Evans Head Test

I've seen quite alot of threads about what heads to buy for what drum or for opinions on certain snare drum heads so i thought i would post this to give my opinion incase anyone is looking at the same heads as i am.
I will continue to post on this thread to update over a few days as i have to wait a little longer for some heads and also trying to find time to test the heads.

Drums:

Pearl Jimmy Degrasso signature 14"x5.5" 1mm hammered brass (currently equipped with ambassador)
Tama 14"x5.5" bronze (equipped with G2 but needs replaced)
Yamaha 13"x6.5" 1.5mm brass nouveau (stock ambassador but not happy with it)
Ludwig Epic 14"x6.5" 6mm birch/maple/birch hybrid (currently using an ST Dry but has totally killed it)

Heads: 14" Genera HD, 14" ST Dry, 14" Remo Ambassador, 13" Genera

I will try out the 14" heads on each drum and see what results i get, hopefully it may help anyone else looking at this thread. Unfortunately i cant record any samples to post so will try and describe best i can.

stay tuned... (sorry)

p.s If anyone has any questions or comments please don't hesitate to post
 
Last edited:
Ive had the chance to test out some of the heads on several of the drums:

I have found that the ST Dry is a really good head but the dry vents remove just a little too much of the overtones for my liking. You still get a nice crack with great punch thanks to the double ply and it's obviously a very durable head. The Jimmy DeGrasso snare is hammered so a "dry" head is just not needed really. The head isn't really that suited to my bronze snare for the kind of sound i'm looking for and ,like i said, my wood snare ( Ludwig Epic) is a little too dead when cranked high but gives a nice fat 80s rock kind of sound when tuned lower. Personally i prefer the standard ST unless you have a snare that does nothing but ring.

Evans ST Dry - Two 7.5 mil ply with vent holes

Great head if you have an excessively ringy drum but personally i prefer the standard ST, very durable and still sensitive for a thicker head. Ideal for Rock/Metal or general heavy hitters
 
Last edited:
Next up is the Evans Genera HD:

This was the first time i have ever tried this drum head and man was i impressed. I'm a very big fan of G2 heads which this is similar to but it just has something else. It's slightly drier than a G2 with the 2mil dampening ring but only removes excessive ring, still keeps enough to keep it "alive". It sounded quite sweet on my Tama Bronze snare, which i normally use with a G2 and it was better with the Ludwig Epic snare than the ST Dry but it really did sound amazing with my Pearl Signature. The Jimmy DeGrasso snare is a loud snare designed for rock/metal. This head just gives it a really crisp, thunder like crack with slightly punchier strokes in the centre of the drum. Plus it's a two ply head so is more durable than the Ambassador that it came with (but still sounded amazing). I seem to have found the ideal head and tuning for this drum (in my opinion).

Evans Genera HD - 2 ply 5 mil/7.5 mil with 2mil overtone control ring

This really is a fantastic head that will fit in a lot of styles and is great if you find single ply heads just a little too fragile but still like sensitivity and something a little more open/lighter feeling than a standard 2ply head
 
Last edited:
Now for the Genera:

For my Yamaha 13"x6.5" brass i thought i would try the Evans Genera. I decided on this head as i wanted something quite open sounding but but not too ringy. The stock head that it arrived with was a Yamaha branded Remo ambassador. I know from experience that Ambassadors are great sounding heads however this one wasn't. It sounded quite "muddy" to my ears, cheaper for lack of a better word. It was also quite off colour, almost a shade of grey compared to the brilliant white of proper heads. The impact was very apparent as soon as i started tuning. There was no "muddyness" or choked sound, instead there was a very bright, crisp sound. Quite open sounding due to being only one ply but not too open. There was still a kind of warmth to the head and it had great volume.

Evans Genera: 1ply 10mil with 2mil overtone control ring

This is a great head, very sensitive and open with less ring than standard single ply heads.
 
Hey! In case this helps, I recently put together a review of 6 of the level 360 snare heads recently. Each head is placed back to back, 4 bars of each so you can hear exactly how they compare.

See what you think http://blog.drumsource.co.uk/evans-l...drumhead-test/

Dan

Very nice vid, all those heads sound good. I had forgotten to mention that some of the heads i got are level 360. Tune up quickly and theres a great tone from them. Love Evans heads
 
I found after playing with the tuning that the heads on my Tama Bronze snare were actually ok, still have a bit of life in them. They are an Evans G2 over a Hazy 300. Generally speaking that is my go to combo with snare heads, although i do really like the Genera HD now. For this snare i have been thinking of trying something a little more sensitive so when the current heads do go i'll replace them with my ,now spare, Remo Ambassador over Hazy 200. Have also been toying with getting 24 strand Puresound snare wires. I'll see how i get on with that when the time comes.

Just a note on my snares after changing the heads:

Pearl Jimmy DeGrasso signature: Evans Genera HD/Remo Ambassador with pearl snares.
Tama Bronze: Evans G2/Hazy 300 (soon to change to Remo ambassador/Hazy 200) with starclassic snares
Yamaha Brass Nouveau: Evans Genera/stock yamaha ambasador with yamaha snares
Ludwig Epic: Evans ST Dry/Hazy 300

These have been my opinions based on my tastes of snare sound within my studio. These heads could sound totally different to other peoples ears or in different rooms.

I hope that this has been helpful, again if theres any questions or comments or if i havent explained or described anything to well then let me know. If anyone has anything to add with different heads then feel free
 
Last edited:
Very cool thread! I find I also like an ST on my Ludwig Epic Brick... but the ST Dry is a bit too dry for me on that drum. However, it did sound better than the HD Dry. The HD Dry seemed to choke the life out of every snare I put it on. The only "dry" Evans snare head I actually like is the Genera Dry. Nice sensitivity and body, tames a drum for certain applications.
 
Yeah the ST Dry does choke the Epic quite a bit. I generally find it's best not to use dry heads on wood shells. Just my opinion. At the mo the HD is my favourite, really good head.

I've now changed the heads on my Tama bronze snare. Now it's a Remo Ambassador over a Hazy 200. Really nice sound. It's made the drum alot more lively and getting great sensitivity out of it but i'm still thinking of trying a 24 strand puresound on it, just to see what it's like. Really into experimenting with various things on snares just now. Think cos i've not been playing with a band i feel the need for a sound tweak or something. Was starting to get that stale feeling so trying fresher sounds...really helps
 
Back
Top