Ludwig tom holders... what to get?

[5 Style]

I just ordered a new (to me - actually used, but apparently in excellent shape) Ludwig Classic Maple kit, 12/14/20 w/ matching 5.5 snare.... in black oyster pearl. It pretty much checks all of the boxes for me, but one... It's got a virgin bass drum and I want to mount the rack tom on the bass. I also want to mount a little cymbal boom arm onto that thing as well (for a splash cymbal) so I need something with that feature. Unless I get some kind of great deal just on the holder alone, I like to order it with the mounting plate to go on the bass drum as well. I'd also like to go with Ludwig in particular, just to keep the proper aesthetics of the kit together.

I've been looking at some options online and I see that there are sevreal options for the kind of thing that I want. There is a plainer looking one, one called "Ludwig Atlas" and likely other versions. Is there a compelling reason to get one version over another or should I just find the best deal and order that? What are the real differences in these things...?

 

[trynberg]

If you want the least hassle and weight, I would get the Inde hardware (you can avoid drilling!). Josh actually designed the Atlas stuff before he left Ludwig and started Inde.

 

[theludwigman]

I'm probably in the minority here nowadays but if you're not opposed to drilling the bass drum and you wanna keep it all Ludwig, I'd go for the classic style Rocker post mount. The newer design is functional and sturdy but it retains a certain era of Ludwig's look very well, I use it and it's been fine...the Inde stuff is nice, no doubt about it, but I have to say it's a little over-engineered for my taste...too much function over form, in my opinion.

As for a splash holder, certainly lots of options there, but if you really do want the 'Ludwig look', I'd also go with the classic shell mount, which I use as well and has worked great. And for such a small cymbal you wouldn't have any stability/weight issues at all...

Ludwig LR255STH 10" Rocker Single 9.5m Tom Holder | Reverb

reverb.com

https://www.drumcenternh.com/ludwig-rocker-double-tom-tom-holder (the double version, which could be adapted for a splash)

(broken link removed)

Also, using any these on the kit wouldn't harm any potential resale value either since it's Ludwig branded, and if they're installed properly and cleanly it could even add to the look, in my opinion. Here's some reference points in your sizes (note the rose marine pearl has the Maxwell rail consolette, which is another option if you wanna go full vintage and can find one, but I mainly attached it for the cymbal mount:

 

[5 Style]

Well... that Inde thing does look kind of intriguing and I like that it doesn't require drilling, though I don't really mind the drilling part anyway, particularly if it's a Ludwig mount, which as mentioned isn't really going to hurt the value of the thing. The Inde thing too is expensive... Neither one of these things has the option for a boom attachment, which I prefer over the clip on option mentioned as I like the simplicity of everything fitting on just one base.... and the fact that I like that splash very near the rack tom means that it kind of makes sense that it's attached to the same holder. I think too that I might like the double tom option too, even if I have no plans to add an extra drum. I might end up mounting a cowbell though off of that extra rod.

It seems like any of the options as long as they check the boxes of having that mount for the extra cymbal boom and the double tom mount thing (though that part of it is less important) will work and be as sturdy the next.... so the only real differences are going to be down to aesthetics and I'm not even sure that I can pick a clear winner as far as that goes. So... unless someone has a compelling reason to go with one rather than another, I'll probably just get what's cheaper... what I can find locally, if I'm lucky.

 

[trynberg]

If you have any kind of choice, I would go with the newer 10.5mm L-arms instead of the original Ludwig 9.5mm. For me, the 9.5mm don't hold nearly as well.

 

[hsosdrum]

In 2013 I had my Legacy Maple kit fitted with Ludwig Classic double-tom mounts. On one BD I'm using the second tom L-arm to hold a Ludwig Aerodyne tilter with a splash cymbal, and the posts have an extra clamp you can use for a short cymbal boom arm. It works perfectly for me. (P.S. I have my toms mounted with Classic shell clamps and 9.5mm L-arms and they're as solid as a rock.)

You can see it all in this photo:

 

[el_37]

I would go all no drill and Ludwig and just use the Atlas mounts. Use the Atlas Arch rail for your tom and an Atlas Cymbal arm for your splash.

 

[jmcohen]

I had the Atlas mount on a 20” BD holding a 12” tom. I had to REALLY torque the wing nuts down or the tom would slowly droop. I was not impressed with the performance of the mount at all.

 

[CC Cirillo]

Some call the Atlas rail mount heavy; I call it robust.

