when to replace heads?

[lovemysonors]

i've had some Evans EC2 clears on my kit for the past year, play them about 3-5hrs/week.

do i need to replace them now (i don't consider this a lot of playing time)? stick marks are obvious, but not indented or serious whatsoever...

[ZildjianMan1023]

i have evans g2 heads.. i tend to replace my heads every sixth months.. that seems to work best for me.. but it all depends on how hard you hit etc.. with heads been played for more than a year i suggest getting new heads.. if its a 5 peice i couldnt see it running more than 60 bucks.. but thats just me

[lovemysonors]

what i love about this forum is the speedy replies...thanks dude...

[ZildjianMan1023]

what i love about this forum is the speedy replies...thanks dude...

anytime.. but remeber just because the heads arent dented doesnt mean the sound quality stays the same.. heads get worn out if you see it or not.. but try to get them replaced as soon as possible

[Tuxido]

resos should be changed once a year, batters every 6 months.

And it will cost alot more than 60$.. it would be more like 150$ for a 5 piece kit... (if you change all resos and batter heads)

[ZildjianMan1023]

resos should be changed once a year, batters every 6 months.

And it will cost alot more than 60$.. it would be more like 150$ for a 5 piece kit... (if you change all resos and batter heads)


i change my resos when i need too.. batters every 6 months

[jking]

I'm curious if you're including the bass drum head in the $60. I've been looking into new heads & been seeing about $15 for 14" heads. Are you getting much better deals on the internet?

[ZildjianMan1023]

I'm curious if you're including the bass drum head in the $60. I've been looking into new heads & been seeing about $15 for 14" heads. Are you getting much better deals on the internet?

nah man, im talking about just the snare and toms.. im repleacing my bass drum head this year so it should run about 90-100$

[stasz]

To make sure, although it does sound like you have been bashing at that set of heads for a while, you can always take the heads out and inspect closely for significant dents, coating damage (on coated heads), a "dished out" look where the center of the head is pushed inward significantly, stick marks, and other blemishes. When you need new heads, you'll know. Even with your amount of practice time I think it's a safe bet to replace them, and who doesn't love a good excuse to spend some dough on new drum gear?

YEM

[Big_Philly]

What signs do you guys look out for that say it's time to replace reso heads? I've only replaced a resonant head once because it was damaged (I figured I'd give it a good whack - don't do that to stock Tama reso's). And since they're generally not damaged or really showing signs of wear it's hard to tell when to replace them.

[fijjibo]

Since I got my job, and smalled my kit up, Ive been able to make a plan for changing heads.

I work hard on the kit, so for me its:

Snare Batter - monthly
Snare reso - three months, four if it sounds particulary good

Tom Batter - bi-monthly
Tom Reso - maybe 6 months, recently havent bothered

Kick batter - yearly, they last for a while, and get better with stretching
Kick reso - maybe more than the batter, as I like custom reso heads, and all manner of aesthetic things.

There ya go.

If your not as busy as me you can go longer without head changes.

[Sah]

I have a Ludwig acrolite from the late 1970s, which I recently bought and the reso head seems to be the original. LOL. How do you know when its time to change reso heads though? Do they get worn when you play?.

[Big_Philly]

How do you know when its time to change reso heads though? Do they get worn when you play?.

That's what I was wondering too. The influence of a reso on sound is only minimal, I got a new snare reso the other day and I barely heard any difference.
Reso heads do stretch out (plastic deformation) if you tighten them a lot, but if they're below the yield stress (which they probably are) they'll be fine for probably years as far as I know.

[punkdrummer1]

reso heads get streched out over time, don't they???? Mind you, I keep my heads on for a year before I changed, because I like the nice warm sound I get when they're worked in. I only replace them when coating is done, or if they sound bad. Reso heads, I havent had a problem with yet :D

[fijjibo]

That's what I was wondering too. The influence of a reso on sound is only minimal, I got a new snare reso the other day and I barely heard any difference.


Not quite my friend.

The reso is responsible for what the people paying for the concert hears.

It has a HUGE impact on sound, whereas in your practice room you will not notice it as much.

