totally normal. On my more general use rock kits with lower pitch toms, I notice much more than on my tighter bebop sounding kits. You could mount it on a rims mount on a stand (thats what I do).

This has been discussed several times before, but this thread was the most helpful:

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=7931&highlight=thump

Just a note-I did some experiments along these lines.I increased sustain by isolating the tom mount from the drum with a felt gasket.It was relatively thick,between 3/8-5/8"and I did not crank down on the screws to tighten it against the drum-just enough to hold it tight.You may also notice that the tom angle changes sustain,as does the pitch.L-rod mounts are much less restrictive than Pearl-style pipe mounts,especially if the pipe mount is not plugged on the end.Pipe mount sustain is increased the further out on the pipe the drum is mounted.L-rod mount sustain is increased if you "center" the L-rod in the tom bracket.Finding the toms fundamental note before mounting it will give you a good place to start-you know the sustain can't get any better.

I'd like to find or even machine a long sided L-rod,because it seems the further from the actual pivot point you get,the better the sustain.

Thanks. I'm gonna go back to the snare stand.

No way I'll use RIMS or any other suspension mounting system...not for me.

In addition to the tom sustaining more I also relieve any pressure on the bass drum...which I've noticed a decrease in tone and sustain when 13" is mounted.

Thanks for the input.

I love the look of the L-rod, but I can't stand to reduce the sustain of my drums. I use Pearl ISS mounts retrofitted with Ludwig L-rod brackets and hang them from my cymbal stands -- not a totally vintage look, but they sound great and they're much less visually obtrusive than RIMS. (They're also much lighter than packing an extra snare stand in the gig bag!) And between the look of an ISS and the clutter of an extra snare stand out front, I prefer the suspension mount. But to each his own.

Also: that's a beautiful kit you have!

Yeah, I have the exact same issue with my 60's Slingy 12" tom mounted on the vintage rail. It also sounded severely choked and yes, I also discovered it's a common problem. Sure, one could use RIMS and this whole thing would be a non-issue but using RIMS on a vintage kit, in my opinion, looks hokey. Might be fine in the studio, though, where sound is everything.

Just curious ... how does your tom sound when mounted on the snare stand? I've also gone this route and have had mixed results. Some snare stands still choke the tom's sustain. I've had the best luck with an old WFL stand where there isn't really the option to tighten the basket around the tom. Using the WFL stand considerably reduces the choking but it's still not perfect.

I'd be curious to hear from others who mount their tom via snare stand. Anyone else have any choking issues using this method?

For me, the 'problem' was solved by using coated Diplomat heads, tuning slightly higher and playing a little more off-center.

I've got my 12" Club Date tom on a snare stand until I can get my Pearl ISS mount on there. I've found that snare stands choke toms terribly if you tighten them at all, but they're fine if you simply rest the tom on the stand without tightening it. I've tightened the stand just enough to rest the tom on the rubber grips without having the grips squeeze the reso rim at all, and it does the trick nicely.

I dont think there is a tom mount made that does,nt choke up.I found this out 40 yrs ago and have always used a snare stand since.Besides you have way more flexibilty in positioning the drum.