Remo Fiberskyn

[superbatmat]

Have anybody tried this kind of drum head ????

What do you thinf about it ????

[Thinshells]

It's pretty good if you want to try to emulate natural skin. They sound very dry. Also, the ambassador is heavier than a regular ambassador. It acts like an emperor. They also have a "dark" quality to them.

[mlehnertz]

And they aren't very good if you ever use brushes.

[NaturalRaz]

It's pretty good if you want to try to emulate natural skin. They sound very dry. Also, the ambassador is heavier than a regular ambassador. It acts like an emperor. They also have a "dark" quality to them.

Sheesh.....Thinshells is a tomb of knowledge! It appears he is the guy to go to if you want a experienced opinon. ;-P

[dwjosh]

what kind of music are they mostly used for..jazz?

[Thinshells]

Sheesh.....Thinshells is a tomb of knowledge! It appears he is the guy to go to if you want a experienced opinon. ;-P

I have a couple of fiberskyn heads I tried briefly. They make good drink coasters.

[Elvis]

Have anybody tried this kind of drum head ????

What do you thinf about it ????

I like it as a bass drum batter head.
Very mellow and warm sound, with single ply resonance.
A very good choice for anyone playing in a Jazz, Blues and/or Pop context.

The only downfall is that it's a Remo.
Remo used to be e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e's choice, but after the EPA got ahold of them, the heads really haven't been the same.
It's hit or miss whether you'll get one that'll sound "choked" or not, but it appears that this is the only game in town for a head like this, unless you wanna use real animal skins.


Elvis

[Elvis]

It's pretty good if you want to try to emulate natural skin. They sound very dry. Also, the ambassador is heavier than a regular ambassador. It acts like an emperor. They also have a "dark" quality to them.

I know what Thinshells is getting at.
Actually the head is the same thickness as any other, it's the coating that affects the sound.
The coating is so thick on a Fiberskyn, that the phenomena that Thinshells described happens to almost everyone.
A guy at a music store once told me that if I wanted to use Fiberskyns, and was looking for the same general performance from them that I would get from Ambassadors (with the obvious sonic changes), that I should use FD (Diplomat weight) series, instead of FA (Ambassador weight) series.


Elvis

[Ekim]

And they aren't very good if you ever use brushes.

Why? Anything else to add?

[AE Gauthier]

And they aren't very good if you ever use brushes.

I played with brushes on them and they were fine, the only thing is that it left marks on them, but that's normal.

[Elvis]

Why? Anything else to add?

I think what he may be getting at is that the presence of the "swish" sound isn't as great as with a regular coated head.
...still, brushes work fine on a Fiberskin.

Elvis

[Deathmetalconga]

I had Fiberskyn on my snare for more than 10 years (a Ludwig 14-inch chrome) and it sounded excellent for world beat music. They really do replicate the sound of hide drums, as the fibers of plastic resonate much like the fibers of protein in an animal skin. I have also used the Fiberskyns on my congas, where they are always in tune and sound brighter than natural heads. They sounded fine for brush work.

I now have a six-piece set of solid shell ironwood drums and I am using Fiberskyns for the batter heads and Ambassadors for the resonants. These shells are very acoustically "live" and the Fiberskyns cut down on the overtones considerably, giving the toms a warm, rich, powerful sound and no annonying ring.

However, the13 by 4 ironwood snare is so ringy I have to use a coated Pinstripe on it - the Fiberskyn doesn't cut down enough on the overtones.

[Ekim]

Well I saw on the Remo site that they have Powerstroke 3 versions of the Fiberskyn heads.

I just put a Renaissance head on my snare for my little jazz kit and I really don't like it. Much too bright sounding. Much moreso than the Ambassador that was on it.

I thought the Fiberskyns might sound better.

[Elvis]

I had Fiberskyn on my snare for more than 10 years (a Ludwig 14-inch chrome) and it sounded excellent for world beat music. They really do replicate the sound of hide drums, as the fibers of plastic resonate much like the fibers of protein in an animal skin. I have also used the Fiberskyns on my congas, where they are always in tune and sound brighter than natural heads. They sounded fine for brush work.

