I've personally never gotten to sit down at a set that had a 14" floor tom and try one out. I've played 16"s the entire time I've drummed up until the last few years when I got an 18", and LOVE the 18" thump it has. Maybe even more than the 16".

Ive got three 14 FTs. And in three different configurations.

20-12-14-16, factory set except for the 14, but the 14 is in the serial range of the set, very closely.

18-12-14, Orpan set, converted 18 FT to Bass drum.

18-12-13-14 Five Piece, factory originals.

I like them.

No, and it`s the length of the kick.

It`s so sought after because it fits nice between the 13 and 15 !i

I think that the 14" diameter has better stick feel than most any other drum, except for a 13". No matter how tight the 16", it doesn't feel as nice as a 13 or 14" with a standard pair of sticks. Try a roll on the bass drum, not as sweet, try a roll on an 18" tom…not as sweet.

IMHO, the popularity of the 14" floor tom was a result of the post WWll decline of the "big band". In the late 40's moving into the 50's, steady gigs for drummers became scarce and they had to resort to more freelancing and doing doubles and triples to survive. This resulted in the necessity for smaller drum kits to ease multiple set ups/tear downs and transportation. The old saying..."the drums had to fit in the trunk of a cab" was a reality especially in the big cities. It was simple supply and demand for the drum companies. These small drum kits were being used by the great NYC jazz players (Kenny Clark, Max Roach, Art Blakey etc.) in the 50's and 60's. Their influence on R&B drummers is undeniable, not only musically, but also their equipment.... including the 14" floor tom.

British music was just hype...

Generally, hype doesn't span decades. Name the British artists from the 60's and early 70's that still pack arenas and more specifically stadiums. Now do the same with American artists from the same time period. Hmmm.

And what does any of that have to do with 14" toms?

Led Zeppelin, Cream, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, The Who, All that I have listed have been in the recent years they are all sell out arenas, high dollar ticket prices and record attendance.

We'll, that is not exactly what I meant, but you get the idea. The Stones, Genesis, U2 (albeit later 70's) Pink Floyd (should they decide to tour again - and they may) and to a lesser extent the Who, Peter Gabriel, Elton John, Roger Waters, etc. are all acts that do very well in large format venues today. In the case of the Stones that is 50 years into their career. I am hard pressed to think of acts besides Springsteen, Billy Joel and The Eagles that even come close in box office scores. None of those three will compete particularly well with the Stones or U2.

Now...how many of those acts use a 14" floor tom, I have no idea.

Does Neil Diamond count.

Don't say "only to ten, mud head!"

All the others are dead! But they'd've sold out stadiums.

Notice my double contraction, I'm starting a trend.

Ringo defined a lot of things. He's it! There are others.

Neil Diamond was a big arena draw up until about 12 years ago. I forgot to mention Paul McCartney for crying out loud.