BDC Drum Tuning Lab: 12" Tom, Part 1

GEAR LIST: Gretsch USA Custom 8" x 12" mounted tom; Meinl Concert SD4 stick.
Visit us at www.bostondrum.com for the lowest prices on cymbals! "Talk to a drummer, not a customer service rep." Enjoy this clip from the Boston Drum Center Video Vault (TM).

[@bostondrum]

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1:40 - All 10 tunings 4:20 - 70 over 70 5:49 - 75 over 70 7:10 - 75 over 75 8:48 - 75 over 80 9:38 - 80 over 75 11:13 - 80 over 80 12:34 - 80 over 85 13:21 - 85 over 80 14:41 - 85 over 85 15:49 - 85 over 90

[@dmitryshkolnik5233]

I thought 75/80 was the best in this particular case, I felt like the drum came alive, sounded to the fulest resonance and had minimum overtone at the same time. thanks

[@dalekay9ine]

I agree, for my Tama walnut birch 12" tom I've found 72/ 75 sounds best for my ears.

[@pixelpusher8986]

Just saw this and wanted to say thank you for taking the time to put this together. Great video from beginners to pros I think this is very helpful. I have a 12” maple that I’d like to throw out the window right now. I just can’t seem to get it to sound good yet. This video has given that drum a second chance. ☺️

[@bostondrum]

Glad to hear it! We've all been there. Thanks for watching and good luck with the tom.

[@tripster4]

This is a fantastic reference. Extremely well presented, thorough explanation of tuning. Fantastic job, Sean!

[@bostondrum]

Thanks for watching! Hope all is well.

[@plumberski8854]

Many thanks! Glad that I can now hear the differences in different tunings for the 2 heads. That will help in setting up and zooming into the tunings I want. Much appreciated.

[@steverichdrummr]

I know I'm a few years late seeing this, but it's a great help. I love the 75/80, so nice. But, even without a dial, it does show the interval effect between the heads, which is helpful for us to achive our desired sound. Thank you so much for this.

[@bostondrum]

Thanks for watching!

[@brent3760]

80 80 was my fav

[@kasuu5821]

Hello, BDC, thank you for this helpful video! My motivation to make some different experiences in tuning my toms reached a new level. Greetings from good old germany!

[@bostondrum]

Thanks for watching! I hope that you discover some new sounds in your toms.

[@muuriciodegollada3870]

75 /80 to me is perfect

[@jamesdancer73]

85 over 85 sounds great for Jazz. 75 over 80 sounds best for most over genres

[@ivanbajovic3476]

75 / 75 best for 12"

[@jordanstone982]

The 70/70 tuning sounds like an Eb2, which is a middle of the road range fundamental pitch of a 16 inch floor tom lol... That's impressive.. and it doesn't sound like its too flappy..

[@JackofAllMinistries]

This is outrageously helpful

[@bostondrum]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching.

[@ctrodrums]

I wish it would be done with tunebot readings

[@jeffreyalexander7504]

If you're playing in a live situation with no Mics (coffee house/Jazz small room stuff)...tom-toms wash out unless you tune your resonant head lower. The drum may sound good to the player otherwise, but just get someone else to play with the band and go to the back of the room, you'll see what I'm saying. By the way, the 8 X 12 Gretsch Tom-Tom is the drum that defines "That great Gretsch sound"

[@artcorvolet]

I find tuning higher in non mic’d situations helps too as the pitch drops toward the audience

[@jonbartel2813]

this is really cool... as a beginning drummer with a "vintage" kit that has seen some wear, I have had a bear of a time tuning my toms. I've found that they sound the best when the reso and batter are tuned nearly identically, but almost all the advice I've gotten is to go for some natural interval. I think something is wrong with my toms (possibly a bit out of round) but now at least I feel ok about tuning them the same top and bottom and just going with it. Confirmation bias rules!

[@bostondrum]

Ha ha, even tension top and bottom is legit, and in fact, that's usually my starting point. Thanks for watching!

[@user-ki7bc6tp9g]

Bravo BDC

[@bostondrum]

Thanks for watching!

[@davidsuprenant893]

What a great presentation. I recently bought a drum dial.Pretty nice tool .Us it in conjunction with 2 fire fly drum keys and you will get the tunning pretty exact.Thanks again.

