Jazz snare head

[Class A Drummer]

Surprisingly i couldnt find this when i searched.

Which heads do you guys consider good for jazz on the snare? At school we are using an Evans orchestral staccato which is probably the worst head on earth for jazz, let alone anything else.

I have heard fiberskins are pretty good, any others you guys would reccomend?

[fourstringdrums]

Evans J1 Etched or even just an Evans G1 coated would be just fine. For Remo, besides Fiberskyn, Suede Ambassadors are nice too.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

What Rob said...anything coated for brush work helps, and it then has to be sensitive.

[Old Doc Yak]

You might take a look a Aquarian Satin Texture Coated or the Signature Series. I use the texture coated and I like them but that's just personal pref. Good luck.

[tomtom]

Remo coated ambassador, Evans coated G1, Aquarian texture coated or the Jack DeJohnette sign head. The last one is my favourit of the bunch, a bit warmer than the others with a thicker coating.

[Drummer Karl]

My first choice is a coated Ambassador...period.

But also Fiberskyns work great! They produce a warmer more natural sound as I experienced that.

btw, what are those staccato heads? Thin, heavy, coated, clear??

Karl

[Class A Drummer]

My first choice is a coated Ambassador...period.

But also Fiberskyns work great! They produce a warmer more natural sound as I experienced that.

btw, what are those staccato heads? Thin, heavy, coated, clear??

Karl

They are coated heads with absolutley no bounce. They are the most un sensitive non-reactive heads ever. I just cant stand it at all.

Thx for the advice.

[Class A Drummer]

Evans J1 Etched or even just an Evans G1 coated would be just fine. For Remo, besides Fiberskyn, Suede Ambassadors are nice too.

Never tried J1's. Are they sensative because im looking for a pretty sensitive head.

[fourstringdrums]

Never tried J1's. Are they sensative because im looking for a pretty sensitive head.

Your sensitivity is going to come more from your snares, your drum, and your bottom head than your batter. I found that when it comes to single ply batters, sensitivity doesn't change unless the aforementioned qualities do.

I honestly don't remember any specific tonal qualities about them, but I remember though that they mark really easily. You touch it and it marks. That's the only thing I didn't like. Once you can get past that though it's a nice head.

[Chonson]

Give an Aquarian DeJohnette a try if you're feeling experimental. I've got it on a Gretsch 5x14 and the drum just immediately hit this note that sounds exactly like Art Blakey's snare on Moanin'. A plain texture coated had just a hint more ring than I wanted (but still sounded great); the DeJohnette seems to have a thicker coating that pulls things down just a teeny bit... and sounds great.

[Drummer Karl]

They are coated heads with absolutley no bounce. They are the most un sensitive non-reactive heads ever. I just cant stand it at all.

Thx for the advice.

That actually has to be a tuning problem. Especially orchestral heads should be and actually are supposed to be sensitive.

Karl

[Cymbalrider]

Fiberskyns are quite nice but not if you want an attack. I'm trying to decide if I should get Coated Emperors or Fiberskyns from now on. I liked the Fiberskyn heads a lot but I was wondering if the coated emperor heads would be a better option. On just snare drums, the Fiberskyns are fine if you tune them up enough. They have a warm enough sound in the middle with still enough sustain for rimshots. However if you are looking for that extra crack, these don't have it.

[Mendozart]

Give an Aquarian DeJohnette a try if you're feeling experimental. I've got it on a Gretsch 5x14 and the drum just immediately hit this note that sounds exactly like Art Blakey's snare on Moanin'. A plain texture coated had just a hint more ring than I wanted (but still sounded great); the DeJohnette seems to have a thicker coating that pulls things down just a teeny bit... and sounds great.
The Brady snare that I picked up had a DeJohnette head on it and it sounded pretty sweet. Since then I have tried a couple other heads, but I might put the DeJohnette back on. To tell you the truth, just about any head sounds good on the Brady.

[onemat]

Hi,
I feel compelled to respond on this. For years I used Coated Ambasodors and others. I have recently switched over to the Aquarian Texture Coated and they are amazing heads. The coating is the most resilliant I have ever used, doesn't come off! They sound good, tune easily and have great sensitivity out by the rim. There is a remarkable difference while using brushes. They are louder than any head I've used. If you need the head for jazz, I highly recomend it. If you buy one and hate it, sell it to me (at a discount of course:).
Matt

[Class A Drummer]

Hi,
I feel compelled to respond on this. For years I used Coated Ambasodors and others. I have recently switched over to the Aquarian Texture Coated and they are amazing heads. The coating is the most resilliant I have ever used, doesn't come off! They sound good, tune easily and have great sensitivity out by the rim. There is a remarkable difference while using brushes. They are louder than any head I've used. If you need the head for jazz, I highly recomend it. If you buy one and hate it, sell it to me (at a discount of course:).
Matt

Wow. Your post just made me really want one of those.

Its probably gonna be between that, the ambassor, or fiberskin.

[Skitch]

My first choice is the Remo coated ambassador. Pretty much an all-around great snare head!

Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

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