Rhudak13, what kind of heads did you get, what kind of room do you play in, and how are they tuned? If you want a lower, less ringy sound with less overtones, use a two ply head(they can be tuned lower than 1 ply without sounding dead, and being that they are two ply, they have a deader sound, which is great in your case), put 1 or 2 moongel pads on the head, or for huge toms(16"+), use a remo muffl. And if you are playing in a small room, keep in mind that the drums resonate way more in there, but they bounce back at you. Live, in a large venue, some of those overtones are necessary to let the drums project, so keep that in mind, and I hope this helps. And if you need help tuning, don't hesitate to e-mail me--I'd be happy to help you with that. I have great sounding drums, a lot of experience with tuning, a desire to help people, and quite a bit of talent for someone who's only been playing 2.75 years(I can already play to a little bit of dream theater, not to brag). So, send me e-mail if you need help. Hope this helps.

Alternate tuninings?.......Just because an instrument is capable of it, is it correct for the instrument?

Tuning a Stradivarius to an A440 tuning is considered a very INCORRECT thing to do.
It is very detrimental to the instrument, as the string tension creates enormous stress on the instrument.

Attempting to tune a drum higher or lower than it's fundamental, though perhaps not as stressfull to the instrument as in the Stradivarius' case, doesn't make it correct.

True. Drums are considered instruments of 'indefinite' pitch. However, that doesn't stop them from being tuned to as close a 'definite'(their fundamental) pitch as possible.

I'll have to agree to disagree.

Scordatura.

Do you know how long I've been waiting to use that #*&^$ word!  

No way will I let a guitar player tell me how to tune my drums. I've been tuning drums for over 40 years and my ears aren't dead yet. Many things go into tuning and I know what I want the audience to hear. No way can you tell me that some great drummers tuned wrong. People bought their music because they liked what they heard. Also, there is no way would I tune my drums from what I've heard on someones site. Computer speakers aren't wood drums in a live setting. This is one of the funniest strings I've ever read. I'll take mine thin crust with cheese!        

Orange,

You've found the sound you like, and God bless you for it - there's certainly nothing wrong with it.  The Bonham sound is a great drum sound, no argument here - but it's not the only definition of a great drum sound, IMHO.

However, all this talk about "pure tone" and "correct tuning" - a "pure tone" isn't always the ideal.  To say something is your preferred sound?  Fine, and I won't (can't) argue with that - but a sound is a sound is a sound, with no absolutes.  

The drummer in my (jazz) vibes trio and I were talking about this recently.  He was experimenting with some different tunings on his toms, and he tried the approach you're espousing.  He agreed that it was a great sound - but he also felt there was too much sustain for his tastes, and on his drums, at least, this added sustain detracted from his playing - by tuning the batter and reso heads differently, the articulation of the drums was more clearly defined, and the notes weren't blurring together.  He still gets a great sound and plenty of sustain out of his toms (thanks to the iso mounts, and the slightly undersized shells on his Genistas - neither of which Bonham had, IIRC), but he opted - for musical reasons - to cut back from the maximum sustain.  That's what sounded best to him with his drums, for the sound he wanted.  It's not your sound, but to say it's not "correct" - I don't understand how that conclusion could be drawn.

To say a "pure tone" is the only "correct tuning" - that strikes me as comparable to saying that only primary colors are "correct" and that painters should only use them, rather than mixing them to come up with new hues and shades.  

No. It is saying that just as magenta, cyan, and yellow are the starting point for blending, so, fundamental tuning of the instrument should be for sound. You can use different heads, types of muffling, playing areas on those heads, shell materials, drums of differing sizes, diameters etc, play them together, play them separately, use brushes , sticks, mallets whatever your mind allows.
To say that fundamental tuning is in any way limiting is wrong.

Or you can look at it like Billy Cobham, 'Colours? Man, that's just a lot of jive.'

this thread is way off topic now, but i'm gonna jump in.

as someone who plays plastic drums i never tune my drums - i tune my heads. shell resonance plays no part in my drum sound. shell reflection does though.

drum shell dimensions provide for a certain interaction between heads because of air pressure and sound reflections within the shell. therefore the relationship between top and bottom heads is paramount in the sound produced. given the same diameter, different shell depths allow for different interactions between heads.

given the vast number of different shell types, shapes and acoustic qualities, making generalizations about tuning and what's right seems to me to be a red herring. it can't be done. all one can do is explore each drum on it's own merits and discover the best possible sound for a given situation. what's right for one musical situation is definitely not right for every situation. there just cannot be an absolute best tuning for any drum. they are made to be used in a musical context and that context and the musical expression of the drummer alone determine what's "best"

and what sounds best to the drummer is only the best sound for the drum if the drummer is aware of all the possible sounds that the drum is capable of, and is making an educated decision. sadly i have met far too many drummers who lack tuning skills to believe this is always the case. one also has to keep an open mind about what drum sound will work for the situation. it might just be hydraulic heads with the bottom hoops off and a wallet on the snare.

EXACTLY!!!

We can't read minds; at least I can't. Say what you mean, mean what you say. No need to be arrogant or hostile ... just bring clarity to your statements.

I think it's everything that you said BEFORE the paint analogy that has everyone questioning your stance. You seem to be saying two very different things.

Perhaps best to just drop it. I think we all get the point now. No need to drag this out, whatever the reason or purpose.

Now ... back to the topic at hand ...