Hey hey, we've made it to our second drum update (or "Drumpdate" as I insist on calling them).

In my last post, I'd mentioned that I wanted to dedicate this update to covering the head-changing process on the 16" floor tom since it apparently didn't need as much TLC as the rest of the kit. Now, I'd like to go on record here as saying that it's great to have dreams. Really, it's a perfectly healthy thing to do. But facts is facts: dreams don't always come true.

Allow me to elaborate...

PART 1 - NOT-SO-SWEET SIXTEEN

Before we begin, I do want to stress that nothing about this drum is beyond repair. These problems are setbacks, not disasters.

Something important to understand about floor toms is that their mounting is unique compared to other drums on the kit. Instead of being held by a separate, freestanding rack/stand or mounted off a bass drum, floor toms are usually held in position by a set of three legs attached to mounts on the drum. This acrylic floor tom made by Drum Workshop gives a nice, clear (no pun intended) view of the mounting hardware from some different angles:

On each of those mounts is a thumb screw which holds its connected leg in place. This has pretty much been standard practice on these drums for years, and though the hardware on the Slingerland is cruder and a bit worn with age, it still works the same way as on contemporary drums.

It has three mounts with...

Two thumb screws?

Yup, there's a thumb screw missing. Now there's two ways I could go about fixing this:

1. Try and find a replacement thumb screw that can slot into the existing hardware.

2. Try and find hardware to replace one (or maybe even all) the mounts and/or legs which matches the preexisting holes already in the drum.

Option 1 is, of course, the simplest one. As long as I can find a thumb screw of the right size, I should just be able to replace it. The ones on the other drums seem to measure about 3/16" in diameter.

Option 2 is definitely more extreme and involved, but it does have its advantages. I've already gone on record as saying vintage hardware tends to kinda suck, and this stuff is no exception. An upgrade would be a nice quality-of-life investment, but it would definitely be more of an investment in both time and money than just replacing the one part.

Some food for thought.

There's also small matter of the internal muffle not being attached to the drum.

For reference, this is the same muffle assembly in one of the 12" rack toms:

The floor tom muffle appears to be missing a bolt, nut, and washer, but those should be easy enough to find at a hardware store. Just gotta get a measurement.

3/16" again. Huh. Well, it should at least be easy to remember!

PART 2 - TOUCHING BASS

Now would be a great time for some good news, wouldn't it?

Welp, you're in luck. The entire rest of this update is good news. This is now officially a good-vibes-only zone.

Piece of good news the first: all the holes in the bass drum are now plugged! The grommet fits like a glo-

... Er, like a nice, cozy mitten! And I was able to find some trim clips in that set that fit. I don't know if I'd call it gorgeous, but they're probably not too noticeable if you don't go looking for them.

And neither the grommet nor the trim clips move even when I'm really laying into the drum. Just take a look (and bear in mind the drum hasn't been tuned or muffled, isn't properly miked, and is being slammed waaaayyyyy harder than it normally would be; this is not the final sound of this drum):

PART 3 - HEADING INTO THE FUTURE

The second piece of good news is that I've gotten the new heads onto one of the two 12" rack toms.

This post is getting a little longer than I like, so I think I'll save the details of that process for when I get the second rack tom. With how long I've been "out of the saddle," so to speak, it's probably for the best that I could get a little practice in before I start documenting it. I wouldn't want to make myself look like too much of a fool, after all.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to let you have a little taste of what's to come, though, so here's a quick comparison of what the first few bars of "Wipeout" sounds like on each set of heads. Note that the same tension has been applied to each set of heads (77 psi on the batter and 76 on the resonant) and no muffling has been applied to either drum. I'm also still not finished dialing in the tuning to get the exact sound I want. For the purposes of demonstrating the different sounds of the heads, however, this placeholder tuning will do.

Congrats, you made it to the end!

That about wraps things up for now. Apologies for the delay in getting this out, but this project is definitely something I'd prefer to take slowly, steadily, and cautiously. This isn't something I wanna mess up. I can't promise the next Drumpdate will be out any quicker, but I do promise that work on it is steadily continuing.

All that said, thank you so much for your time and patience, and I'm hoping to have more for you Soon™.