Gretsch uses a 1" down tube so that's going to be a problem. Also the Gretsch, while probably better than the Slingy, isn't an especially great design.

Possibly, if you can snag a Ludwig Standard double tom holder (which uses a 5/8ths down tube) and replace the two "L" rods with short spade clips from rails (available as separate parts from Maxwell) you'd have a workable unit that didn't require any drilling, although you wouldn't be able to get your toms too close together (not an option with the Gretsch either).

Another no drill option would be a Ludwig Atlas rail, which will hold two uprights, but you would need to use RIMS style mounts on the toms to get the necessary receiver brackets on them.

Thanks for the advice, K.O.

I have some extra spade clips from MIJ rails that would probably fit into the clips on my toms, but if I remember correctly, aren't the Ludwig L-rods 3/8" (or 9.5 mm)? The round part of the spade clips I have are thicker than that (1/2", or 12.7 mm), and it looks like the Maxwell's might be too big also.

I keep studying that picture of the Gretsch mount. It sure looks like the top of the unit comes off (where the acorn nut is, where it fits into the down tube). I'm thinking if it was permanently fixed, it wouldn't need an acorn nut.

If Gretsch uses a 1" down tube and the top of the assembly fits inside that down tube, maybe the same top assembly would fit around the outside of my thinner 5/8" tube, rather than fitting inside it? If this is an option, even if my 5/8" tube was still a little too small, I could always thicken up the 5/8" tube by adding a small amount of plumber's tape, or by building it up little by little with J B Weld.

I'm hoping someone who has one will chime in.

Thanks again K.O. Those are great ideas, but I want to see if I can figure out this Gretsch mount first.

Regular USA spade clips have a 3/8ths (9.5mm) shaft which is the same as a vintage Ludwig "L" rod. I've used them with Ludwig ratchet style mounts on several occasions. In fact the ratchet part of Maxwell's mount is a copy of the Ludwig so his spades are designed to work with that (but vintage ones will too).

Some import spades have a thicker rod so they would not work.

I think you could probably make the Gretsch work somehow.

Are you sure you aren't missing a part on your Slingerland? I'm unsure about Slingerland but the early Ludwig double mounts that used spades had a wooden spacer that kept the toms from drooping the way you describe. That would be the cool part of using the double Standard mount as you could add in enough reverse angle to counteract the droop that diamond plates inevitably have.

Hi K.O.,

Sadly, I can confirm that I am not missing a part. It's just a terrible mounting design. What I have done temporarily is to replace the screw that adjusts the angle on the large round piece (below where the toms hang) to make it stick out on both sides far enough so that the toms rest against it and they are at at least level and don't droop. It's still very unstable though.

The Ludwig L arm thing is a good potential solution. Although, it would probably be fairly costly. I would have to find a Standard double tom mount, plus two USA spade clips, none of which I currently have. I'm guessing all of that would probably cost me well over $100. I'm trying to keep my costs down as much as I can, now that the drums are "complete" and restored.

Yeah I never said it would be cheap ;)

Finding that double mount could definitely be a problem. I guarantee that all the parts you'd need are sitting somewhere in this great land where you could acquire them for next to nothing...but finding those parts in that place is the crux of it. As soon as someone who knows what they're looking at comes along the price goes up. But if you could luck onto one of those double mounts at a reasonable price your problem could be easily solved.

Good luck, however you work it out.

Here's a picture of Ludwig's earliest stab at a double tom mount using spades. Pretty much equally worthless (as is the Gretsch) but they did try to work around the problem of sagging.

Here is something else I have thought of:

What if I obtain a Ludwig Atlas Arch? It's the New Ludwig Atlas mounting system that replaces two lugs on the top of your bass drum and has a rail running between the two. The Atlas mounts that replace the lugs are universal. I have two extra MIJ rail mounts with the "clip" or "thumb" style arm, and they do fit my Slingerlands.

My only question is:

Does anyone know if the MIJ rail mount arms would be compatible with the the Ludwig Atlas Arch rail system?

I think I addressed your Atlas idea in your other post.

Another idea...

Run a 5/8ths tube out of your bass mount

clamp two of these to it

http://www.gibraltarhardware.com/?fa=partsdetail&curcat=2&bnd=11&cid=109&sid=477&pid=1682

Put your spade mounts into the other end of these clamps. You'd have quite a bit of adjustability. A bit bulky of course (but so is the Atlas Rail system). It's a variation on this setup which I use with my Standard sets....

Why not use a Set-O-Matic? The tom mounts are the same bolt pattern as the diamond clip mounts. You don't have to drill a hole for the arm. Just leave a hair of space so the arm doesn't hit the wrap. I do this on my RK kit. I added a felt square as a cushion under the tom mount so arms didn't scratch/damage while setting up. They come in D and round tube post sizes for bass mount or stand. Get a first gen SOM which will be pretty close period correct wise. No extra holes and can be put back to original. Just a option vs those clip mounts. SOM is very solid but not the most adjustable.

*edit to add......my tom already had the diamond plate on it when I bought it. So no extra holes were added here.

Good idea here too. The Set-O-Matic tom brackets have the same hole pattern as the diamond plates so they will replace those without drilling. If you use the double version you wouldn't need the center hole on the toms as there are just short stubs going in. Not the most adjustable tom holder but it does work, the toms won't droop, and it's brand correct.