I now have a six-piece set of solid shell ironwood drums and I am using Fiberskyns for the batter heads and Ambassadors for the resonants. These shells are very acoustically "live" and the Fiberskyns cut down on the overtones considerably, giving the toms a warm, rich, powerful sound and no annonying ring.

However, the13 by 4 ironwood snare is so ringy I have to use a coated Pinstripe on it - the Fiberskyn doesn't cut down enough on the overtones.

Which Fiberskins are you using?
FA or FD?


Elvis

[Deathmetalconga]

Which Fiberskins are you using?
FA or FD?


Elvis
FA. That's all I've ever used. What's the difference?

[Elvis]

FA = Fiberskin Ambassador.
FD= Fiberskin Diplomat.

As I explained in a prior post in this thread, the coating is so thick on a Fiberskin that the lighter head actually takes on similar characteristics of the coated version of the heavier head.
Most drummers don't realize this and get the FA version, thinking it'll act (for the most part) like a regular Ambassador, but it actually comes off as a much drier and much more muted sounding head.


Elvis

[dizkneelande]

when i saw jeff hamilton with his trio at the memphis drum shop he had fiberskins on all his drums and they sounded great

[superkoolguy6669]

i just got them a week ago and i love them, my toms sound better than they ever have before

[Deathmetalconga]

FA = Fiberskin Ambassador.
FD= Fiberskin Diplomat.

As I explained in a prior post in this thread, the coating is so thick on a Fiberskin that the lighter head actually takes on similar characteristics of the coated version of the heavier head.
Most drummers don't realize this and get the FA version, thinking it'll act (for the most part) like a regular Ambassador, but it actually comes off as a much drier and much more muted sounding head.


Elvis

Thanks for the explanation.

I guess that's why the FAs have always sounded good to me. Regular Ambassadors create too much ring for my tastes - I'd always have to put a muffling ring around them. Now that I have a set of ironwood drums, FAs are great because ironwood is very reflective and absorbs little sound, so controlling overtones is a problem.

But now I am intrigued and I would like to try the FDs.

www.terrasonus.com

[Elvis]

Time to experiment!...with Dr. Elvis, BWA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAaaaaaaa!

;-)

Here's something that's worked for a lot of drummers, me included.
Try placing the FD's on the bottom, or resonant side, of the drums.
The sound of your drums will become darker and more "cavernous".
Regular coated Diplomats will bring out those characteristics, even more.
Don't worry about sustain. The nice people at EVANS drumheads have actually timed the sustain on different weight heads and they found out that lighter weight heads have shorter sustain. They say this is caused by the lesser mass of the light weight head.
The main characteristics of the sound of the drums will remain the same, since you're still using the same head you're using now on the batter side.

Check it out.



Elvis

[Pete Stoltman]

Back to the brushes issue. I used to use the original Fibreskyns and loved them for jazz playing. The brush sound was nice and subllte and didn't have the "scratchiness" of a new head like an standard Ambassador for example. Also I didn't have to worry about the sound changing as the texture coating wore down.
Fast forward to the newer generation of Fibreskyns and I found that the surface of the head was shredding (sorry I don't know any other word for it) after only one or two gigs. I hadn't changed brand or style of brushes at all and was playing with the same band so nothing else appeared to change. I figured maybe I got ahold of a bad head and went and bought another one with the same results.
Needless to say I stopped using them for my snare that I use for most brushwork. Too bad because I really liked the overall sound and feel of those heads. My solution was to change to the Evans etched head which gives me similar brush characteristics and the durability has been fine. Any of you other guys who play jazz experience this?

[Sesh]

I use a 22" FA as the resonant head for my bass drum (with a 6" mic port), and it sounds great - it's so heavy an dull sounding it really gives a great low tone and acts la lot like an emad resonant (as in quite dead and muffle sounding). It's great because it doesn't wrinkle so you can tune it really really slack to get a really phat sound, and still get a tone from it because it's so thick an solid. Plus it looks amazing!

Martin

[Deathmetalconga]

IPlus it looks amazing!

Martin


That's one of the big selling points for me of Fiberskyn. The plastic fibers interlace and criss-cross just like real hide. No one else makes heads with that kind of textured appearance. I think Fiberskyns are the most beautiful heads, even if their sound isn't suitable for lots of applications.

