I am gonna try it. I couldn't resist a 16 x 12 Premier Tenor as my high floor tom. I will mount it on a suspension mount (no holes) just in case it sounds like booty and I need to sell it.
I wish it were easier to get good Premier kits here in the States. :(
floor toms are all over the place----you can never tell. 16 x 12 is an odd dimension but I've done a lot of head swapping over the years and there is a lot that can be done with simple head changes. since it is so shallow, I would recomend a Remo Skyntone(they are expensive) or Encore Pinstripe (they are cheap)batter and a very loose Diplomat resonant head. one of the most surprising floor toms that I have is the one that came with my Kings BopCat kit ---12 x 10; seems like a toy but with a Remo Pinstripe batter and the resonant head that it came from the factory with( i have yet to figure out what it is) , it is one of the fullest floor toms I have, easily outperforming all of the Japanese toms floating around here and many of the German 14"s here as well, so anything is possible. as you depart further from standard dimensions, your head choices become more critical because you are probably, actually looking for standard performance.
Head selection is key.
I am going to try an Evans G2, as they have not let me down thus far. This could be the test case, however. As long as I can get something between the 12x11" APK tom and the 16x15" Powerhouse tom, I will be a happy bun.
I do have some heavier heads to try, but I think I can coax a sound I like out of this tom, especially since I have the lowest tom one octave below the rack tom, which is not a high-tuned tom, anyways. I think I can get a sound I like, or at least I hope (fingers crossed)...
Why not give it a try? I use a Star cocktail drum, 16 by 24 as a second floor tom for my old Star kit. It's fitted with Remo coated Ambassadors and booms out like a cannon! Proper tuning and correct heads are definitely the keys. As another tenor tom, I use a Star snare ( snares off) as a first tom. It too is fitted with Remos. I use the circular plastic mufflers on both the cocktail drum and the snare/tenor. Last night, I tried out an old Star marching drum (14 by 14) as my main snare. With a mic, it was almost too loud! Why not experiment? If you like the sound, why not?
Yeah, salty- I figure I have not much to lose. After all- I could scavenge the hoops (nice die-cast hoops), lugs (always looking for Premier lugs), badge (need some badges for my mongrel kit) and sell the shell if worse comes to worse. I have a feeling that even though I was told it was a beech shell, I think it is mahogany with beech re-rings. None the less, I suspect I will be able to coax the sound I want out of it. After all, there are 16" floor toms being sold now with depths as shallow as 13"!!!!
I will probably use the batter head as the reso, since this is an NOS drum. I am going to try a 16" Evans G2 (which has some weight to it), as they have been giving me the sound I like. As long as I get a tone between the rack tom and floor tom, I will be very happy.
Excellent, bunnyman! Please let us know how it works out. I'm betting that an original thinker like yourself will be able to coax some pretty good sound from this drum!
We will find out in the not so distant future whether it stays or goes...
Please, this is driving me even nuttier.....Why do you smell like cotton candy? I know that this has nothing to do with vintage drums but, I must know!!!
The floor tom I'm using here is a 16x12 pre-serial # tenor modified with Ludwig mounts and ft legs. Complements the rack tom nicely, at a much lower cost than a vintage 14 incher.
