Coated reso heads?

Some people swear by the warmer sound of the coated ones even in comparison to the clear though.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have the coating on the bottom whether it warms the sound or not if it increases the sustain.

But . . . the frosty coating doesn't warm the sound to my ear. Just makes it deader. The usual white coatings do warm the sound up.
 
I tried coated resos on toms and didn't hear much difference. That's probably because the coating is on the other side of the head where the sound waves - generated inside the shell - don't make direct contact with the coating. To affect the sound, the coating should be on the bottom of the reso head.

I do hear a difference with thin or thick resos but coating has no discernible impact on sustain.
 
I tried coated resos on toms and didn't hear much difference. That's probably because the coating is on the other side of the head where the sound waves - generated inside the shell - don't make direct contact with the coating. To affect the sound, the coating should be on the bottom of the reso head.

I do hear a difference with thin or thick resos but coating has no discernible impact on sustain.

I may not have any experience with trying this, but to me that sounds like you're implying I could put my hand on the resonant head from the outside and it should have no effect on the sustain....
 
But . . . the frosty coating doesn't warm the sound to my ear. Just makes it deader. The usual white coatings do warm the sound up.

Alright, so now I'm down to

Coated Ambassadors over Clear G Pluses

OR

Coated Ambassadors over Coated Ambassadors.

I'm probably just gonna leave it almost entirely up to you guys. What's your take on it? I'll be happy with either sound.... What do most of you prefer?
 
How about: get one clear G-plus and two coated ambassadors for just one drum, try them out and decide for yourself?
 
I know you suggested that before but I don't really have the spare cash (yeah seriously I know, for a couple extra drum heads I might not use.... 16 years old + minimum wage blows lol) or a means of being able to get my hands on them in a timely manner. Having to order online just to wait and see if I like a combo and then having to order again shortly after once I decide probably would be more worth just going with my gut than the extra money/time.

Sounds stupid, I know. I've done my homework, played with different kits and different head combos before and I've narrowed it down to this much. I think I'm just going to double up on the Coated Ambassadors and stop changing my mind and wanting to experiment so much lol.
 
I know you suggested that before but I don't really have the spare cash (yeah seriously I know, for a couple extra drum heads I might not use.... 16 years old + minimum wage blows lol) or a means of being able to get my hands on them in a timely manner. Having to order online just to wait and see if I like a combo and then having to order again shortly after once I decide probably would be more worth just going with my gut than the extra money/time.

Sounds stupid, I know. I've done my homework, played with different kits and different head combos before and I've narrowed it down to this much. I think I'm just going to double up on the Coated Ambassadors and stop changing my mind and wanting to experiment so much lol.

Take your time man, experimenting costs money. And you're 16, so you've got a lot of years ahead of you to figure out and dial in your sound.
 
I may not have any experience with trying this, but to me that sounds like you're implying I could put my hand on the resonant head from the outside and it should have no effect on the sustain....

Don't believe it until you try it. The difference is so minimal it can be neglected. If not, you'd see a lot more coated resos.
 
Don't believe it until you try it. The difference is so minimal it can be neglected. If not, you'd see a lot more coated resos.

No harm in trying, right?

I've never heard too many popular recordings favoring a really warm tone drum with little attack without a triggered or electronic pad making the noise.... So just because you don't see it everywhere doesn't mean it's not true.
 
Go with the Coated Ambassadors all around. It worked for decades with Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson on Slingerland, Rogers, Ludwig, and Remo kits. While Evans makes a high quality drumhead, I'd suggest Remos for that open, warm sound. In my experience Evans heads lose tone before physically wearing out and Remos physically wear out before losing tone. I've got Coated G1s on my Gretsch kit that could still pass for new on looks alone, but sound like paper after being on there for a year. The only coated heads that will noticeably restrict sustain are Aquarians which possess a very thick coating and are not too pleasant on the resonant side.
 
Hi All!
I've got a Sonor 3007 kit with clear EC2s batter and stock resos. Don't really
care for the sound. I have an Emad on the kick for batter. Love that. Warm and boomy.
My kit is a fusion. 10,12,14 and 20 kick. Also looking for a good head combo?
Anyone? I like a nice warm sound. My toms all sound flat and dead

First of all, get some livelier heads for batter. EC2 is about as dead as you can go without using Hydraulics. I'd try some standard G2 or Emperors, coated preferably. Then, if you find them better than the EC2's, you can start experimenting with different reso's.
 
I'll be happy with Ambassadors over Ambassadors for sure, I'm just killing myself over the coated or clear reso decision.

If I were you, I would buy the coated ambassadors for both batter and reso heads: That way, if you don't like the sound, you could buy clear ambassadors for the resos, and save the extra coated ambassadors for your next batter head change...
 
If I were you, I would buy the coated ambassadors for both batter and reso heads: That way, if you don't like the sound, you could buy clear ambassadors for the resos, and save the extra coated ambassadors for your next batter head change...

How in the heck did I not think of this? lol

This is definitely the way to go then. Wow, I feel stupid for not thinking of it that way....
 
I had the crazy idea of using 1ply coated batter heads as resonant heads. I mean, as far as Evans go, the G1 Clear Batter, G1 Coated Batter and G1 Clear Resonant are all single ply 10mm heads. So it wouldn't be that bad... right?


The sound difference is virtually undetectable. I've done quick changes of same-coated/clear on the same drum and didn't hear a big noticeable difference, batter or reso.
 

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Way back in 1970 or '71 or so I bought a couple of brand new Slingerland tom toms from a music store (he had to order them for me). They came with coated heads on top and bottom. I don't remember if they were Diplomat like or Ambassador like, one of the two.
 
Well, it's not true that coating makes *no* difference in the sound produced. I mean, the coating, when adhered to the head, becomes one with the plastic, just like anything else that gets glued on. So when the head vibrates for a coated head, it's plastic plus whatever the coating is (more plastic?). Now whether that's a HUGE difference, or even a noticeable difference is up to interpretation.

I wanted to try some coated G1s for my batter heads anyway, and since I also have G2s and Pinstripes lying around... I'll try it out and get back to you guys (when I'm done building my drums).
 
Well, it's not true that coating makes *no* difference in the sound produced. I mean, the coating, when adhered to the head, becomes one with the plastic, just like anything else that gets glued on. So when the head vibrates for a coated head, it's plastic plus whatever the coating is (more plastic?). Now whether that's a HUGE difference, or even a noticeable difference is up to interpretation.

I wanted to try some coated G1s for my batter heads anyway, and since I also have G2s and Pinstripes lying around... I'll try it out and get back to you guys (when I'm done building my drums).


If you've got well used clears on your toms and change to new coated, you'll hear the difference. Once the coated's get played/stretched, the difference becomes less apparent.

You could easily blindfold test someone with coated and clear on the same drum, using the right tuning, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
 
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