:-)

[Les Ismore]

Its all a matter of how you want your drums to sound. Tony Brock when on tour with Rod Stewart for example would change all his batters after 'every show', including the kick head, one show ...change. Steve Gadd will go into the studio with heads on drums for years, Charlie Watts another, he'll play batters for years without changing them, live and studio.

I have a friend who lives in Hawaii (Carl Green aka Shack Man) who owns a Rogers set he inherited from his father. These drums have pinstripe heads on them that have not been changed since the 70's, were talking 30+ years, the heads are litteraly 'fused' onto the shell's and they still sound excellent. They don't sound 'new' mind you, but excellent none the less.

Carl's Roger's happen to be the same drum's Billy Martin used to record MMW's 'Shack Man' CD with, so you can hear them and their pinstripe heads on that CD, which 'at that time' (95-96') thos heads would have already been on the drums for 20+ years. I haven't visited Carl in a few years, though a friend jammed with him recently said "The drums were returning to the earth." He said they were so rusted, he didn't think the heads could be removed without a cutting torch. If and when I get out there again and visit Carl I'll take some pic's.

Reso's can go a long time before stretching beyond use. You should check reso's often for dust and dirt accumulation which can hamper sound. The dust and fine dirt gets sucked in the air vent hole(s) and accumulates between the head and bearing edge, just remove head and wipe clean.

Unless a drum head is damaged (pitted, dented, split etc.) Change when you can't tune them to a desirable sound anymore. Drum heads do stretch out and heavy hitters will need to change long before lite players. When you do change perfectly good looking heads, make sure you keep them and not toss them away, you might just find the sound of them more pleasing than the new ones you put on.

[Victor_se]

i have evans g2 heads.. i tend to replace my heads every sixth months.. that seems to work best for me.. but it all depends on how hard you hit etc.. with heads been played for more than a year i suggest getting new heads.. if its a 5 peice i couldnt see it running more than 60 bucks.. but thats just me

I try doing something like you do.....i change them every 5 6 or 7 months ( depends how the head look ) and it worked very well for me

[xMrJeffx]

I usualy change my heads...When I either...Brake them, Get new ones, or There's a lot of dents in them...especialy my snare.
Jeff

[Skitch]

Its all a matter of how you want your drums to sound. Tony Brock when on tour with Rod Stewart for example would change all his batters after 'every show', including the kick head, one show ...change. Steve Gadd will go into the studio with heads on drums for years, Charlie Watts another, he'll play batters for years without changing them, live and studio.

I have a friend who lives in Hawaii (Carl Green aka Shack Man) who owns a Rogers set he inherited from his father. These drums have pinstripe heads on them that have not been changed since the 70's, were talking 30+ years, the heads are litteraly 'fused' onto the shell's and they still sound excellent. They don't sound 'new' mind you, but excellent none the less.

Carl's Roger's happen to be the same drum's Billy Martin used to record MMW's 'Shack Man' CD with, so you can hear them and their pinstripe heads on that CD, which 'at that time' (95-96') thos heads would have already been on the drums for 20+ years. I haven't visited Carl in a few years, though a friend jammed with him recently said "The drums were returning to the earth." He said they were so rusted, he didn't think the heads could be removed without a cutting torch. If and when I get out there again and visit Carl I'll take some pic's.

Reso's can go a long time before stretching beyond use. You should check reso's often for dust and dirt accumulation which can hamper sound. The dust and fine dirt gets sucked in the air vent hole(s) and accumulates between the head and bearing edge, just remove head and wipe clean.

Unless a drum head is damaged (pitted, dented, split etc.) Change when you can't tune them to a desirable sound anymore. Drum heads do stretch out and heavy hitters will need to change long before lite players. When you do change perfectly good looking heads, make sure you keep them and not toss them away, you might just find the sound of them more pleasing than the new ones you put on.

Sage advice.

And also rememeber that different drums tend to favor different drumheads. For instance, my opinion is that nothing sounds better on DW Collector's toms than single ply heads. However, I played on a Tama Rockstar kit made out of who knows what kind of wood, set up with Pinstripes, the the Rockstars sounded great on those drums!


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
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