[COLOR="DarkRed"]Well, here's the deal, IMHO (from a guy who adores consolettes):

You gotta decide if you wanna go old-school or not.

MOST old consolettes (factory) are significantly off-center...don't matter if it was a Luddy, Slingy, pearl, whatever...many rather absurdly so. Most of 'em, due to their location, really make half the rail moot because it just sets the tom too far "outboard " of the bass drum to be of practical use.

I look at your images, and to me they are all too far aligned to the side for a modern player...But you are correct, give or take a tad, they are centered on the lug.

Again, back in the day, that's the way players played 'em...but that sort of rack tom location sorta went by the wayside long ago.

When I install a consolette on a renovation....I usually hit it about 2"off of dead center top of bass drum (front-back), closer to the batter hoop than the res hoop....and dead center on the top of the shell (left-right) That way, you get full utilization of all of the rail.

When I want it to "look" mo' old-school, I will offset it to the left (from player's perspective) by setting the far legs/holes about a 1" to 1-1/2" overlap beyond the top lugs (assuming an 8-lug bass drum)...no further than that or again, you lose its practicality. This seems to provide both a vintage aesthetic and a very usable rail.

...there is no right or wrong answer...[/COLOR]

I agree with Jaye. I'd take his advice.

Hey there, Pratt !

What Jaye said, man. I would only add that, unless you're going for a specific "look,' try positioning it where it's most comfortable for your own way of setting up.

In other words, connect the tom to the consolette, and then hold the tom to where you'd want it to be. Make a mental note of where the consolette was during that maneuver. Then place the consolette onto the bass drum shell, get it straight and level, and use a sharpie marker to mark each of the mounting holes.

Double check your marks by measuring the distance of the holes on the consolette, and make sure they're the same on the bass drum shell. (Because, often, when we use a marker to mark the holes, we either didn't have it centered, or the template or consolette may have move a small bit.)

Once you're sure, then use a 1/8" pilot bit at a slow speed and drill through the shell. Check your accuracy again by placing the consolette over the holes to make sure they align properly. Assuming they do at this point, then follow up with a 1/4" bit, and let the drill do the work - don't push on it - to help avoid splintering on the inside ply. There will be a little, but the fender washers will cover it up, so don't worry about it cosmetically.

Then mount the consolette, tighten the bolts snug - not overly tight, though. Most people have this idea that every screw or bolt is some sort of challenge, and they torque screws and nuts for all they're worth. Don't do that. Just good and snug, that's all.

Add the tom, take snapshots, post 'em here, and feel free to brag a little. Then we can dig your work with ya.

A virgin vintage bass drum? I know they are your drums but what is the history? Is it a complete kit or are you piecing it together? If they are orphans maybe someone has a bass drum with consolette that they would trade for the virgin one. Personely, I have never liked the way the consolette positioned the tom although I think they look cool.But a virgin vintage bass is a rare comodity. Just my opinion.

...thinking the same thing.

In the sixties and later, billions of drummers drilled bass drums that had rails because they were limited in their positioning and tended to sag and fail.

Now you have a virgin bass and want to drill it...go figure...

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Hm, unusual, but I guess I disagree w/ the last 3 posters.

This whole "virgin bass drum" thang is just...I dunno...I don't get it. OK, so there are far less undrilled bass shells than ones with tom mounts, obviously.

But basically...you are ending up with a kit which requires some extra pc. of hardware to mount a rack tom when, traditionally...they mount off of the bass drum. Extra pc. of hardware to haul around, either a snare stand or some arm mount off of a cymbal stand...doesn't look good aesthetically, takes extra time to set up, IMHO.

You pay extra $ for having a bass drum which is equipped with less hardware and is more of a pain to set up...

(some make the "sound" argument i.e. " no extra holes makes the drum sound better"....but that has been discussed ad infinitum on other forums and it just doesn't hold true in any practical drumming/playing situation, if in any situation at all)

Rails were limited in their positioning because they were located poorly and many were a bear to tighten and loosen. Putting them in a position as suggested above (actually I like Beatnik's suggestion of literally holding the tom where you want it before drilling) makes them very flexible....

You have a vintage bass shell (or any bass shell for that matter)... you wanna add a period-correct mount because you want the rack to mount on the bass....I say ~ go ahead and do it.[/COLOR]

Did somebody say "OldSchool"? (LOL)

This is a topic near and dear to my heart. I happen to be the original owner of a 1963 Ludwig Sky Blue Pearl Clubdate Kit that came with a "clamp-on" tom mount. Please see the pic that I've attached.

Although I've played the kit for what seems like "endless years" utilizing this mount with no issues that I can recall, I never felt fully confident in the reliability of this piece.

Lately I've been considering mounting a vintage rail consolette on the bass drum. However, after reading some of the posts on this subject, I'm beginning to think that if I did so the integrity (i.e., "originality") of the kit might be questioned.

Any thoughts on this one?

Thanks!:confused:

I'm torn. On the one hand, I understand the desire to preserve the originality of the instrument. On the other, it would bug the heck out of me to play that kit the way it is. If I have a kit, I want to be able to enjoy it. That's my take. Then again, I'm a collectors nightmare. I would recover a sweet old Luddy just 'cause it's my favorite color. I'm definitely swayed way over on the function over form debate. Sorry, it's just me.