Coated heads vs. clear heads

drums32

Senior Member
Whats the difference between coated and clear heads? I am currently using evans ec2s clear on my maple kit and they are pretty good but they have kind of a slappy sound, they are tuned tight enough but im thinking of trying coated ec2s will coated heads eliminate that slappy sound?
 
Re: COATED HEADS VS. CLEAR HEADS

Coated heads are warmer and more controlled while non-coated heads are brighter and tend to cut a little better.
 
Re: COATED HEADS VS. CLEAR HEADS

What kind of kit (brand/model) do you have? If I'm not mistaken, the EC2 is a lot like the Powerstroke 4. 2 ply head with a richie ring built onto it. And quite possibly, it's totally the wrong head for your kit. Coated or clear.
 
Re: COATED HEADS VS. CLEAR HEADS

I have a pdp (pacific) mx american hard rock maple drum set
 
Typically coated heads fix the plastic sound. I don't like clear heads for that very reason, though I thought I'd try EC2s myself (now I realized why I hate clear heads again :) The coating on the EC series is not quite a full coating though but more of a frosting so they will sort of sound in between coated and not. The EC2s are nothing like the Powerstroke 4s btw. The Powerstroke 4s are a 2 ply head with a ring (additional mylar material) added underneath. The EC2s are a two-ply head with a thin metal like ring in between the plies. They aren't as muffled as Powerstrokes or Pinstripes. They have quite a lot of sustain actually if you tune them up, but they do have a sort of flat slappy sound. You might try Coated EC1s (thick like 2ply but only single ply and they have that EC ring too) Use something like G1 clears for resonant heads rather than the Genera Resonants (those are designed to increase brightness of the drums (which boosts the plastic highs) )
 
My son has the coated EC 2's on his set. They have a nice open, round sound to them. They aren't slappy sounding at all. His sizes are 12, 13 and 16. I may try them on my 14, 16 and 18 sometime. He had clear Emperors on them before and they sounded good too but they were more open and yes, they had a but of a snap to them. I like both sounds but the EC 2's are much better, I think. Of course as with any head, they all sound different on different sets.
 
I have a superstar birch kit that i use to play rock and metal on. I have always used clear heads but listening to what you guys are saying is making me want to try out some coated heads. Im pretty sure ill need two ply because im a heavy hitter. what would oyu guys recomend?
 
I have a superstar birch kit that i use to play rock and metal on. I have always used clear heads but listening to what you guys are saying is making me want to try out some coated heads. Im pretty sure ill need two ply because im a heavy hitter. what would oyu guys recomend?

I'd recommend Coated EC1 or EC2s to start with. G2 coated heads are brighter than most heads for some reason, so on birch that may not be a good thing. Coated Emperor heads would be nice too. If you want an even warmer sound get coated G1 or ambassador for the bottoms. It's a subtle effect, but coated bottoms add to a sweeter, less plastic tone.
 
I switch off and on from clear emps. to coated emps. I always thought coated heads give you more of a classic sound, more of a big band kind of sound. Right now I have coated heads on and Im loving it.
 
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