I've got a mixed MIJ kit that I am putting together. Need some assistance on the tom mounting. My bass drum is an 18" Whitehall (Pearl made from what I understand). It has the hex mount on the bass drum for the hex tom arm. My ride tom is a 60's Pearl and it has the mount for a spade. Was there ever a piece that would make these two mesh together without customizing something? Certainly not going to drill any holes in the shells. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks as always.
Whitehall/Pearl tom mounts Last viewed: 12 hours ago
Hello Mike,
I do not think that there is anything like that
I have a similar problem with a recent orphan made kit
In my case the bass has the rail w/spade mount
the mounted tom has the round female receiver for the small mij tube style tom arm
To the best of my knowledge they do not have an existing piece to help me either
Good Luck
Thanks for your response Kenwood. Much appreciated. In your case, you could possibly make an adapter plate or take a spade mount and drill holes in the mount to match the holes in the existing tom mount. All depends on how they match up I would think. On mine, I suppose I could have a spade welded onto to the end of a hex arm. Time to be creative I think! I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't already something out there for this.
Hello again Mike,
Maybe try and remove the receiver on the bass drum
I will assume it is the double hex rod receiver with the two set screws
Then select a rail mount design where the two ends of the rail are sandwiched between
the flat mounting section similar to a paper towel rack
normally they attach to the bass drum by two downward facing bolts
cut or otherwise remove one of those two bolts and re-drill that mounting strap
to match the spacing in the bass drum that would normally accommodate the two hex arms
add a new bolt and some big flat washers inside, to add a bit more support, and you got it
You will have the four original mounting holes two on either side of the newly installed rail
that can be finished off with chrome carriage style bolts
other than those capped original holes you will have a clean and totally reversible modification from hex to spade
It has been a few hours since I posted the above reply^ now
and the more I think of it, that 18" bass drum is more likely to have just the single hex receiver
in which case this solution may still be viable but a bit less optimum
instead of big flat washers a backing plate fashioned from some stiff sheet metal might be best
One upside to this setback is there would be no exposed extra original holes ..I don't think?
Makes sense to me. Thanks again. Of course of I could find the proper bass for my Pearls or the proper toms for my Whitehall kit, this would be null and void!
That would be a horse of a different color for sure
just for the heck of it............. is the bass double or single hex ?
It is single.
In your case Mike, you could always use the hex mount/arm on the bass drum and use a suspension mount with the hex bracket attached to it to mount the rack tom. You could leave the spade bracket in place as is on the tom, because there are no moving parts to rattle or work loose, and the spade bracket is low profile (the lugs stick out further from the shell than it does), so there is no problem leaving it in place.
I might have an extra hex mount bracket that you could attach to the suspension mount. I'll check and see. But that would be the easiest and would be a "drill-free" way of mounting the tom, leaving all original parts intact.
Also, VERY interesting that you have an 18" bass drum. Do you have photos? It is very, very rare to see an MIJ 18". Usually, those were only on what were considered "child" kits, and some of those had 16" bass drums if I recall correctly. I think all of the "child" kits back then were sold without floor toms.
In your case Mike, you could always use the hex mount/arm on the bass drum and use a suspension mount with the hex bracket attached to it to mount the rack tom. You could leave the spade bracket in place as is on the tom, because there are no moving parts to rattle or work loose, and the spade bracket is low profile (the lugs stick out further from the shell than it does), so there is no problem leaving it in place.I might have an extra hex mount bracket that you could attach to the suspension mount. I'll check and see. But that would be the easiest and would be a "drill-free" way of mounting the tom, leaving all original parts intact.Also, VERY interesting that you have an 18" bass drum. Do you have photos? It is very, very rare to see an MIJ 18". Usually, those were only on what were considered "child" kits, and some of those had 16" bass drums if I recall correctly. I think all of the "child" kits back then were sold without floor toms.
This is a great idea - but only if you have a short hex arm for that tom to mount to. Because the hex style tom mounting (arm) went into the drum (shell) through that mount & hole in the shell.
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