head questions for Oak Customs owners

yammieoaks

Senior Member
Hi,

I recently picked up a used kit with heads that I have never used before, but am open to them. I have not played the kit yet, but would like to hear any comments on these head questions I have:

20x17 kick: has a coated PS3. Why would you want a coated and not clear kick batter?
Also, there's a Fiberskyn res head. What sound will this give and is it much different compared to using the stock black head (I am guessing it's an Ebony Ambassador)?

I have the stock batter which looks exactly like a clear Pinstripe but with Yamaha name, not Remo. Is this correct?

16x16 and 12x9: both have coated Ambassador batters, stock res.
Are the stock res Ambassadors too?

All of these heads are new to me, and I will play them until I need to change them, and considering the player who owned the kit is a pro, I trust that these might be some of the better suitable heads (then again, he was playing different type of music than me, I am playing rock)

Thanks for any feedback, much appreciated.
 
The cat you got the set from was going for a warmer sound. Nothing wrong with that. The Yamaha Oak Customs are great, pro-level drums. And again, good score, congrats. Lots of drummers simply like the look of the Fiberskyn reso., and that in and of itself is as good a reason as any to use one. I go for a "brighter" sound, so I'd probably run a clear Powerstroke 3 batter, and an ebony Ambassador reso. One of "my" favorite combo's, and certainly a good place to start. Once you step into pro-level kits, they will support almost any head combination, and sound good. Not saying "you" personally, will like every combination, but the drums will sound good. Yamaha loves the Remo pinstripe. Goes back to the Recording Custom days (the oldest series drum still in production - 30+ years). Not particularly my head choice for those drums, but those drums will sound great (properly tuned) with Pins. Since you only have 2 toms (with coated Ambassadors), get some "other" heads. A set of clear Powerstroke 3's. Or a set of Emperor's. Or Controlled Sound. So often, we talk about the "warmth" of maple, the "attack" of birch, "this" of beech, "that" of oak. For under $50, changing your drum heads (type) can be like buying another kit. No doubt, a man can never own "too many drums", but 3 or 4 sets of heads is a lot easier to store (and cheaper to buy) than 4 drum kits.
 
The cat you got the set from was going for a warmer sound. Nothing wrong with that. The Yamaha Oak Customs are great, pro-level drums. And again, good score, congrats. Lots of drummers simply like the look of the Fiberskyn reso., and that in and of itself is as good a reason as any to use one. I go for a "brighter" sound, so I'd probably run a clear Powerstroke 3 batter, and an ebony Ambassador reso. One of "my" favorite combo's, and certainly a good place to start. Once you step into pro-level kits, they will support almost any head combination, and sound good. Not saying "you" personally, will like every combination, but the drums will sound good. Yamaha loves the Remo pinstripe. Goes back to the Recording Custom days (the oldest series drum still in production - 30+ years). Not particularly my head choice for those drums, but those drums will sound great (properly tuned) with Pins. Since you only have 2 toms (with coated Ambassadors), get some "other" heads. A set of clear Powerstroke 3's. Or a set of Emperor's. Or Controlled Sound. So often, we talk about the "warmth" of maple, the "attack" of birch, "this" of beech, "that" of oak. For under $50, changing your drum heads (type) can be like buying another kit. No doubt, a man can never own "too many drums", but 3 or 4 sets of heads is a lot easier to store (and cheaper to buy) than 4 drum kits.
harryconway, your feedback is always valued, thanks much
 
Hi,

I have clear emperors on the tom batters 10, 12, 14 and clear ambassadors on the reso. The drums IMHO and the sound engineers who miked the kit this past Summer loved the sound of this kit. I did try the coated ambassadors on the toms but was not blown away with them on the Oaks. On the kick 22" I have an EMAD (single ply) with the thin dampening ring installed. The drum has a nice low end punch and nice attack. I did put the PS3 (clear) on it and that had less bottom and more attack. It's what sound your looking for. You can't go wrong with the Oak Customs.
 
