What replacement head is most like the stock Sonor Safari Kick drum head?

rpt50

Member
The stock kick drum head on my son's Sonor Safari is starting to show a pronounced dent--it's clearly time for a replacement. He has been using the kit a ton lately for all kinds of gigs, and we always mic it. The band loves the sound, so what kind of replacement head is going to be most similar to stock (stock is a Remo with some kind of inner plastic ring)?

Also, I've searched other threads and seen lots of mention of Superkick heads and Powerstroke heads, but I am confused with all the versions (not a drummer myself). If you have a recommendation, please give a specific model/version, as I will probably have to order it online. Thanks!
 
A PS3 or PS4 is going to be close.
http://www.remo.com/portal/products/3/8/49/156/cl_powerstroke3.html

The PS4 is 2 ply so it won't dent as easily.
I use a coated PS3 on my 16" Safari bass drum for a batter head with a thin Fiberskyn as a reso.

I just looked in my storage area, I have the stock Safari batter that I took off of my drum after about an hour of playing it.
I will give it to you if you pay the shipping. PM me and give me your address and email if interested. I will send you a PayPal bill for the shipping.
 
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A PS3 or PS4 is going to be close.
http://www.remo.com/portal/products/3/8/49/156/cl_powerstroke3.html

The PS4 is 2 ply so it won't dent as easily.
I use a coated PS3 on my 16" Safari bass drum for a batter head with a thin Fiberskyn as a reso.

I just looked in my storage area, I have the stock Safari batter that I took off of my drum after about an hour of playing it.
I will give it to you if you pay the shipping. PM me and give me your address and email if interested. I will send you a PayPal bill for the shipping.

Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll go ahead and try the Powerstroke. Any tips on who might stock them? The usual suspects (GC, MF, SA don't have anything smaller than an 18").
 
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Even in Los Angeles, nobody really stocks 16" bass drum heads. So if you order it online, get two. Carry that and an extra snare batter head to every gig and you'll be good to go ;)

It looks dumb when something breaks and you don't have a spare.
 
Even in Los Angeles, nobody really stocks 16" bass drum heads. So if you order it online, get two. Carry that and an extra snare batter head to every gig and you'll be good to go ;)

It looks dumb when something breaks and you don't have a spare.

Yea, I learned the spare thing racing motorcycles. You look dumb AND waste a ton of money hauling bikes, race entry fees, etc. The stock head will be the backup. I want to see how the Powerstroke sounds before buying more.
 
You'll have to see if the 16 bd has wood hoops and clamps (as a bd) or a metal one (as a floor Tom ). One head won't fit on the other type and vice versa .
I have a yamaha Rick Marotta hip gig and use a Aquarian super 2 with a remo "muffled" thingy (only use the plasticky part without the foam). Had to do that because I couldn't find a pre muffled 16 floor tom head . Hope that helps.
 
You'll have to see if the 16 bd has wood hoops and clamps (as a bd) or a metal one (as a floor Tom ). One head won't fit on the other type and vice versa .
I have a yamaha Rick Marotta hip gig and use a Aquarian super 2 with a remo "muffled" thingy (only use the plasticky part without the foam). Had to do that because I couldn't find a pre muffled 16 floor tom head . Hope that helps.

The hoops are metal, but they are in the shape of regular bass drum hoops, so it needs a bass drum head. I did experiment with a regular 16 tom head and it worked on the Safari, but the fit was not as good as with the thicker ring on a bass drum specific head. I'm not sure if it would hold up to regular playing.
 
Have you tried contacting Remo about this? If they supply the stock head, they know exactly what the specs are.

Also, putting a Remo Falam Slam patch or similar at the beater contact point may help the next head last longer.
 
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