Vintage Snare Drums - Vintage Tom Mounts

With their double tom Hollywood outfit in 1959, (Photo 19) Ludwig introduced the No. 781 double tom holder, (Photo 20) which was a simple tilter with twin clips mounted on a retractable riser tube. It had a wood block at the tilter to keep the toms apart - similar in many ways to a modern-day concert tom holder.

1959 Ludwig 781 retracting double tom holder	Ludwig 1970s no. 781 retracting double tom holder

Photo 19	Photo 20

During the late 1960s and the early ‘70s, that double holder design was modified as a twin Uni-Sphere style using “L” arms instead of slip-on mounting brackets. (Photo 21) Ludwig stayed with their 781 twin and 783 single retracting holders into the 1990s, before upgrading to the newer style already in widespread use with both single and double holders. Each maker once had distinct tom holders.

Ludwig 1980 781 double ratchet holder

Photo 21

By 1970, Camco was using their own design instead of the Walberg & Auge rail consolette. It was a radically simple take on an arm and socket concept. Camco’s No.15 single swivel tom holder had a long solid riser to adjust the tom height. (Photo 22) The tom arm allowed the tilt angle, and the swivel allowed the tom to be positioned closer or swung back. Gretsch finally quit using the old Walberg & Auge rail consolette by the early 1960s, but only with their no. 4936 double tom holder. It was basically a twin tilter made for use with the diamond plate slip-on clips which were still in use with the rail consolette on single-tom set-ups. By around 1976, they came out with an all-new design for both single or double toms. (Photo 23-24)

Camco 1971 no.15 single swivel holder	Gretsch 1960s no. 4936 double tom tilter	1976 Gretsch no. 4937 Dual Purpose tom holder

Photo 22	Photo 23	Photo 24

(Photo 25) The Gretsch no. 4937 Dual-Purpose tom holder was odd configuration of the ball and socket idea. It had a nylon ball mounted inside each tom bracket, which accepted a hexagonal shaft, and was controlled by key-tightened screws for tilting and angling. The height was set by raising either the center riser tube, the hexagonal “L” arm, or both. It was an improvement over the 4936 slip-on model, but Gretsch players weren’t too fond of the design. (26) By the 1980s, they changed to a new style of ball and socket with a Ludwig-type “L” arm and tom bracket for their TechWare design. The knurled “L” arms were made to a hefty 12.7 mm, with 1” riser tubes. Gretsch’s TechWare system has since been upgraded a couple of times, but it still maintains the same basic design. Like most other brands, they have also adapted over to isolated mounts.

Gretsch Dual Purpose tom holder exploded view	Gretsch 1990s GTBH-SL holder and 9020 TechWare bracket

Photo 25	Photo 26

1972 brought another unique configuration of the ball and socket concept with the Fibes UniBall tom holders. Fibes used two ball and socket brackets - one mounted on the bass drum, and the other on the tom, with a solid hexagonal “L” arm between. Two keyed set screws controlled the nylon ball, allowing almost any amount of angling, swivelling, and tilting. The hexagonal “L” arm was of thick, hefty stock. Fibes’ double tom holder was a hex rod “ T ” on a a ball and socket riser. Like the Gretsch design, the Fibes hexagonal rods passed through the nylon ball. (Photo 27) (Photo 28)

Fibes 1972 twin UniBall design	Fibes 1970s double tom holder

Photo 27	Photo 28

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