![Octobans](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Octobans.jpg)
Octobans, also known as tube toms, are deep, small diameter, single-head
tom-tom
A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go as l ...
s. Octobans were originally grouped in melodically-tuned sets of eight, hence the name, in reference to
octave and from octo meaning "eight".
Part sets of two or four drums or an individual drum or octo are common
additions to a
drum kit
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
.
Complete and half sets of octobans are commonly mounted in clusters of four, in a square pattern. Mounts for four drums in a straight line, dual mounts for two drums, and individual mounts are all also reasonably common.
History
Octobans were introduced by
Tama Drums
Tama Drums, (from Japanese: (Kanji), (Kana), read as ) is a brand of drum kits and hardware manufactured and marketed by the Japanese musical instrument company, Hoshino Gakki. Tama's research and development of products, along with produc ...
in 1978, and endorsed by
Billy Cobham
William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
He was inducted into the ''Mode ...
, at that time one of the most popular drummers who had switched to Tama drums. Tama octobans were made with fiberglass using a patented molding process. The naked shells were then painted in black lacquer (the raw color is something close to light brown, visible inside the shell where not completely painted). Since they were designed as rack toms the attachment was different from the regular tom toms, it was basically the same one used for the concert toms. The rims were conveniently shaped in order to offer the maximum area available for the stick, 6" being quite hard to hit. The lugs (4) were the same model used for the Swingstar series drum kits of the same period. The shell was a 6" diameter, (150 mm on outside diameter), thickness was 5 mm despite the very first series may have been 4 mm as advertised. A variation was produced in late '70 using plexiglas instead of fiberglass for the shell construction. This material was considerably more fragile than fiberglass. The Tama production line offered, in the 78-84 period, the complete 8 piece set or, for those who did not need the whole set, two sub sets, of four pieces each, the low pitch (the longest) set and the high pitch set. The most famous drummers used the low pitch set, such as
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with th ...
for the whole
Police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
period. The dimensions of the low pitch set of shells were the following (length mm, edge to edge): 810, 733, 667, 607. The high pitch set was dimensioned as follows: 552, 498, 455, 411 mm. Diameter = 6 inch. In 1985 Tama changed its program of production and modified the octobans by reducing the length of the shells. The low pitch set was discontinued due them being too difficult to transport on stage. The lengths which are available to present day are the following: 600, 536, 472, 443, 390, 343, 301, 280 (mm). The only difference with the original model is the lug design and the batter skin is still clear but without the black dot. The different lengths of the
cylinders give each drum its distinct tone.
The term ''octoban'' has since become a
generic trademark
A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or ...
used to refer to such sets of smaller diameter tube drums.
Other makers
6" diameter:
*
Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
*
Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop, Inc. (also known as DW Drums or DW) is an American drum kit and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Current products by DW include drum sets, snare drums, and hardware.
History
Drum Workshop was founded ...
Rata Tom.
*
ddrum
ddrum is an American based Swedish company, currently a division of Armadillo Enterprises, Inc. that manufactures acoustic drum sets, electronic drum sets, and Electronic Triggers.
Ddrum was originally a brand of Clavia, makers of the Nord ...
Deccabon.
Other diameters:
*
Meinl Percussion
Meinl Percussion is a manufacturer of percussion instruments based in Gutenstetten, Germany. The company’s cymbal production is one of the "big four" manufacturers of cymbals, along with Zildjian, Sabian, and Paiste.
In addition to cymbal ...
Attack Timbales
Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...
, 8" diameter.
Octoban drum shells from other manufacturers are of varying lengths, and made from materials like
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
,
acrylic
Acrylic may refer to:
Chemicals and materials
* Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound
* Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity
* Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...
,
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...
, and
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
. Some people build their own octobans out of
PVC or similar commercial tubing.
Notable octoban users
References
External links
Building Tube TomsRoger Taylor playing his vintage Octobans in studio 2010Stewart Copeland playing OctobansTama Octoban Drum Solo
{{Authority control
Drums
Drum kit components
Pitched percussion instruments
Unpitched percussion instruments
20th-century percussion instruments
Directly struck membranophones