You're not imagining things--the bass drum mount IS thicker. I really don't know why Tama made more than one circumference, but they did. This would mean that the ill-fitting mount you have is likely not the original. I had the opposite issue...wanted to mount the toms on a separate stand...no go! I ended up finding a Pearl stand that accomodated the larger mounting arm, but this was 1989 or so.

Dan

Can you post a picture? One thing I've noticed is that there was a double tom mount that looked very similar to the bass drum mount. That was actually a double tom mount for a stand. Now, I know this sounds dumb but please don't take it that way...I have known a couple of people that had the same issue. To my knowledge, there were two tom mounts, one used wing nuts to tighten the "L" bracket and one (higher end piece) used a wing (not nut) on each side. The one with the wing nuts looks pretty close to the one used for the stand.

When you bought the kit, I'm assuming the tom mount was not actually in the bass.

The mount on the left is for a stand (I have 2) and the one on the left is a standard double tom mount for a Supe bass drum - pipe is 13".

Hey guys,

Thanks for the input so far! I would be surprised if this were not the original equipment because all of the other hardware is original to the 1982 catalog, but I'm sure stranger things have happened. I've included a few pictures so you can see the equipment and the problem. It just so happens that I have an old Tama omni sphere double tom stand in the basement on another kit downstairs. I'll have to see if that one fits.

Is it the consensus that I have a mismatched mount and stand?

Thanks everyone!

That is the top half of a tom stand-not the bass drum mount.It fits in the double braced stand tube.The correct one is on Ebay ALL the time-very common.Are those Cherry Wine stain?I'm looking for a 2-headed 13" tom.

The down tube diameter on bass drum mounts for the Superstars is 1-1/8 inch. As stated above, you have the top half of a tom stand which has a smaller diameter but looks the same except the post is much longer on the tom stand versus the bass drum tom mount.

Regardless of diameter issues, you are lucky in my book. Early 80's Superstars are fantastic drums!

Yup, as I said above, that diameter is what is used on tom stands, Titan series if I'm not mistaken. The length of the tube is a dead give-away, as the length of the "correct" tube is around 13-14"...I think they offered two lengths, one for standard depth toms and one for XTras (deep) toms. I actually had that problem, as one of my bass drums came with the shorter tube and I could never get the tom adjustment right. Ended up picking up a tom holder with the longer tube...works great.

they show up on Ebay all the time, should be easy for you to get.

Way to go on the Tama's. You will enjoy them.

Wow, thanks for all of the information! Yeah, I love these drums so far. They are built very well and they are beautiful! I must admit I wish the bass drum were smaller, but I have the 10, 12, 16, 22 setup and the toms are the more shallow size, which I love. I haven't had the time to dial the tuning in yet, but am loving the sound I'm getting for just slapping the heads on.

I'll have to keep my eye on ebay and see if I can get the correct one. Thanks again, you guys are great!