Why take the bottom heads off of the toms?

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capnkid

capnkid

Optimus Prime
I have been looking for a nice used set, somthing with 3 mounted toms and two flr. toms. Anyway I have come across a lot of sets with the bottom heads completly off and the hardware removed...what's the point?

Has anyone heard of Taye drums? I have found a Taye Tourpro that has the configuration I like.
 
In the 60's & 70"s single headed drums were popular because you could get a very dry dead sound (a sound that I never really cared for). That sound is not really that popular any more, but you still see a lot of kits missing bottom heads.

I think this may be in part, because people lost the bottom hoops, in part because it is less expensive to maintain single head drums and in part because it takes more skill to effectively tune drums with both heads.

Regarding Taye - I've played a couple of pairs (one entry level at a practice loft and one higher level Maple kit when I sat in at a friends gig.). The entry level was about on level with any entry level (Pearl Forum, etc) - nothing to write home about. I thought the higher level was well made and played well. In fact the guy who owned the higher level traded a pretty decent (but older) Tama for the Taye.
 
Do you use clear heads for the toms or the white (battered?) ones. If I'm not mistaken, when I hear the white heads they have more pop, and the clear heads have more boom. so you find this to be the case?
 
coated not battered(like a fish lol) sorry when I saw it i had to say something. there are plenty of people that like the remo coated heads i personally don't prefer them I like the clear pinstripes or the evans g1's.
 
Taye are nice kits, you an get some custom made to you, and they have the very much personal touch. Also makes you stand out a bit.

QOTSA drummer (forgotten his name) plays with only the batter head. So they're not totally out of fashion.
 
The toms on my Gretsch kit are melodic, so they never had bottom heads!
 
Nicko Mcbrain only recently started using bottom heads. Check out Iron Maiden's Live After Death to hear some really good single headed tom sounds.
 
lilblakdak said:
Nicko Mcbrain only recently started using bottom heads. Check out Iron Maiden's Live After Death to hear some really good single headed tom sounds.


When Nico first joined Maiden he was using Double headed toms; when i saw them on the "Piece of Mind" tour in 1983? (I think that' what year it was) He had a White Sonor Signature kit with "square-sized" (i.e. 12"x12, 13"x13", etc.) double headed toms. But he went to singleheaded toms for quite a few years after that.
When he switched from Sonor to Premier, he definitely went back to double headed toms.


There are tims and certain circumstances where I love Single-headed toms.... in some situations they just cut through really well, but given the choice -I'll take double headed toms. Since I switched back to double headed toms in 1993, I prefer them.... even though I do admit to having a rototom fetish. :p


Tim
 
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