What is often considered as the best drum setup was established during the 20th century. We have the two main components – the snare drum and the kick drum. Things are rounded up with a certain number of toms. You can form your drum set in various ways. The most common one, considered to be an industry “standard,” features three additional toms as the basic pieces. There are also 4-piece sets with only two toms, and some might prefer this over the standard one, but that’s for some other discussion.
However, what we’re going to be discussing here are the two versions of the “standard” 5-piece kit. One of them can be seen pretty much in any music store with drum equipment and features two toms on the rack attached to the kick drum and one tom on the floor with its own legs. The latter one is somewhat rare to see and features one smaller rack-mounted tom and two floor toms. So which one is better? Well, the answer is not that simple, so we’ll try and clear things out for you.
Best drum setup: Two rack toms and one floor tom
Like we already said, this is the industry standard, something that you’ll most often see in almost any music store worldwide that sells drums and drum components. The “two up and one down” formation features two smaller toms, usually a 10-inch and a 12-inch, on the rack, and one larger tom on the floor, usually a 16-inch. Of course, these components can be of different sizes, but these are the most frequent dimensions.
Although a standard, with this kind of setup, you might have issues placing a ride cymbal. The usual formation for drummers is to place the ride cymbal above the floor tom, sometimes even really close to it in order to keep things more “compact.” However, it’s also not unusual to see drummers placing the ride cymbal a bit higher, somewhere between the floor tom and the larger rack-mounted tom.
This is a usual setup you’ll see these days, and many of the famous players of all the genres still rely on this formation. It’s been like this since the 1970s and the 1980s.
One rack tom and two floor toms
Moving on with the best drum setup debate, we have one rack tom combined with two floor toms. It is somewhat of an “unconventional” formation and you won’t see it that often. These formations usually take more space and are a good solution for those who prefer larger toms. One smaller component, usually a 12-inch tom, is placed on the rack while two larger ones – 14, 16, or 18-inch toms – are individually placed on the floor with their own legs.
Which of these ones is a better option for me?
Before we get into any explaining, we need to point one thing out – it’s all about personal preferences. You will be served countless opinions, even conspiracy theories, claiming that a 5-piece kit was conceived back in the day to sell more components. Either way, there are some things that both of these kits allow and are a better option for different players using different techniques and components.
The “two on the rack” formation is not only a standard but is a bit more practical. It takes slightly less space on the stage and in the studio. It can also be useful if you’re into smaller toms. Yes, you can use larger components in the 2-rack tom formation. However, it might feel more “crowded” to some drummers who prefer deeper toms.
This is where a 2-floor tom formation comes in handy. Bigger components like 14- or 16-inch toms can stand on the floor and give a clearer view over the drum set. Also, you’ll have a more hands-on approach for those who like larger toms and don’t want to hold their hands up all the time with every drum fill.
Ride cymbal placement for best drum setup
Then we have the issue of ride cymbal placement. On a setup with two floor toms, you have more room to keep the ride cymbal lower and closer to toms. On the other hand, ride cymbal on a conventional 2-rack-1-floor formation can be placed lower over the large floor tom. However, it might be a hassle for some drummers as the ride cymbal might feel too far away.
John Bonham of Led Zeppelin is one of the most famous drummers with the two-floor tom formation. However, he had one pretty unusual feature – the smallest tom was on its individual snare stand. Anyway, this kind of setup worked perfectly for him, especially because he used larger toms.
At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong way to approach the instrument. Especially these days when you have drummers with all kinds of crazy formations and drum kits. You’ll find anything from a two-piece kit up to an extremely complex setup in the style of Terry Bozio. It just comes down to the genre of music, your playing, personal preferences. Also, practical issues like transport and stage setups. As a gigging musician playing in clubs, you should definitely consider not taking too much space on the stage.
But for a beginner drummer, we advise sticking with classic 5-piece drum kit with two rack-toms attached to the kick-drum. It’s the standard formation and the best way for you to hone your skills. Practice on this kit and then see what fits your style and preferences. Who knows – maybe you’ll decide for a 4-piece or a 6-piece kit instead.
