There is DEFINITELY a difference when the pipe extends inside the drum significantly.I think it is a combination of torque and the actual mass of the tube doing the torqueing.Like a great big steel mute.Everything hung on a drum affects its resonance.No more bass drum mounted toms at my house,and Pearl isolators on the tom legs.Are Memriloc tom tubes pressed into the pivot or pinned?Could the original arm be removed and standard tubing inserted in it's place?There was an improvement in resonance on my Fullerton set when I stand mounted the 12 + 13.Bass and toms.

I think the length of the pipe def has something to do with it. I think maybe the vibration of the shell travels down the pipe, more than it would with a shorter pipe. This is probably due to the way the mounts are made on these drums. Since the drum is nearest to the rigid end of the pipe the sound of the drum travels or is absorbed by the pipe. Hang the drum on the far end of the pipe and you get more of the actual resonance of the shell. Am I in the ballpark with this thinking?

I believe all of it has to do with the sound quality. Putting a piece of 7/8" tubing 10+ inches into the air column has to have some effect on the sound. My point (and I may be wrong) is that rigidly mounting a tom has a negative impact on resonance. My case in point was Yamaha's YESS mount. It uses a very small hex rod as seen here:

http://m.guitarcenter.com/Item/Default.aspx?itemno=1418487&source=4WWRWXGP&kpid=100067070&gclid=CKvGsIyTtrYCFQvnnAodU1IAxw&urx=1

The mount on the drum is attached by a pair of isolated bolts and the mount itself stands off the shell maybe 1/2". The rod inserts into the mount but not the shell. There is a small circle of leather/moleskin/or something to protect the shell from contacting the inserting rod. In my case I make sure the rod end never touches the shell. Even with that amount of isolation there is a very noticable difference in the sound of the drum while suspended vs mounted on the hardware. If it were just an issue of sustain, it would not be as big a deal to me. To my ears, I hear the drum choke a bit. It's not horrible but enough that I am considering adding RIMS to this kit as well. The only reason I am hesitating is the fact that this kit has nouveau lugs and the combination of those lugs with RIMS might be enough to send me over a cliff.

Just get a small tubing cutter and do it. I have done it and it makes a significant difference. I get the drums set up exactly the way I want them, then I remove the arm and cut the tube about an inch beyond the clamp. I have also trimmed the tube that is part of the mount itself with a hacksaw.

If you're worried about the value, you can always buy some arms/mounts on eBay and cut those instead.

I can't speak for the big R pipe mounts, but as a pre-YESS Yamaha kit owner, it was suggested to me when I bought them to mount the toms out on the ends of the hex rods to increase sustain. Frankly they don't need any more sustain for my needs, but I just wanted to pass that along.

Apparently the hex rod vibrates sympathetically with the shell when it is all the way out, and is isolated at the glass/plastic ball of the mount so it does not vibrate the bass (or stand) the ball mount is mounted to. When the shell mount is close to the ball, the arm (now in the drum) does not vibrate, or perhaps vibrates in the shell in a non-sympathetic manner.

I never worried about it, and my drums sound fine. BUT, a hunk of pipe in the drum may have similar affects, perhaps to a greater degree.

If it is the same diameter as Peral mounts, maybe try a single Pearl mount to mount one ride tom on the bass and see how that sounds??

Ditto! As as a former MemriLoc player I used a pipe cutter after positioning the toms where I wanted them. The difference was noticeable on the older style 5 ply w/re-rings shells, don't know how it will work on the shells you have.

I have 3 memriloc kits and I agree with DanC and orangemi. Measure the tube and cut them off with a pipe cutter so they don't extend at all into the drum. Nice clean look, makes the drum sound better. If a future buyer wants long original tom arms he can buy them, but explain that most BigR players agree that the long tube extending into the drum a long way adversely effects the sound.

Remember, the manufacturer was trying to make a one size fits all mount, with the selling feature being a whole wack of drums could be hung off that triple tom mount in all sorts of weird and wonderful angles and positions.

Fact of live is, a player sets his kit up the way he likes it, usually with one or two high toms only, and that long pipe in the drum is a waste and does not help the sound. I had no hesitation cutting mine down and will never regret it. I have a couple original ones sitting on a shelf if I ever sell, in case a future buyer wants originality.

Laughing H

Jim,

Thanks for the sidebar tip on the YESS mounts. I do keep the toms out tothe ends of the rods for that reason. I still notice the difference. My goal is always maximum sustain and resonance, then I can dial it in to accommodate whatever the situation calls for.

Here's a simple solution: Get some of that shiny black foam (I think it's EPE) they use to protect produce (see Sprouts, Whole Paychecks etc...) as it does NOT degrade over time. I've had a roll in my blistering hot Phoenix shed for 6+ years and it's as good as the day I got it.

Anyway, comes in 1/2" thick sheets. Cut it oversized a bit for the tube diameter and jam it inside the tom arms and the down tubes. No more tube resonance AT ALL. Damped all my Rogers MemriLoc H/W tubing in this manner and it has been extremely effective. Plus you don't ruin the vintage H/W - it's CHEAP and sometimes even free! You may be pleasantly surprised as this contradicts all previous advice...