Cymbalrider
Pioneer Member
Well, I've got three new heads for my snare drums (3). The first is a 60s or 70s Slingerland chrome over brass snare that had an Evans G1 Coated on there for several months. I put a Fiberskyn Ambassador on there and have gigged a couple times with it. Fiberskyns continue to amaze me for giving a nice warm sound even to a brass snare. The drum is still plenty resonant which is nice for rimshots but the center is fairly focused. This head works great for brushes too, although a heavier brush is better to project the sound. The second is a Black Suede Emperor head (I had ordered an Ambassador but since they are the same price, and still a nice head I wasn't going to go through the trouble of shipping it back for an Ambassador) that replaced an Aquarian Texture Coated head that split despite being new (no dents or anything). The Black Suede head went on my 70s Ludwig Acrolite snare and sounds quite nice. I am disappointed at the texture though as I thought it would be like Renaissance heads which work great for brushes. The Black Suede texture resembles a worn Ambassador coating, it's there but not enough to make a sound. So despite the matte finish, Black Suede heads are not for brush playing, but would make decent tom or bass heads as they have the attack of a coated head without the worries of coating that sheds. The third head is a Coated CS head for my Mapex Pro M snare that also replaced a Evans G1 Coated. The coated CS is a fantastic head that plays very much like a regular Ambassador with a hint more focus the center, and excellent durability. I got the reverse dot, so it doesn't interfere with brushes. Overall, I can recommend the Fiberskyn and Coated CS to people who want great feeling snare heads that have a focused center sound but still have resonance on the edges for soft playing or loud rimshots. Black Suedes are best for those who don't care about brushes and don't mind having a black drumhead.