New Evans snare head - Heavyweight

Very nice video from Sweetwater, featuring our own EvansSpecialist (am I correct?) demoing/introducing the new Heavyweight and Heavyweight EMAD heads at NAMM 2014:
http://youtu.be/nCOSG_gVXl8

Yup, one of the many interviews during NAMM :)

Everyone who demo'd the new heads was quite surprised by the sensitivity and feel of the heads, given the thickness.
 
Finally an Emperor X alternative from Evans. I'm a big fan of the Emp X, so I'm excited to try this one out, since I generally favour Evans heads over Remo.
 
So I know this thread has not been updated in a while but I tried out the Heavyweight last night and wanted to offer my thoughts. I put the head on my 14x 5.5 Tama beaded brass snare. Obviously, the snare has a powerful bright cutting tone.

The head feels very thick and you can totally feel it when you hit the drum. I am normally torn head wise as I like durable heads but I like max resonance ( so I should play 1 plys). I have only played it for one prax and plan to test it live at our show tomorrow.

That being said so far I don't think I am into this head. I like how 2 ply heads kill a little more of the ring of my brass snare. I like how this one does that as well, but once the band is in the mix I feel like I am working a little harder than I have to. Maybe it is just because I put it on and played it for an hour.

I probably need to mess around with the tuning, but I think if anyone thinks this head may be too thick for them it probably is. Again, I want to play with it a little more and I am sure it will be an awesome head for taming any kind of ring so if that is what you need go for it. I feel this head may be suited best for deep snares.
 
I've been using the heavyweight for a couple of months now. I have it on my 6.5x14, 15 ply Keller shell snare drum and I really dig it. I have cranked up reasonably high and it had a pleasing combination of ring and control. This head suits me as I am naturally a heavy hitter and play four hour shows in a rock cover band roughly 4 times a month.
I use the same snare with the company band I'm in and it sounds just fine with brushes as well. All of the sensitivity seems to be there. How crazy is that?
 
For those of you who have or use Twitter, you need to follow @benobriensmith to find out what is going on in the music and Evans worlds. He is one of the hardest working guys in the business and never fails to entertain or inform.
 
I've got to say, I'm impressed by the Heavyweight Snare as well. It's amazing on my Pork Pie Big Black brass snare. I generally use a G2 or an ST on that one, but I think I may get another Heavyweight for it, once the current one wears out. It definitely doesn't feel as stiff as I thought it would, like the EC Reverse Dot snare batter head.

However, I'm not as much a fan of the Heavyweight EMAD. I'm having the same problem I had on my previous 3 EMAD-style heads (GMAD, EMAD2, EMAD Onyx) with the thinner of the two foam muffling rings falling out of the plastic portion while playing a set.

I'd rather use the thinner ring, but it seems like I'm going to have to keep going back to the thicker one, because it's the only one of the two that will stay put for the duration of a show.
 
I've got to say, I'm impressed by the Heavyweight Snare as well. It's amazing on my Pork Pie Big Black brass snare. I generally use a G2 or an ST on that one, but I think I may get another Heavyweight for it, once the current one wears out. It definitely doesn't feel as stiff as I thought it would, like the EC Reverse Dot snare batter head.

However, I'm not as much a fan of the Heavyweight EMAD. I'm having the same problem I had on my previous 3 EMAD-style heads (GMAD, EMAD2, EMAD Onyx) with the thinner of the two foam muffling rings falling out of the plastic portion while playing a set.

Yeah, I love the Heavyweight. Mine has recently lost its tone and I ordered a Remo P77 (marching head) to try and, yeah, the Heavyweight is definitely more dynamic and toneful. Works well with a die-cast top hoop on my COB though if I were tuning higher I'd use a lighter hoop and probably a G12.

I had that issue with the EMAD as well, but I don't use any of the rings normally. Have you tried just taping the top in?
 
Let's not pass judgement before we play the head... ;-)

Both the Heavyweight snare batter and the EMAD Heavyweight are incredibly dynamic (far more than you would expect out of heads that thick) and are actually quite versatile. You may find that they're not the ones for you, but there are many people who have been looking for the ultimate durability without the sacrifice of dynamics.

