I'd get away from tuning the batter and reso heads to the same pitch as each other in this situation. Try taking just the batter down on your 14". As a general rule, I tune my reso tom heads a minor 3rd higher than my batters. It can vary a lot depending on the room and the type of music I'm playing, but that's where I start. Very important to have each individual head 'tuned to itself', as well, and not have that sour ping we hear when it isn't. Also, while I get the approach of tuning to the fundamental pitch of the shell, but that isn't always ideal, as you can hear yourself in this case. Those shells will have overtones that will chime in as well. Just stretch out and play around with them. You'll know when you're getting close. Good luck!

Plus 1, OldSchool ... !!

Thanks! Over on FB, the Slingerland group also suggested I check the re-rings for age/damage I might have missed when I first put the set up.

I wouldn't put too much thought into tensioning the heads. The first thing to do is lose the drum dial and rims system. Those 3ply shells with rounded over edges were not made to get a lot of resonance like modern drums with thicker shells and sharper edges.

I always tension the resonant tighter than the batter side no matter where or what I'm playing. Then I can tension the batter side of my 13 and 16 up or down, depending on what sound I'm looking for on that particular day. It's not rocket science, use your ears to find what works for you. I also record my kit from about 15-20 feet away to hear how they sound from out front.

Follow-up: the bearing edge on the 14 is fine but... drum roll... the counterhoop is warped. To test it I "borrowed" the batter hoop from my son's Mapex snare and now I have much better tone control.

I put the G1 head back on the 14, and retuned the 10, 12 and 13 higher, and now I have good tone separation.

Unfortunately now I have a snare buzz to fix :) .

To each his own. I typically start with the reso tuned to it’s lowest pitch - just past a flappy sound. To me, this allows me the widest range of tuning for the batter head. Be sure to tune the head to a similar pitch near each tension rod. I say similar, because I have found it nearly impossible to get the same pitch, in that adjusting one tension affects the others. If I am close, and striking the head gives me the tone I want, I’m done!

If this doesn’t work, tune the reso higher.

Also, even though the Evans G1 is supposed to be the same thickness as a Remo Ambassador (10 mil), the Evans sounds much thicker to me.

There are several schools of thought when deciding how to tune your drums. The great thing about this question is even though it has been discussed extensively in many places and forums, you can always learn something new that may work for you.

Something I didn't catch in your post is the depth of your 14" tom.. is it a floor tom or a mounted, larger rack style tom with a shallower depth? If so, it may just be close enough to the 13" in diameter and depth to produce a sound that's nearly identical in tone when using the suggested Drum Dial settings.

I have learned more recently when regards to tuning is that while reso head higher than the batter sounds great to the drummer, it can also not always carry through the music to the audience out front in an un-mic'd situation. The tighter resonant head forces the sound back up through the looser batter head.

Tuning the batter head tighter than the resonant head, which often sounds "bad" to the drummer, will sound great out front because the sound is being pushed that direction. The same can be said for even tensioning; sometimes that doesn't sound great to me, but it often sounds ok out front.

Also, there's nothing wrong with using a Drum Dial (or Tune Bot) to get your desired tonal range. I have used both and each work well enough to varying degrees, but I would caution against using them to the point where you rely on them all of the time. Pay attention and get used to the tones they provide by striking the drum, just inside each lug about an inch in from the rim. The goal is for your ear to start hearing when the head isn't in tune with itself. I learned to tune drums early on in my 26 year playing experience by using my ear, because back then we didn't have the great YouTube videos available to see how others did it and we didn't have many Drum Dials or Tune Bots around (I think Tama may have had the Tension Watch then).

I guess my advice over all is to keep asking tuning questions, listen to all the responses and try some (or all) of the techniques people offer. It never works just "one way" in my experience. Use RIMS mounts if you want, use snare stands with Little Booty Shakers for maximum resonance if you want, put those toms on an antiquated mount that chokes the ever loving life out of them if you want to... Be the Bob Ross of drum tuning!! It's your world, my friend =)

Happy drumming!

I’ve never used a Drum dial. While I’ve tuned thousands of drums, I always thought that was a gadget for the amateur. My ear has been trained to find the drums “sweet spot”. It’s there, you have to know how to find it!

Most of the time, I tune with the reso head a step higher than the batter. The rounded edges, depth, and shell pitch will dictate where it comes together.

There are jazz tunings for higher pitch. This is tricky as the heads are much tighter and one must refrain from choking the drums.

Live tuning will be loose so the drum resonates. Might sound chunky behind the kit, but 30 feet out front it’s fine!

Studio tuning is closer to jazz tuning but not as tight. Kind of in between the jazz and live tune.

Shells have a note. You can use high medium and low for the same shell with the same heads if you want, but heads are a whole different discussion. Clear/clear for live, coated/clear or coated/coated for tighter tunings.

Learn it, master it. Catch the fly with your chopsticks!

A-ha!....( I've been trying to catch that fly with drumsticks- !!!) Agree with schmegeggie- tune/retune/tune again/retune- till you can hear those nuances- I HAVE had a tom that will still have what I call a 'wonky'.... some weird 'bwong...' -and have put on the dial to 'check' down to the last little measurement- and it 'helps'-

but BETTER if you can do it by EAR... (but again- my ears be OLD....)!! Practice on many different drums and in many ranges- I thought I had all my snares set to my satisfaction and then tried retuning to higher pitches the other day.... experimentation proved rewarding!