Why not add another commonly available 16x16 and tune it up or down as needed ala Budy Rich? Would save you some $$ that way.....I would have suggested a 16x18, but those are about as rare and valuable and hard to find as a 14x14....LOL!

1) You are correct on all counts. I have 9x13 and would get 8x12.

2) Hopefully not a stupid question but I've only dealt with vintage drum sets in my life (the "family" drum sets, a 67 Luddie Clubdate and 59 Gretsch Anniversary)--but will the RIMS mounts work on the Gretsch toms with that slot and no holes?

I like your other suggestions as well. I have to process it all (I am a guitarist setting up a set for the studio, so slow on the uptake in drum matters).

The Rims type mounts mount under the rim of the drum... so the existing stock diamond shaped Gretsch plate on the drum would still be there, but go unused. The Rims type mounts accept different types of tom brackets. I've never used them, by my understanding is that they are available for most popular drums.

So you could get a 12" and 13" Rims mounts with say, Gibraltar tom brackets attached to them, and they would mount to a Gibraltar double floor tom stand, for example. Or Ludwig or Pearl, whatever fits the budget.

It isn't vintage looking, but it could look good.

I appreciate the clarification very much and take the point re how it would look.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to write and share thoughts and views.

I've added a newer 10" Gretsch tom to my vintage round badge kit and have experimented with a few different setups. There are ways to do it without sacrificing anything.

I tried out RIMS mounts at the store and ultimately decided that Pearl ISS mounts were more stable and looked less intrusive. They're also easy to remove in order to fit your drums into cases for gigs. I've been using ISS mounts for 13 years or so, and I'm very happy with them. But I don't like the look of the Pearl tom arms -- they work fine, but they're too bulky and 80's-looking for my taste. I prefer the L-arm that you see on keystone-badge Ludwig kits. So I drilled some new holes in my ISS mounts and put on Gibraltar L-arm tom brackets instead of the Pearl tom brackets. I use Tama-style tom arms, which look a bit more "vintage" and are very easy to set up. RIMS mounts are also fine, and seem to be more common -- it's just a matter of personal taste.

As for setup, you have at least four options. If you want the standard five-piece "two rack toms, one floor tom" setup, you can attach one L-arm clamp to a cymbal stand to the left of your bass drum and hang the 8x12 from it, and attach another L-arm clamp to a cymbal stand to the right of your bass drum and hang the 9x13 from it. The only problem is that you can't keep your ride hanging low over the bass drum, and you can't use the bass-mounted cymbal stand.

Alternatively, you can use the "offset tom" setup used by Phil Collins when he added a second rack tom to his round badge kit circa 1973. You'd get a double-tom stand, mount both toms on it, and put it just to the left of your bass drum. Your 8x12 would be slightly left of the center of your snare, and your 9x13 would be slightly right of the center of your snare. It looks a little funny, but it gives you great access to both toms. It also lets you keep your ride cymbal down low. I tried this setup for a while and liked it, but I ended up abandoning it because the extra tom on the left was interfering with the splash cymbals I like to mount on my hi-hat stand.

You can also do what I'm currently doing: mount the higher tom to the left of your bass drum using an L-arm clamp attached to a cymbal stand, and mount the 13" tom in the same manner but position it where your floor tom would normally go. Then put the 16" floor tom next to the 13" for that classic Mitch Mitchell "one up, two down" look. Of the three options, this one comes closest to keeping a vintage look, but it doesn't feel as convenient as the other two. I'm still getting used to it.

Lastly, you can try the Larry Mullen Jr. setup: one tom up top, floor tom on your right, and one tom to the left of your hat stand. It's a weird place for a tom, but you may find yourself coming up with patterns you wouldn't otherwise play. (Me, I keep an extra snare there.)

Whichever mode you choose, rest assured that there are plenty of ways to make it work without drilling.

Section2 thanks for taking the time to write out your suggestions. I'll seriously look into your suggestion about the Phil Collins approach and just have to get used to playing my ride a mile high like Keith Moon if I do it.

And in any case now there is a discussion of this topic available for anyone else who cares enough not to drill holes out there.

My pleasure! I've spent far too many hours experimenting with my setup over the years; I'm glad all that time can be put to good use by fellow drummers. :)

One of the pluses of the Phil Collins setup is that you can have multiple toms while keeping your ride down low over the bass drum. Back in '73, Phil had two toms up top and the ride over the bass drum. Even with his current million-drum setup, the ride is still reasonably low and could be lower:

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp138/lucagenesis/Lucas/PhilCollins.jpg

The ride cymbal in the above photo isn't quite over the bass drum, but that's a giant 15" tom hanging over a little 20" bass. With a 13" over a 22", you should still be able to keep the ride more-or-less over the bass, though you'll need to use a cymbal stand instead of the bass-mounted cymbal arm.