Heads Decision

Lykan

Junior Member
Hi guys, The day after tomorrow my Sonor Force 3007 will arrive and now I need some advice on which heads to use. I was thinking some Evans onyx or Remo black suede for the looks, but looks alone won't make my drums sound like I want to so I might as well inform myself. I play mainly prog. metal and drums sizes are going to be 8", 10", 12", 16", 22" bass and 14" snare.

Thanks in advance =)
 
Well im using an 8,10,12,14 setup on my mapex kit, and ive gone with the classic combination of Remo Emperor on top of Ambassadors. Works as well as the reputation suggests it should, its easy to tune up nicely, and has a good combination of attack, but without too much resonance and sustain.

Nice all round sound for my preferences.
 
Well im using an 8,10,12,14 setup on my mapex kit, and ive gone with the classic combination of Remo Emperor on top of Ambassadors. Works as well as the reputation suggests it should, its easy to tune up nicely, and has a good combination of attack, but without too much resonance and sustain.

Nice all round sound for my preferences.

You mean Emperors on batter and Ambassadors on reso?
 
Yep thats the one.

I use coated emps on batter, as i like the looks. But clear would work just fine.

I use clear ambs on the reso side.

I had coated ambs on the batter side before, and i found them a tad resonant for my liking, and you had to get the tuning absolutely 100% spot on, or it just sounded terrible.
 
im afraid not.. black heads were never my bag.. so never really listened to any.

The website suggests however, that you can get them in the same thicknesses and configurations as the standard emperor and ambassador. and the black suede should produce a similar effect to a coated head

So suede emperor over clear ambassador would be pretty much the same thing as coated emp over amb
 
The black suedes are considerably darker sounding than regular coated heads. Can't tell if you'd like them or not.

I'll second the recommendation for Emperors over Ambassadors (Evans G2s over G1s), as they are a very standard setup for the music you play. Even if you decide to move to a different sound at your next head change, this combo will give you a good benchmark with which to compare.

BTW, either the clear Ambassadors or clear Evans G1s (or any other name-brand 10mil single-ply clear heads) will be suitable reso heads for any batters you choose.

Clear Emperor/G2 batters will be a little brighter and ringier; coated batters will be a little warmer and have a less plasticky attack. The difference is relatively small but noticable.
 
I tried black suede heads recently. Lots of attack, not as bright as Emperors (Coated or Clear). To me, they didn't project well because that extra ring is where your drums get their staying power in the mix... but for really fast fills, the likes of which you'll see in metal, they're good.

I suggest getting one for your 16" tom first and try it out. The difference is most stark on the larger toms.
 
Black heads get your sticks filthy, you'd have to make sure every drum had a black head on otherwise if you had a white coated snare for example, it gets black marks on it from the stick and looks awful.
 
i agree w/ Kev.. black heads get really dusty easily and they just aren't that attractive if you ask me.. i like Evans G1 clear... but thats just me... if i had to pick between the evans and remo, i would go w/ the evans
 
I've heard black heads break a helluva lot easier than regular coated or clear. Think of it like this; black absorbs more lightwaves and that causes them to heat up. The light waves mess with the heads plastic film.
 
I've heard black heads break a helluva lot easier than regular coated or clear. Think of it like this; black absorbs more lightwaves and that causes them to heat up. The light waves mess with the heads plastic film.

The suedes are available in white as well. They fall right between clear and coated in terms of warmth/sustain
 
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