I'd put the regular 57 for the snare top. good quality and low price does'nt meet very often... I like how clean the AKG C 518 M/C 518 ML sounds (they are condensers)

You can use something like these [="http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/ac-cetera-mic-eze-m-1"]Mic-Eze clamp[/]="http://www.musician…"]Mic-Eze clamp[/]s with any reasonable size mic (including your 57s). They hold securely on any metal rim or even thicker wood hoop drums - just add your clip and mic.

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OR, the Audix [[url=http://="http://www.audixusa…"]D-Flex, D-Vice, or D-Clamp[/]="http://www.audixusa…"]D-Flex, D-Vice, or D-Clamp[/] - which can be used with just about any mic.

If you're determined to buy toms mics ( is it possible to own too many mics?... I don't think so ), the [="http://www.audixusa.com/docs_12/units/D2.shtml"]Audix D2[/]="http://www.audixusa…"]Audix D2[/] & [[url=http://="http://www.audixusa…"]D4[/]="http://www.audixusa…"]D4[/] are very nice - but you'll have to buy clamps separately from the list above to mount them straight to the rim.

I was also impressed with how good the Audix Fusion FP5 drumpack sounded on a well-tuned kit (which of course is the key to any of these sounding great). Among other things, the surprisingly affordable FP5 Pack includes four D-Flex clamps for the F2 tom/snare mics. If you bought the F2s separately, you would have to spring for the optional clamps from the list above - but you should still be within your budget.

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I was also impressed with the tone and punch of the [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.electro-…"]E-V PL35[/]="http://www.electro-…"]E-V PL35[/], which is another very affordable option that the includes the rim mount. (the E-V rim mounts are extremely tight fitting and require a certain amount of force to even get them on the rim.)

Solutions from $34 - $350.

Thanks guys for your input! As it turns out, I found out today that the drummer will only be using one Tom on his kit, which makes life easier for me. So im probably going to to use the Beta 57 on the tom and throw the Sm57 on the snare as pcrecord suggested. (listen to a shootout of the 2 mics today and found the Beta 57 57 to be a bit brighter in the upper mid/high area. I prefer the warmer sound for snare). And Ill just grab a couple of the Mic -EZ Clamps as dvdhawk suggested. So another question, whats your preference on overhead mic setup and why? A/B, etc...?

I like Sennheiser 421's for toms. But.. for as much as I like them, you have to be choosy with which drummers you use them with... the clips TOTALLY blow to begin with (slide/click type... I've always hated them) and they break easy, especially if you have an animal on the kit who is hitting everything BUT the drum heads.

fwiw
-d.

The SM-81 makes a great OH mic.A 2nd one would give you a nice stereo pair to make it even better. I would move the Beyer over to the snare (where it belongs...LOL!) and that will free up the SM57 to do the toms.

i'm with Moon on this ... the 201 really shines on snares ... i have a pair of them and i love them.

I've used the Audix D-Clamp with tom mics and snare top and bottom mics. No problems. They've been very stable and unobtrusive. They hold the Sennheiser 421s and even heavier with no problems.

One thing that has not been discussed is the type of music being recorded. Makes a big difference when there are constraints on the mics. There are some genres where the only thing that matters are the close mics, some where the sound is basically the overheads. As a basic investment, a pair of SM81s is pretty bullet-proof. For the folk/country kind of thing I record most often, a pair of sm81s of OH kick, snare (top and bottom) and high hat (and don't use the snare bottom or the HH unless absolutely needed) would be a good setup.