Hello,

I’m new to this great forum, so forgive me if my questions have already been asked (I did a search and couldn’t quite find the answers I need).

I have a late-70s Stop-sign Gretsch kit (a “Studio” model, according to the 77 catalog), and I decided to get rid of the original tom holders - the infamous “nylon-ball-half-buried-in-the-shell” - because I wanted to have the 12" and 13" toms closer together (the original holder does not allow that).

I looked at recent Gretsch catalogs, and really liked the idea of replacing the old tom mounts with Gibraltar/Gretsch RIMS (the GTS suspension system), with Gretsch hinged tom brackets (GS-9025). That way, I’d have an updated version of my kit, with better hardware and no drilling necessary (I know the general feeling in this forum about that Eye Ball).

I went ahead and bought the 12 and 13 RIMS, the tom brackets, and the Gretsch “GTH-DL” double tom holder (mighty fine looking, I must say). Since the tom holder fits right in my bass drum rectangular plate (model 4945, 1 inch diameter), I was anticipating nothing but smooth sailing.

Shoulda known better CryBaby

When I removed the old tom mounts, installed the RIMS (looking good, BTW) and put the toms in the bass drum tom holder – DAMN!!!– I realized that the toms are now way too close to me, because the tom mounting plate is positioned near the bass drum head facing the drummer.

I then checked out the position of the mounting plate in newer Gretsches (Catalinas, for instance) and realized that it is located about for inches from the FRONT of the BD, to allow for the toms to fold back and not protrude over the edge of the bass drum.

(Sorry for this long-winded explanation of something that must be very obvious to most people in the forum :)).

SOOOOOOOOOOOO, once I got over the shock, disappointment, rage and self-loathing, I realized that I’m left with two options: one tried-and-true and one hypothetical (which I’d like your input on):

* Option 1: forget about mounting the toms on the bass drum, and use other means to hold them (cymbal stands, snare stands). I’m not crazy about this option, because I suspect it’s a pain to set up the kit the same way each time, and it takes more space and hardware to accomplish this (more $$$, that I hadn’t anticipated).

* Option 2: the one I’d like to try (NO drilling, don’t fret). MAYBE, if I turn the bass drum around, the tom mounting plate will be in the correct position to hold the two toms (i.e., at the right distance from the front of the BD). I'll then switch the bass drum heads and voila! the front becomes the back and viceversa.

I’ll cross my fingers and try this, but I'll probably run into two problems: 1) the bass drum may not really be designed to attach the pedal to the front hoop (anybody know?) and 2) the bass drum spurs, which would now be located on the back of the bass drum (closer to the drummer). In this scenario, is there a way to secure the front of the bass drum (formerly the back) without having to drill and install the spurs there? For instance, what do people who refuse to drill the bass drum use instead of spurs? Is there an accessory to do this? I guess I could always prop up the bass drum with two bricks, but I suspect it would lose some of its vintage flair :)

Pheeeew, that’s about it... Thanks a lot to those that made it this far! Please let me know if you need extra information before rendering your expert opinion :-D

Thanks a bunch!

Alex