I use one on the downbeat configuration like yours. It’s no drill and with an easy tear down set up, tom always ends up in the same spot. Never had any droop like jmcohen unfortunately had.

InDe is certainly a well designed and lightweight choice. I ended up with the Atlas as I wanted all Ludwig and, well, came upon a used deal that was about 1/3rd of an InDe.

BTW: Congratulations on the new incoming set.

 

[5 Style]

In 2013 I had my Legacy Maple kit fitted with Ludwig Classic double-tom mounts. On one BD I'm using the second tom L-arm to hold a Ludwig Aeerodyne tilter with a splash cymbal, and the posts have an extra clamp you can use for a short cymbal boom arm. It works perfectly for me. (P.S. I have my toms mounted with Classic shell clamps and 9.5mm L-arms and they're as solid as a rock.)

You can see it all in this photo:

View attachment 640311

I like that gizmo that you have there, the cymbal arm that attaches to the tom arm thing... I hadn't seen one of those like that. Unless I go with another little cymbal though, I probably won't have a need for such a thing as long as I go with a tom holder like what you have and attach a cymbal boom arm to it that I already have.

As for that rail consolette solution, I do like the look of it (it has a nice vintage vibe) and it seems like it would work, but I have cold feet about the thing loosening as I have little patience for dealing with stuff like that. I like hardware to be as solid as possible and as easy to adjust as is practical. That rail thing seems like a possible point of failure and I could see getting frustrated at having to reef that thing down really tight each time (that kind of thing can make my hand cramp up a bit, which is the last thing that I want at a show).

Here's another question for you folks: do you find that the ball joint type holders suck any of the resonance out of the drum that they're attached to? At least I wonder if they do enough damage to the sonics to be very noticeable...? I ask because I walked over to a local shop this afternoon and chatted with the drum expert there who swore by the older style Ludwig tom holders that don't use that big ball (and seem less convenient for it). He said that the lighter build of those kind of holders allow the drum to resonate more freely. The kind of tom mounts on the new drums that I've ordered, which attach to the lug don't seem to be exactly isolation type mounts so at least theoretically there could be some resonance sucked out of the drum by mounting it to something that doesn't have enough give to it... Maybe not enough to matter though..?

An ADDENDUM
OK, I actually watched that video (instead of just assuming that I understood the deal!) and I'm intrigued by all of this (relatively) new Atlas series hardware. The way that cymbal mount isolates vibration from the bass drum is very cool and maybe even cooler is that cymbal mount that attaches to a floor tom leg. If that sort of thing would work with something as large as a 20" ride cymbal, I might be able to use it to elimate a regular floor-stand as I like to have my ride mounted low just on the outside of my floor tom. I wonder if anyone has used such a mount with a larger cymbal like that and if it's stable?

 

[trynberg]

(P.S. I have my toms mounted with Classic shell clamps and 9.5mm L-arms and they're as solid as a rock.)

I wonder what the hell I'm doing wrong?

 

[1988fxlr]

I wonder what the hell I'm doing wrong?

Are you using real old Ludwig mounts? The knurling on the inside of the eyebolt can wear smooth and then they don’t grip as well. The currently available ones fit the same holes and look the same other than the big wingnut but they grip very well. I finally replaced them on my 60’s drums a year or two ago and I don’t know why I waited so long.

 

[el_37]

An ADDENDUM
OK, I actually watched that video (instead of just assuming that I understood the deal!) and I'm intrigued by all of this (relatively) new Atlas series hardware. The way that cymbal mount isolates vibration from the bass drum is very cool and maybe even cooler is that cymbal mount that attaches to a floor tom leg. If that sort of thing would work with something as large as a 20" ride cymbal, I might be able to use it to elimate a regular floor-stand as I like to have my ride mounted low just on the outside of my floor tom. I wonder if anyone has used such a mount with a larger cymbal like that and if it's stable?

I used an Atlas mount with a cymbal arm to hang a 22" K Custom off of a 24x16 cocktail and had zero issues. They can hold quite a bit of weight.

 

[trynberg]

Are you using real old Ludwig mounts? The knurling on the inside of the eyebolt can wear smooth and then they don’t grip as well. The currently available ones fit the same holes and look the same other than the big wingnut but they grip very well. I finally replaced them on my 60’s drums a year or two ago and I don’t know why I waited so long.

No, I actually replaced the mount on my 13x9 Vistalite with a new one. And even with the memory lock, the tom wants to twist several degrees after I get it how I want it. I'm using Gibraltar L-rods though and I wonder if the knurling on them is just not very good.