Jazz Head Thoughts

BananaManBob

Junior Member
Putting together a jazz kit, 18" bass, 14" snare, 12" tom, 14" tom

I was thinking:

Coated G1 snare batter
200 snare side

Coated G1 tom batters
Clear G1 tom resos

Clear G1 bass batter
Coated G1 bass reso

Would this be a good setup?

Thanks,

BananaManBob
 
Sure. It's not just a good set-up for a bop kit either. That would be good on alot of kits and alot of styles.

Have you thought about Remo's Fiberskyn 3's, though? I just got one of those heads to try and it sounds and feels really nice as a snare head so far. I might try a whole set. They probably are the closest to calfskin you can get to these days.
 
Those are the sizes I prefer for small group jazz for sure. I'm not that familiar with Evans but I believe those are comparable to the Remo heads I use. Single-ply coated top, single-ply clear bottom.

I actually prefer a coated single-ply for the bass drum batter head. I was sitting a few feet away from Kariem Riggins on a DW Jazz Series and the bass drum sound just killed me. Of course, the tuning, the drummer and the drums had a lot to do with that. But there was a warmth there that is unmistakable, I think.

My shop didn't have an 18" coated ambassador in stock for the bass drum last time I needed one, so I took a chance and picked up an Aquarian Vintage with the felt strip already attached. I really like it.
 
I like calfskin-style heads for jazz personally, so I'd recommend trying Aquarian Modern Vintage heads. They have a beautifully warm sound tuned up or down, and the coating lasts a long time.
 
For the snare, Coated Ambassador batter head on top, clear Ambassador snare head on the bottom, cranked up and tuned right.

For the toms, Emperors on top and Ambassadors on the bottom, cranked.
 
Another vote for the Aquarian Modern Vintage heads.*

I like the sound of Fiberskyns but like the MV's slightly better. Also for snare, I just can't get enough sound out of Fiberskyns for brush work. Some...but not enough for me. A single ply coated of any brand would be good also.

Jim

*Assuming the drums are more recent. If they are old pre-60's drums you might want Aquarian Vintage (not 'Modern Vintage' ) for the slightly wider collar
 
Your selection is fine. It definitely takes some time and investment to experiment with different heads and tuning.

You basically want high sustain and tone with low attack... other heads by Evans to check out are the J1 etched and the G-plus. You could experiment with 2-ply heads on toms/bass (G2's,Emperors, Pinstripes) but I personally like single-ply heads on all drums for Jazz. EQ1's without the plastic ring are a great batter head for the bass drum... I like there versatility.

Remo Fiberskyn 3 look/sound nice as a resonate bass drum head - markings/dirt/stains don't show up as easily as they would with coated heads. You could spill red wine on a fiberskyn and it would still look clean.
 
Snare, Ambassador coated over Ambassador snare bottom or Hazy 300.
Toms, Coated Ambassador or G1 coated over Ambassador clear or Genera clear
Bass, PS3 coated batter with a Thin Fiberskyn out front. with a felt strip muffler.

All drums are tuned on the tight side of course.
 
@BananaManBob-

You can't go wrong with these heads. The only other considerations you might want to make would be dabbling with the Evans G Plus (12mil instead of the 10mil G1) for your snare and or floor tom. The slightly thicker head provides a bit more body and prevents larger drums from sounding too thin/flat or "papery."

Cheers!
 
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