snare batter heads don't last long, how can I make them last longer?

J

JLoveDrums94

Senior Member
I use Clear Remo Pinstripes (yes, clear) and don't try to persuade me into me into using anything else. I can only explain how much I tighten it through drum dial settings. I tighten the batter side to 92 and the snare side to 83. I use all rim shots and of coarse, I use sticks and not brushes.

I get this rather magical sound with these settings but this sound fades away after about a month. What can I do to make the drumhead last longer in able to keep this sound?
 
Experiment with heads that belong on a snare???? Try going with a dotted clear?? Maybe a clear Emperior tuned tighter than the pinstripe???
Your asking advises as if theres more people that use that application, there probably isn't.
Are you using 2.3 rims were maybe trying a die cast on the batter with a heavier head might give you your sound?? Sounds are all experimental, go to your local music store and see what they may have in used heads that interest you and try out different applications, thats how its done. Doc
 
Heat it up using a hair dryer and polish it with a mixture of beeswax and toothpaste.



Jokes, how often are you playing? I wouldn't expect a snare head to keep it's 'fresh' sound any longer than a few weeks if you're playing often. Some people prefer the slightly worn in sound anyway.
 
kettles said:
Heat it up using a hair dryer and polish it with a mixture of beeswax and toothpaste.



Jokes, how often are you playing? I wouldn't expect a snare head to keep it's 'fresh' sound any longer than a few weeks if you're playing often. Some people prefer the slightly worn in sound anyway.
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I play for about 2 hours almost everyday.
 
JLoveDrums94 said:
By "re-tune it" do you mean take off the drum head and then put it back on? Or do you just mean to tune it up after an amount of use?
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Just tweak it so that the head stays in tune. You don't have to take the head off. You can always detune the head back to finger tight and tune it up again if you find tuning from scratch easier too.

I check my drums every time I play them. If I don't like what I hear, I re-tune. There is no strict time frame...... just when it doesn't sound like I think it should. It can be once or twice a session.....or once every couple of weeks.
 
Maybe get a head for a snare? Or just suck it up and get a new head every month. Or learn how to tune. Without a DrumDial and re-tune it every time you finish playing.
 
I'm afraid you're pretty much stuck with what you have. You take the "option" of another type of drum head "off the table". And your choice of batter head is rather "unorthodox". Not that either of those things is bad, but it is what it is. Very restrictive. If you're happy with the sound you're getting, cool. More power to ya. If you're getting a "magical sound" outta the deal ... well .... OK then. But "magic" usually comes with a price.​
 
Have you tried making a simple recording of a new head and comparing it to the sound of the month old head? Might let you retune to the pitch you want. Fundamentally, you're not tuning the drum by ear, but you know when it is out of tune by ear. So you need to find a way to get back to your desired tuning.

Unless the head really is shot after a month, in which case, not much else you can do.
 
Your "magical sound" actually starts fading ever so slowly with every hit or rim shot you do after you're done tuning your snare drum. You just don't notice it because it's so gradual. Just tweak the tuning of your snare everyday or so to keep it at it's sweet spot. Unless you're damaging the heads with brute force and tree trunk diameter sticks, periodic tuning is all you need.

You'll probably find that it might be just one or two tension rods that are coming loose, so tweaking should just take a minute or two. Use a stick and just tap around the circumference of the head about an inch in from each tension rod. It should be evident which rods are creeping out.

Dennis
 
audiotech said:
Your "magical sound" actually starts fading ever so slowly with every hit or rim shot you do after you're done tuning your snare drum. You just don't notice it because it's so gradual. Just tweak the tuning of your snare everyday or so to keep it at it's sweet spot. Unless you're damaging the heads with brute force and tree trunk diameter sticks, periodic tuning is all you need.

You'll probably find that it might be just one or two tension rods that are coming loose, so tweaking should just take a minute or two. Use a stick and just tap around the circumference of the head about an inch in from each tension rod. It should be evident which rods are creeping out.

Dennis
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I agree....and with constant rim shots I'd venture to guess it's the lugs nearest to where he is hitting the rim.
 
I had the same problem with Remo heads going dead in about 3-4 weeks, after switching to Aquarian I can get several months now before they start to go dead.
 
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agree with soupy. you're tuning by tension (elasticity of the head material), not by ear. you are stretching to the same constant tension (92 on your dial) but over time that becomes a different pitch, due to the changing elasticity of your pinstripe head with time, especially being used 2 hours a day.
 
I'm forever retightening the wire adjustment on the side for my pop and every other month or so I might tweak the tuning rods. I use one of those REMO tattoo skyns. Sound pretty awesome at first but it warps easily (damn thing). But it's all good because I got it for free haha.
 
The mylar film used in any drumhead is flexible and somewhat elastic, and it will wear out over time. I don't mean it will break, necessarily, but it will change in sound. That is why drum heads are changeable to begin with, IMO.

Keeping it tuned each time you play will help, but no head will last forever, especially if you really like that "new" sound. (I do!)

Really, your choices are to pony up for a new head, or live with the sound. Honestly, unless you are recording or gigging, I would just live with the less-than-new sound until your budget allows a new head. What matters most is your playing, and you can still practice daily no matter what the sound...
 
You never said what you have been doing in the past after a month of play. Have you been changing the heads, retuning, what?? New heads every month will get expensive. At 17 I'm assuming your funds are limited. Also being young trying to tell you to change is also difficult but you are getting a bad result from your current head and you just may need to buckle down and start using a snare head.
 
Ok, so I agree with the idea of putting up with drumheads after a month until my budget is able to afford buying "one per month" (which is unlikely to ever happen.) But If I recall correctly, you guys said that some things about the drum itself can effect how long the drumhead lasts. I use one of those standard "wooden" snare drums that came with the drum kit. The drum kit is a 5 piece squier drum kit (fyi.) Does that mean that I should think about replacing the snare drum?
 
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