[fijjibo]

Where can I get real skin heads then?

[Elvis]

Try Earth Tone (www.earthtoneheads.com).


Elvis

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Sheesh.....Thinshells is a tomb of knowledge! It appears he is the guy to go to if you want a experienced opinon. ;-P


We prefer to call him a vault instead of a tomb.

[fijjibo]

Try Earth Tone (www.earthtoneheads.com).


Elvis

Awesome, cheers!!!




20 20 20 20 20!!!!

[dea]

Considering that the type of kit determines what heads work best as well, I have included my acoustic kit specs. I have a cheapo kit ( Yamaha Stage Custom Advantage ).

My kit specs are as follows:
24x17 bass drum
13x11 tom
14x14 floor tom
1980 Ludwig Black Beauty snare.

I love to play jazz as well as blues and rock. I love the warmer tones, but do not want to give up any ring. I prefer some attack, but not too much. I don't want muted either. I must have loads of ring ( I can dampen these myself when playing more rock/pop tunes ). For the bass drum, I like looser tuning and want to feel the beef when I load up the soft felt beater. When I put the plastic beater on, I want to hear some phatness.

Please note, I am not a hard hitter - even when playing rock.

I looked at the Fiberskin specs, and - off the cuff - I would have chosen the thinnest model, but being that I do not have a way of checking these out live, I'm asking for your assistance.

Does this look like the job for Fiberskins? If so, which line would you recommend.

[Deathmetalconga]

Considering that the type of kit determines what heads work best as well, I have included my acoustic kit specs. I have a cheapo kit ( Yamaha Stage Custom Advantage ).

My kit specs are as follows:
24x17 bass drum
13x11 tom
14x14 floor tom
1980 Ludwig Black Beauty snare.

I love to play jazz as well as blues and rock. I love the warmer tones, but do not want to give up any ring. I prefer some attack, but not too much. I don't want muted either. I must have loads of ring ( I can dampen these myself when playing more rock/pop tunes ). For the bass drum, I like looser tuning and want to feel the beef when I load up the soft felt beater. When I put the plastic beater on, I want to hear some phatness.

Please note, I am not a hard hitter - even when playing rock.

I looked at the Fiberskin specs, and - off the cuff - I would have chosen the thinnest model, but being that I do not have a way of checking these out live, I'm asking for your assistance.

Does this look like the job for Fiberskins? If so, which line would you recommend.

Fiberskyns would sound great for what you are doing, although it would be a different sound that what people would expect from these genres.

However, if you really want lots of ring, don't get the Fiberskyns. They kill excessive ring, so you don't need to put hideous duct tape on the drums. That's why me and other peopel like them.

But if you actually want lots of ring, go with plain Ambassadors or the equivalent from another manufacturer. Some of it depends on the thickness and depth of your drums. Thin, deep shells will ring more than thick, shallow ones.

[Sirwill]

I have used the old Fiberskyns for many years. I play everything from Metal to jazz. The heads work great in every area. I have always said this is the most over looked head of all time. The are so dark and warm they are almost spooky! The last forever and also are very easy to tune. The only trouble is when playing in bands that my play a harder style of music, the guys always say those heads are for old drummers. Then they hear the thunder of the skyns and bow... I must admit that after using Remo since 1975 I have left my old friends and found a new love with Evans. There heads seem to be the future in this old drummers opinion...

[dea]

Oh boy... I love dark. But, I love ring as well. I agree that taping these heads would be grotesque at best. My bass drum is 24x17. Thats pretty deep. My high tom is 13x11. Thats pretty deep for tom of this size. My floor tom is 14x14. My high tom has some standard issue Remo's that came with the tom and man that baby rings. So, the toms sound like they are setup to produce a nice ring and that the Fibers would probably only enhance it with their inherent warmth.

Because the reviews are all over the board, I would speculate these guys are just going to hit the nail on the head for me.

I'm just going to have to try'em out.

Thanks so much for the input. I will let you know how it goes.

[tkillian]

And they aren't very good if you ever use brushes.

Go to the video section of drummersworld here and check out Jeff Hamilton playing brushes on these heads....

These are DEFINITELY great for JAZZ and for BRUSHES....