Evans Clear ECS SST or Genera 1 Coated?

bigman30

Junior Member
Right now I have a Gretsch Catalina Club mod with vinyl wrap and its got Mahogany shells. Right now I have some old Genera 1 coated heads on all toms and the snare. I have not changed the heads since I got the set about 8 months ago or so. They seem to be old. I was looking for some heads that would really bring out the sound of the drums without too many overtones. I was thinking about the evans clear or coated ec2's on the toms and I have no clue for the snare... Any thoughts?
 
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I don't think you'd like the EC2s much if you're looking to bring out the tone of the drums. If you're going all Evans, your description matches pretty well with a coated G2- though Remo Vintage Emperors and Aquarian Super-2s are on the same level. For snare, a coated G1 (or Ambassador or Texture Coated) will do you nicely for almost any genre. Make sure you replace the resonant heads as well, a coated G1/Ambassador/Texture Coated will cut down on overtones even more and really warm those Gretsches up.
 
Typically when someone asks me for a drumhead recommendation to really bring out the sound of the shells, I think clear single-ply heads immediately (like a clear G1). They'll have a sensitive response, open tone and plenty of sustain. That being said, you mentioned that you're looking to cut down on overtones. In progressive order of more overtone attenuation, I would recommend coated G1 batters, then coated G1 batters over EC resos, then coated G12 batters over EC Resos. This will still help to maintain the true tone of the drums while only subtly coloring the sound in the upper register.

Cheers!
 
Yeh I meant to say something along the lines of bringing out the tone of the drums without too many overtones. Right now I have g1's on the batter ( coated ) and clear heads on reso. Probably clear g1 but I can't say for sure.
 
Typically when someone asks me for a drumhead recommendation to really bring out the sound of the shells, I think clear single-ply heads immediately (like a clear G1). They'll have a sensitive response, open tone and plenty of sustain. That being said, you mentioned that you're looking to cut down on overtones. In progressive order of more overtone attenuation, I would recommend coated G1 batters, then coated G1 batters over EC resos, then coated G12 batters over EC Resos. This will still help to maintain the true tone of the drums while only subtly coloring the sound in the upper register.

Cheers!

Excellent advice that I would echo. My 'go-to' head has always been single-ply coated. Enough warmth and overtone control but thin enough to really let the sound of the drum take centre stage. The only downside is that thinner heads are generally harder to tune and will exhibit a greater occurrence of unwanted overtones if badly tuned. Two-ply heads are a great compromise if you prefer a lower tuning.

Once we get into the 'pre-muffled' heads (with EC2s being the best in terms of my experience) the less tuning ability matters and the more dead the drum will sound. This can work very well in some situations but the drums will be quieter and have less projection, which can cause real problems at gigs if the toms aren't directly amplified.
 
G2's are perfect for bringing out a nice tone. Not too many overtones. A good blend of warmth and attack. Definitely more controllable than EC2's.
 
Hey bigman. EC2's and G1's are in different worlds completely.



A clear EC2 will yield you a very focused and sharp attack with controlled overtones. They still retain the drum's tone.
A coated G1 will yield you a warm, ringing thump.

I personally do not like the coated G1 or coated G2. I generally will use a clear head versus a coated one unless it's on my snare (but I'm coming around there, too). I use moon gels and like the idea of being able to control WHICH overtones I want omitted. The moon gels also help to tune the drum to an exact note while recording as I listen to what the mic picks up through isolated headphones. That being said I do like the CLEAR G1 and the Clear EC2. They both get the top vote in my book. I did a comparison video on youtube and the results are that if I want a good direct attack and fast toms and don't want to spend time tweaking overtones, the EC2's are my ticket. On the other hand if I'm looking for more control over the whole tone of the drum and what overtones I want dampened, I'll go with a G1 and a couple moon gels. Both are great choices, and neither is better than the other. Ideally I'd like an EC1 but they are hard to find anymore.

I will say since trying Evans on nearly all of my drums in various shapes, sizes, and lines, I've almost written off Aquarian completely (used to be primarily an Aquarian user). Still up in the air with Remo as they still have some heads I really really like (Vintage A, Fiberskyn).
 
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I really like the newer G14 heads for toms batter heads, both coated and clear. I also like the EC resonant heads on the bottoms. Peace and goodwill.
 
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