concert tom. I want to build a double bass setup akin to what Nick Mason used during the Pompeii era... I can’t find ludwigs that don’t cost an arm and a leg, and I have these naked FG pearl shells. I figured a silver sparkle pearl FG double kick setup is cool, even without the Pink Floyd connection... but I want something cool to use in my Floyd tribute band.
Anyway, he had two different bass drum sizes, and 12-13-14-16 toms. I dislike the use of a 14” floor Tom unless the larger rack Tom is a 12”
Going from 13 to 14 in a drum fill just doesn’t please my ears...

Anyway, is anyone out there getting a good floor Tom sound out of a 15x12?
I thought about using the 15x12 and the 16x14 concert toms, with edges and lugs added to the reso side, as a dual FT setup with these, but I worry that I just won’t like the 12” depth for a floor Tom. It seems very “DW-ish” and I think guys have had luck with shallow floor toms from Dw...
What would a FG pearl shell act like in that size, though, I wonder?

I might just run this kit with only one ft, being the 16x16 that I also have (shown in pic) and wait it out until I find an 18” floor

I use a 13x15 on my Boomtheory kit and a 12x15 Rogers on my Frankenstein kit.
Not much difference.
Heads are around,ive got a out 6 of them.
Love them,not ponderous like a 16 but punchy like a 14

 

[nomsgmusic]

Sorry this doesn't exactly answer the 12x15 question. But...

I have two 13x15's, one is a Yamaha Tour Custom and one is a Gretsch SSB (both mounted on RIMS,) and one 15x15 (in a RIMS cradle.) The 13x15's are great (neither are conversions,) actually they ALL are great.

I think it's the perfect floor tom size when you have just one floor tom, and is a nice combo of tone and growl. Tune them up a bit much more tone, or down a bit and much more growl. But when you find that compromise tuning right in the middle, PERFECT!!!!

Do I still use my Gretsch 14x14 and 16x16's? Sure! Do I still use my mounted 14 and 16 Yamaha Tours? Absolutely! But all those 15's are perfect when you are just using one floor tom. I actually have my teaching set (right now) as 12, 13, 14, 15, and a 20" BD, and I absolutely love it!

As far as heads go, as I state, I have three 15" toms, and I also have three 15" snares, so I keep a bunch of 15" Remo heads "in stock" here at home. In today's "on line shopping" world, I have never had a problem finding them. Maybe if a 15" head broke when I was on tour in Sioux City, Iowa, (for example) it might be tough, but I always have spares. And how many times do you actually break floor tom heads.

So there you go, hope that helps!!!
MSG

 

[p83]

15x10 and 17x12 on the floor - do it.

 

[cribbon]

I have a 12x14 floor tom that's plenty fat and deep, so I imagine a 12x15 would be even fatter and deeper. Sound-wise I think it would be ok, but you might have trouble finding heads for it. Most places don't carry them in stock, and if they do, your choices will probably be severely limited.

 

[Markkuliini]

Just converted (or more like had a back line company doing the conversion) this 15"x12" Gretsch rack tom (with ball mount) into a floor tom.
The drum sounds wonderful, I was really surprised how well it turned out! And they managed to cover and match the big hole from the ball mount really well.

Perfect floor tom size in my opinion, if I had to have only one.
14"s sound good when tuned higher jazz tunings, but always lack bit of bottom when tuned to rock. And wiseversa with the 16".
This 15" seems to be able to be believable on both areas. I'm really impressed with this size!

 

[paul]

I have 2 15x12 Gretsch toms, one of which is a converted RB marching snare. Both are used with YESS mounts on racks.

One is part of a 13/15/22 set that lives at my bandleader's house for rehearsals. The converted snare is used either in a 12/13/15/16/22 setup (where the 16 is also a RB snare) or 10/12/14/15/20 (my 'jazz' kit). I got them both because of my good experience with a Yamaha set that included all mounted toms in an 8/10/12/13/14/15/16/22 set. I tuned the 7 toms in that kit to a 2 octave range, and I wanted to duplicate that setup.

I have no trouble getting a good spread in any configuration with them.

 

[Ptrick]

I have one, works wonderfully. I don’t hear any lack of low end.

 

[franke]

Have a '65 Slingerland kit with 8x12, 14x20 and 15x12 from 1964 that was previously a marching drum. Sounds great, just not a lot of head choices. .
Snare drum is a 1978 10 lug- 5 ply TDR model.....

View attachment 503117

I once had basically the same thing (in the same color!): a put-together kit comprised of Slingerland orphans: 14x20, 8x12, 12x15 that was also once a parade drum.

 

[paul]

I'm thinking about how heavy a 12x15 or 12x16 (my big tom) marching snare would be. I'd be hoping for a short parade.

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

I have a vintage KB Ludwig kit I assembled with a 12 rack, 12x15 FT converted marcher and 14x20 bass. The FT can go low or high but sounds better than a loose 14 or tight 16, I think.

 

[drumgadget]

Just had Vukan whip me up a nice 15x14" floor for my 18/12/15 kit. I think a 12" depth would have worked just as well. I never had any trouble finding Remo coated Ambs in 15" diameter ....... !

Also, for the "little sister" 16/10/13 microkit: a 13x9.5" floor ...... 9.5 is as deep as he can go for a 13" diameter at present. Works a treat!!

Now ........ just waiting for the gigs to come back!

I am really digging them ....... and all of my Oriollo drums, for that matter.

Mike

 

[Elvis]

Who’s using one? How do you like it?
I have a 15x14 floor Tom in my corder kit, and it’s great, but the 12” depth scares me away from using this other drum as a floor Tom.
The drum in question is a fiberglass pearl concert tom. I want to build a double bass setup akin to what Nick Mason used during the Pompeii era... I can’t find ludwigs that don’t cost an arm and a leg, and I have these naked FG pearl shells. I figured a silver sparkle pearl FG double kick setup is cool, even without the Pink Floyd connection... but I want something cool to use in my Floyd tribute band.
Anyway, he had two different bass drum sizes, and 12-13-14-16 toms. I dislike the use of a 14” floor Tom unless the larger rack Tom is a 12”
Going from 13 to 14 in a drum fill just doesn’t please my ears...

Anyway, is anyone out there getting a good floor Tom sound out of a 15x12?
I thought about using the 15x12 and the 16x14 concert toms, with edges and lugs added to the reso side, as a dual FT setup with these, but I worry that I just won’t like the 12” depth for a floor Tom. It seems very “DW-ish” and I think guys have had luck with shallow floor toms from Dw...
What would a FG pearl shell act like in that size, though, I wonder?

I might just run this kit with only one ft, being the 16x16 that I also have (shown in pic) and wait it out until I find an 18” floor

Not much of a fan of mine. I pair it with a 13x9 and they're just a bit too close for my tastes.
If you want it, you can have mine.
It's a good drum, I'm just not into it.
PM me if interested.

Elvis