[@bostondrum]

Thanks for watching!

[@Brewkowsky07]

Excellent video! Personally, I think the drum started to choke out some after the 80/85 segment. The sweet spot was definitely in the 75 to 80 range. Any chance you would do one of these with a 14x14? Even getting in to a 9x13 and 16x16 would be great.

[@bostondrum]

Thanks for watching! Maybe we'll do floor toms in the future. The same principles should apply, but you might be more inclined to try to shorten the note on a deeper drum.

[@pal4597]

Very helpful! 75/80

[@radeksikldrumming3970]

Great idea. Thank you for this!

[@felipebluesbrasil]

Great. Make the same test for snare too

[@davidsuprenant893]

Please do this demonstration with a 14x6_1/2 10 lug wood drum.Kind of the standard today.Theres shorter and deeper but most people probably own a 6-1/2 wood snare. Thank you sir.

[@metothemoon1227]

85 over 90 it's Kenny Washington tuning :) For me 75/80 and 85/85 both are great

[@SOLDbyYOU]

This was almost a great video..... BUT !!!! When playing MUSIC..... we center on pitches..... Not on numbers drum some dial... sure this system works but only if you buy a drum dial... this tuning comparison would have been EXCELLENT with one additional demo.... ( ok maybe two parts to one additional demo) 1) WHAT ARE THE PITCHES........ PITCHES.... PITCHES....... on each head ? And / or 2) with a very soft towel or pillow muffle the reso and ( at light to medium volume) strike the batter head near the rim and near the tension screws.... 2) do the same ( inverted) ... muffle the batter and play the reso.... WE WOULD ALL.....LOVE ...to hear the heads individually.... and THEN together to hear the drum’s singing pitch. NUMBERS ONLY..... means that this video... while great..... REQUIRES THE DRUM DIAL... I’m a drummer, a percussionist, a piano tuner and a guitar player.... I have my heads and their pitch relationships written ( with a sharply ) right on the batter head ..... ( example) ... C/A = G ( batter / reso = prime note ( fundamental) NO ONE..... ... DEMOS..... this... To nail my PITCHES... and to document them.... I use a program on my iPhone and iPad called Function Generator Pro.... I am NOT associated with this app at all..... any pitch generator would likely be fine... First... 1) I snug both heads to “just above wrinkle” and above flabby tone. Then 2) I place / rest the drum with the reso head or the batter head on a pillow/soft carpet/ towel so only ONE head can sound. Then 3) I lightly TAP AROUND THE HEAD ...tap around the head and try to sing/ hum/ whistle the clearest or highest pitch .... at this point the pitches are often unfocused but COMMIT TO SOMETHING.....commit to something. Then ( it helps me to find that note AND PLAY IT on my acoustic guitar... because now that pitch is clearer in my brain ) THEN.... 4) I find that pitch on the Function Generator.... And then 5) I have the function generator play that note/pitch/ frequency....continuously.. AND THEN I TUNE AROUND THE HEAD MATCHING THE PITCH THAT THE F generator is making. Because the f gen is playing the note...I MUST TUNE ALL PORTIONS OF THE DRUM ...TO....IT......... this forces me to focus on a COMMITTED pitch... which results in my ability to tune to a pitch FASTER... tune the head much more quickly... NNNNOOOWWWWWW I have a head that is in tune with its self. 6) Finally ( at this stage) write the pitch ( C or B Or G or whatever) ( and / or the frequency... the F Generator will tell you the pitch and the freq)...on a piece of paper. THEN.... flip the drum over and repeat the same process... one head muffled and one head sounding. Don’t forget to write down the pitch/ freq of the second head too ! NOW....... YOU CAN START TUNING ONE HEAD TO THE OTHER !!!!! Match the heads first... just to start somewhere.... AND...... NOTE THE OVERALL PITCH OF BOTH HEADS SINGING AT THE SAME TIME ( the drum fundamental) FINALLY.... now you can do the same experiments with heads pitched the same... vs reso high or low... AND.... YOU CAN TRACK WHAT YOURE DOING !!!! I have 1972(ish) Rogers SwivoMatics.... and my 12x8 and my 13x9 were UN.....TUNE....ABLE... It turns out that after seeing the videos on bearing edges , I discovered that the ORIGINAL bearings on my toms were HORRIBLE.... ( original ...as in the grey speckled paint was still intact... HORRIBLE ..as in over a 1/16” high to low ... proven when I started cutting the edges with my router..) because I was a piano tuner I have wood working tools. Finally NEW BEARING EDGES “RIMMS” mounts for my 12” and 13” New heads HOURS of experimentation with the Frequency Generator and noting EVERYTHING... My old drums sound much nicer... AND....if I dare experiment and want to try different combinations of batter vs reso tunings... I can always quickly go back to what I know works... because I WROTE MY “ Standard” pitches on each batter head. AND..... when I play out..... I know that I can always get back to my standard tuning... even with temperature and humidity changes. To be clear....I..... thought that ...I COULDNT TUNE MY TOMS..... after hours and days of work.... My drums are tune-able.... PS John Bonham... was known for tuning his toms...TO A SPECIFIC PITCH... for certain songs. I never thought that this was possible ..... I can do that now. My toms naturally pitch to Dire Straits Brothers in Arms. Thank you for considering this commentary... And I truly hope that it helps. JT