Kenny Aronoff is digging it, Anton Fig is digging it, Matt Halpern is digging it.

With regards to the EMAD Heavyweight, the sound is incredible and the tone (even will feathering the kick) is full-bodied. From the moment I mounted the first prototype on a kick drum, this head became my favorite EMAD.

So what did the 25 and 30 mil prototypes sound like?

Where's the ceiling for BD head thickness, is it 20 mil?

There has to be a loss of volume with that much plastic.

Thicker snare heads IMO are a phase one goes thru, its a 'different' sound, but I'll wager everyone jazzed with thick/heavy go back to thinner heads. I've worn thru more than a few REMO FALAM snare heads in my time and I can tell you they do wear on the body, mainly when striving for more volume, you (have to) put more into them.
 
The thick two ply heads on a snare are an interesting idea but not for me I'm afraid.
I find the G12 to be two thick for a snare. I can't control my rolls when the snare head is thicker than 10 mil.
 
Muffling was the wrong word, I guess I was thinking that Kevlar would be similar in volume to a muffled, multi-ply head. I haven't experimented with one, though, so I actually can't comment on that.

My P77 is definitely quieter & more muffled than the Heavyweight, which is about the same volume as the G12 to my ear (all with a die-cast top hoop). Perhaps that's because of the muffling ring on the perimeter of the head. I've also noticed the typical oily effect looking at it when untensioned, which makes me think that ply separation also has a big effect in disrupting the vibrations/resonance (I'd imagine Kevlar is more diffusing of vibrations than Mylar, being a fabric).

Pseudoscience!
 
I finally got around to trying one ,tonight. I put in on a Brass Sensitone Elite and and gave it my usual tuning, a cranked reso and medium to high batter.

These are just my first impressions. It does have some similarities to the Emperor X. Like the X ,it adds a bit more body to the tone. It is crisper and has more bite than the X. I can get the "gunshot" at a lower tension. Ghosting is easier,as well. It has more overtones than the X but you still won't need any muffling. I think the mic is going to like this head.

I have a World Max snare that identical to the Sensitone,with the exception of the Nickel plating. It currently has an Emperor X on it. I asked the band to pick their favorite over the course of a few tunes. They all picked the Heavyweight,which was surprising because they always pick the head with the least ring. lol

It's probably too much for wood drums in any situation.If you aren't driving spikes on the 2 and 4,you might not like this head but it's far more versatile than I expected.
 
I found my heavyweight had a strange tone when I first put it on my snare, but after a day or two of playing, it bedded in pretty well. I've noticed it has an incredible bite, and seems comfortable in the medium tension. The coating is outstanding in comparison to just about every Remo head I've put on my snare, and I can notice quite a difference in it compared to my Remo Emperor X. My Emperor X had a real throaty sound, almost like a chest cough sound, from it. While my heavyweight seems to be a smoother tone, but a real pop at the same time. My 20 cents, I guess.
 
The heavier the head and the tighter the more energy is passed up the sticks to your hands. I have a slight case of arthritis in my hands and normally play with the snare batter a little loser than I want to help absorb some energy. I don't play out so the only personaware of the sound change is me. I like tight heads but have had to loosen them a bit as I got older.

Thanks for the knowledge. I'm getting ready to purchase a new snare head to try. I may pass on the HWeight. I had a fall about 13 years ago, my right wrist will just, lock up and scream at me on occasion.
 
I sometimes use Aquarian's version of this head.
It's called the Hi-Impact.
Same deal, two 20 mil plys with a dot. Great for heavy hitters. Most of the time I use these when I'm on the road with a rock band so I have something that's going to last me a couple gigs and I don't have to worry about breaking it on stage.

When I used single play heads on tour I would have to change them every night, and sometimes popped them in the middle of a show. Not fun.

https://www.aquariandrumheads.com/product/hi-impact-specialty-snare-series/
 
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