Bad Tempered Clavier
Silver Member
Sorry if this has been answered already [did a quick search and couldn't find a good answer], but why are [Remo] Ebony heads considerably more expensive than their equivalent heads in the same range (at least in the UK)?
If one compares popular models used as Bass Drum resonant heads, for example, one shop that I use now and then currently sells the 22" SW PS3 for 38GBP and the 22" Ebony PS3 for 46GBP (Over 20% increase). Similarly, their price for a 22" Remo Smooth White Ambassador is 22GBP and for a 22" Ebony Ambassador it's 37GBP - an increase of nearly 70%. These are not RRP, by the way.
Is black paint just that much more expensive in California [or wherever their heads are made]? Aside from the aesthetic difference, I can't tell these heads apart. Do Remo just figure that most people will just buy a black front head for their Bass Drums because they think it's the done thing? And if so, presumably they assume that most drummers don't change the resonant heads as often as the batter heads, so something that is typically used as a resonant head will be purchased less frequently? Or none of the above?
If one compares popular models used as Bass Drum resonant heads, for example, one shop that I use now and then currently sells the 22" SW PS3 for 38GBP and the 22" Ebony PS3 for 46GBP (Over 20% increase). Similarly, their price for a 22" Remo Smooth White Ambassador is 22GBP and for a 22" Ebony Ambassador it's 37GBP - an increase of nearly 70%. These are not RRP, by the way.
Is black paint just that much more expensive in California [or wherever their heads are made]? Aside from the aesthetic difference, I can't tell these heads apart. Do Remo just figure that most people will just buy a black front head for their Bass Drums because they think it's the done thing? And if so, presumably they assume that most drummers don't change the resonant heads as often as the batter heads, so something that is typically used as a resonant head will be purchased less frequently? Or none of the above?