You can always take them out later..but you will have to drill extra holes if you do not get them in the first place!Hmmmm

When I ordered my Classic Maple Downbeat kit, I also ordered tone controls for the toms and snare, but requested they not be installed. That way, I could be sure that each one was installed at the proper depth below the top bearing edge to function properly. The only issue? One of the tone controls was not manufactured correctly. I used a nice vintage Ludwig tone control instead. I've found that both Ludwig and Slingerland tone controls can have minor differences in the way the spring steel is formed, causing the felt to either be too high or too low in relation to the top head. This stuff drives me crazy!!!!

I've always liked having them on the drums. It is nice to be able to muffle the drum easily, by turning a knob. I am old school and have always used a felt strip across the head, up until recently. I just started to use a little piece of Moongel here and there and it works really well and doesn't completely choke the sound of the drum.