Roto Tom Mounting Options

[@daniellang3782]

I must have a very old Roto Tom system. Instead of a track mounting rail, I have a solid rail with holes in various places where my Tom’s fit in through the holes and are secured with a single clamping screw per drum. Years ago I had the system you just showed, but I sold them. I just bought this vintage set off eBay, and was surprised by the mounting system myself. What can I say both systems work

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

I have never seen the rail with holes like that. Not even in pictures or anything. Very interesting. I have 3 variations of the mounting hardware myself, but of course there are more…

[@jonrinehart8402]

Duuude yes! Thank you for this! I've vaguely seen the last one you were talking about but could not for the life of me figure out how they were accomplishing that. I believe it's called a coupling nut and I'm so glad you pointed that out

[@johnprink6293]

Good video! Helped explain and clarify a lot of my questions! Cheers!

[@1Lee]

Oh my goooooddd I’m so glad you made this video! I watched your first video and didn’t realize you had posted this one. I’m subscribing now for having missed the video. Can you believe i still haven’t figured out a great way to mount my Rototoms? Thanks for making this video and all the others. This video goes into great depth to show all the “official” ways of mounting. I’m at the point where I’m trying to have a friend weld or craft some sort of mounting system for me.

[@1Lee]

Gonna try some sort of clamp for the Rototom bolt. I don’t want to mount from the rims because of the problems you mention in another about not being able to freely spin the rim to tune the drum without unmounting it.

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

1Lee yeah the rim mount could be an issue, but there’s probably a way to use a locking nut or something on the big handle to tune the drum from the bottom instead of the top. But in my opinion it would still be easier to figure out how to clamp the bottom into some type of existing stand.

[@1Lee]

@@RyanAlexanderBloom right! i'd seen someone mention online about tuning from the bolt instead of the rim... if i ever get a cool mount design i'll HAVE to post a video, until then gonna keep riding the remo rail :( haha

[@Assimilator702]

1Lee You could install a few hex couplers on each threaded rod and mount each rototom into a dog bone. Expensive but complete freedom on where each rototom is mounted.

[@1Lee]

@@Assimilator702 interesting, what is a dog one? could you make a video of this example?

[@dye182]

Singly I’ve mounted one with rims mounts. As far as on the bar I’ve just drilled a hole in the track and fixed it for not moving. You can also mount in a boom tube as well

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

I’m not sure what you mean by “boom tube.” I cant picture what piece of hardware you’re describing. As far as rims mounting, the downside I see is that you’d have to tune by twisting the center rod because the drum itself would be fixed in place. So you’re gonna need to attach some kind of handle to get leverage. Could work though. Just the opposite way around from normal.

[@diespammers1069]

Thx. Nice and clear! (I won't mention the carriage bolt/lag bolt issue again. hehe.)

[@kzaz069]

I just pick-up the exact roto tom rack today and your video is the first one I'm watching. By any chance, do you know the make or model this set is?

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

Mine are Remo. I don’t know the model number, but they invented the Rototom so the model might just be “Rototom”

[@kushking420]

Thomas Lang is who i think you are remembering placing his rotos the way you described at the end

[@virgilbowler92]

Another option I've used for mounting a rototom on it's own using the 6" 8" 10" set: Position the 3 Tom's so that 1 is at the very end of the rail and the other 2 close but not touching so as to still be rotated (like a half inch or less between toms) There will be enough excess rail at the opposite end that you can mark it and saw it off. The short piece of rail you now have can be used to mount 1 rototom on your stand.And of course sand the sawed edges!

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

That’s true. There is a little extra on there.

[@joelmonaco4990]

the cheap cast aluminum shaft coupler where the 2 shafts connect to adjust height on mine cracked.

[@chromebull884]

I am thinking about buying some t track and putting that on a cymbal stand

[@markwlewisonutube]

Not a lag bolt, but a “carriage bolt.” The carriage bolt has a flat head (with or without a slot or Phillips slot) in the head with a square head on the shaft side of the head to allow the flats of the square part to grip the slot, so,it doesn’t rotate.

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

You are correct. Someone else also mentioned that. It is a carriage bolt. Said the wrong thing without thinking. I’m sure I’ll be corrected several more times too.

[@mdrumt]

Do any normal tom rims mounts work at all? Pearl, tama etc?

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

I’m sure they would because the rims are pretty standard triple flange, but that would make tuning them pretty hard. And that’s really the coolest feature. So making their best feature hard is sort of counterintuitive.

[@juice1410]

Nice video ! Could you mount a 14” Roto Tom to a “rims” mounting system?

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

You can, another commenter said he has done it. But, you’d lose the ability to rapidly tune the drum, unless you added a large handle of some kind to the screw to give you some leveraged turn it instead of turning the rest of the drum.

[@juice1410]

@@RyanAlexanderBloom Makes perfect sense. thx!

[@TempoDrift1480]

That is a carrage bolt. A lag bolt has a hex head and a pointed tip with course treads for screwing into wood.

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

Ah, ok. You are correct. I totally used the wrong term.

[@bruceperkins2921]

You could use a rims mount too

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

That is technically true, but you’d have to tune by rotation of the carriage bolt rather than the drum. This is less convenient and also would require you to devise a handle of some sort that would give you leverage. Unless you just didn’t want to have quick retuning as an option. Which sort of defeats the purpose of the rototom. Some sort of handle could be devised pretty easily and this would work, so again yeah you’re right.

[@bruceperkins2921]

@@RyanAlexanderBloom I think they look cool. I've used them as electronic drum pads in the past. Attach a trigger a bam.

[@vintagemxer9165]

I've had rotos in the 70s and 80s and hated their mounting system and stupid looking handles. I got rid of the handles at least and got shorter bolts. Shame they never came out with a better way to mount them. And black rotos suck.

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

I have 2 of the “cymbal” stands that can mount a single roto, 2 of the clamps that can attach a single roto to a tom arm or similar, and the regular track mount for the standard 3 set. I only own 6 sizes so I have options. That said, they sit in the closet most of the time anyway.

[@3sidesofeve711]

The worse part of the roto tom was the heavy stand and bracket bar.. I took it all off and mounted it to the cymbal stand.

[@nyce188]

Hi. Do you have a video of what you did?

[@3sidesofeve711]

@@nyce188 kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4bMioaDirqNg8k