[@thomasnappo6309]

I have same Drumdial..And the Digital Drumdial BOTH ARE THE BEST TUNERS NEXT TO THE TUNEBOT.

[@felipebluesbrasil]

if in this case it was a clear ambassador on the bottom and a clear emperor on the batter how would the configuration be to be equivalent to example 4 - 75/75? because you say in the video that if the skin is thicker the drum dial scores higher and thinner lower, it would be 80/75? or would you keep 75/75?

[@bostondrum]

If you tune the top and bottom heads to equal pitches in that scenario, I believe that the Drum Dial would read higher on top.

[@thomasnappo6309]

To me..75/75--80/80..sounded best...its a 12in not a 8in tom.😊

[@Pearl3Drummer]

Great content!

[@bostondrum]

Thanks for watching!

[@freethinksman4393]

This is fantastic! Thanks so much! I have a question about rims: I have a Gretsch Broadkaster kit with the same size (8x12)n rack tom. It came with 310 single flange hoops and mini claws though. I have not been able to tune it as low as your lowest tuning. The second lowest is even a bit too low for something that sounds decent and decays evenly. If your Drum Dial says 75, I can probably get mine down to 76 before it starts falling apart. I know the bearing edges and shell construction is a bit different from the USA Customs, but do you think die cast rims perhaps allow it to go a bit lower?

[@bostondrum]

Thanks for watching. Yes, I think a more substantial hoop might help to widen your tuning range a bit, but I wouldn't worry about it; even if you're tuned a little higher than you think you should be, your drums probably sound better to the audience than to you behind the kit. If you want to try different hoops, I'd recommend 302s on the Broadkaster, and keep in mind that you may need shorter tension rods as well.

[@user-yc7fr2jo9g]

80-85. The best for me

[@joek81981]

I think its maybe a really sing-y drum to start with. That's probably why I can't get a good sound out of my 12 no matter what I do with it and you've got like 4 or 5 nice sounds out of your's.

[@Qingeaton]

Liked 75/75 best, but I see most guys are liking the 75/80. Tomorrow is going to be a lot of ....ding.....ding.....ding.

[@bostondrum]

How did it turn out? Thanks for watching.

[@user-su8jc8qi9s]

Hello! Please give a recommendation for my Amati drum kit for tuning. I have 12,13,14,16,18 tom and bass drum 22. Thank you very much!

[@MrMrh1958]

75/80 nicest!

[@danieldelac6264]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@xristosgiotsas9626]

10 12 14 maple tuning? And snare 14

[@jesusperez2863]

Is there a video of 8" through 16, 18" tom tunning?

[@bostondrum]

No, only the 12" tom so far. Obviously the same principles apply to other sizes, but deeper/larger drums such as a kick or floor tom may have less usable tuning range. The snare drum can be a different animal because of the wires and thin resonant head. Thanks for watching.

[@jesusperez2863]

Thank you

[@BeatKasterG]

Good video, but it would have been more useful NOT to have used the only brand that only uses 5 lugs per side on a 12" tom!

[@simonbroke-smith7783]

🤘😁🥁👍

[@kaybhee6]

goot