Hi,

I have clear emperors on the tom batters 10, 12, 14 and clear ambassadors on the reso. The drums IMHO and the sound engineers who miked the kit this past Summer loved the sound of this kit. I did try the coated ambassadors on the toms but was not blown away with them on the Oaks. On the kick 22" I have an EMAD (single ply) with the thin dampening ring installed. The drum has a nice low end punch and nice attack. I did put the PS3 (clear) on it and that had less bottom and more attack. It's what sound your looking for. You can't go wrong with the Oak Customs.
yeah, i was surprised to see coated on these, thinking clears would be best for them, but i'll see how the coated sounds and switch if i'm dissatisfied. thanks for the feedback!
 
I have clear emperors on the tom batters 10, 12, 14 and clear ambassadors on the reso. The drums IMHO and the sound engineers who miked the kit this past Summer loved the sound of this kit.

Great combo. My Rogers project (12, 13, 16) XP-8 shells are gonna start with that combo on them.
 
hi, i also own a set of oaks. for the toms (10, 12, 14) i have coated emperors on the batter side and clear ambassadors (not stock) on the reso. on the kick i have a PS3 right now. they sound good to me now but i'm interested in finding out what other heads can do for my oaks.
 
Have you tried the clear Emperors? I love them on the Oaks.
 
hi, i also own a set of oaks. for the toms (10, 12, 14) i have coated emperors on the batter side and clear ambassadors (not stock) on the reso. on the kick i have a PS3 right now. they sound good to me now but i'm interested in finding out what other heads can do for my oaks.
are the stock resonant tom heads NOT clear ambassadors? do you know what they might be?
 
You are correct, they are Ambassadors. But I hear that they are made for Yamaha and are a bit different than regular Ambassadors? Don't know if that's true. But they sound great to me so I'm leaving them on there. The batter heads I changed right away. I wanted to start with a fresh set of Emperors. The person I bought the kit from had clear Emperors on the drums, but he liked his tuning on the very high side so I wanted to start out fresh and tune them up myself.
 
You are correct, they are Ambassadors. But I hear that they are made for Yamaha and are a bit different than regular Ambassadors? Don't know if that's true. But they sound great to me so I'm leaving them on there. The batter heads I changed right away. I wanted to start with a fresh set of Emperors. The person I bought the kit from had clear Emperors on the drums, but he liked his tuning on the very high side so I wanted to start out fresh and tune them up myself.
yeah, i've always wondered if the quality for stock heads were exactly the same as regular Remo branded models...i'm going to try clear Emperors once my current heads wear out...i think clears would sound great on these!
 
They do sound great on those drums. I tune using notes and they really sing.

Here is the picture that was on eBay when I bought the kit. Need to get some pics of the kit setup with the rack and cymbals.
 

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i just played my kit for the first time (solo, not with any other instruments) and surprisingly liked the coated Ambassadors. i've never used them before, but the durability seems less than Emperors (well, that's logical since they're 1 ply vs. 2ply), but i was surprised to like them. if i want a really loud punch, i'll switch to clears, but for now, i think i'm good with the warmer coated ones.

yes, these are LOUD drums. compared to my beechwood kit, they blow them away with their punch. i don't regret at all downsizing from a 22" to 20' kick, and am very happy i did with this kit since i get enough out of the 20".

i actually thought my beechwoods sounded dead compared to them, but i'm also wanting more punch than warmth these days.

as for the coated PS3 on the kick, it was good but i may switch it to a clear. it sounds a bit too warm compared to the toms. but i'm waiting to see how everything sounds when i play with my band.

thanks for all the feedback. it's sweet to play a newer kit since i've been using a vintage one for awhile.
 
The batter heads I changed right away. I wanted to start with a fresh set of Emperors. The person I bought the kit from had clear Emperors on the drums, but he liked his tuning on the very high side so I wanted to start out fresh and tune them up myself.
what kind of music are you playing? curious how the articulation is on yours...
 
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