How often do you change your bottom heads?

Heavy Ed

Junior Member
Just what the title says. Do you change them with your batter heads every time? every other time? more? Getting back into playing and I'm replacing all my heads now and was wondering for the next time. Thanx fellas.
 
I usually change mine every other time I swap out the batters. It's worked well for me so far.
 
Like WhoIsTony?, about once a year. However, I just recently completely removed them as I have grown tired of flipping over floor toms to check the tuning. I have a feeling they will go back on soon enough though. The sound just is not doing it for me.
 
I think every year is a good interval. I like to change batters around every 6 months, though with the current wear rate of my G1/12/14 set that seems too quick (especially since I just got a set of coated ambassadors so i have a choice between head types).
 
2 years max. I usually do them once a year, but I bet they would sound good for 2. I used to write the date on them with a sharpie.
 
I don't frequently replace my resonant heads.
If they produce a clean tone I leave them alone.
I have some resonant heads that are 5 years old.
Modern heads are very well made and they don't loose their sound very quickly when they are not being hit.
 
I change out the stock reso heads on a kit, usually that's about the extent of it. It's not something I've ever really felt much of a need to mess with. They're just drums. A few times I've had a bug to change the whole kit, top and bottom... But the reso heads hardly get touched outside that.
 
Whatever the manufacture recommends...NOT!

I have reso heads from 94' on a kit, not the kit they came on tho. I better change those.
 
When they stop doing their job, really. I always tune my batter and resonant heads to the same pitch, so when I replace a batter head and tune up, if I notice that the drum has lost some tone/sustain/resonance, I know it's time to change the resonant head.

I usually change snare side heads sooner than resonant heads on toms, though. I keep the tension so high, they wear out faster.
 
I used similar heads top and bottom. Clear ambassadors on the bottom, and clear or coated on the top. I swap the bottom to the top every second or third head change.
 
When they stop doing their job, really. I always tune my batter and resonant heads to the same pitch, so when I replace a batter head and tune up, if I notice that the drum has lost some tone/sustain/resonance, I know it's time to change the resonant head.

I usually change snare side heads sooner than resonant heads on toms, though. I keep the tension so high, they wear out faster.

Tuning technique buddies! :)
 
I put new reso heads on along with batters when I bought my kit last February, I tuned them good, but haven't touched them since. Ha ha. I don't plan on switching them out for awhile. But, my question is, how often should you tune them? Should I be checking them every couple months. Sorry, don't mean to de-rail your thread, but this question is in-line with the OP's question too.
 
I put new reso heads on along with batters when I bought my kit last February, I tuned them good, but haven't touched them since. Ha ha. I don't plan on switching them out for awhile. But, my question is, how often should you tune them? Should I be checking them every couple months. Sorry, don't mean to de-rail your thread, but this question is in-line with the OP's question too.

I usually change my resos after three batter changes. That's generally between 18 to 30 months time. Heads are expensive here!

I get in the habit of giving the whole kit a once over about every month, tuning resos and wiping down everything. I only have one kit and I gig a lot so I find this necessary. What I notice sometimes is that I can't quite dial the drum in at a gig. The batter is all equal but there is something not quite cricket...that's when the reso head needs a touch-up. It's almost always just one or two lugs slightly out, but it seems pretty obvious to me.

Another thing is if I have left the drums in the car, even on a moderately warm day, my tubs need a seeing-to.
 
Rarely. I've got resos from 2010 on my old Taye Studio Birch kit that I'd put up against anything out there soundwise. That kit still sounds just amazing.

I do however change the batters about once a month or if I'm doing a lot of recording I'll swap them out quicker. I donate the gently used heads to drummers who can't afford to change them out as often. Hey I ain't wealthy either but if someone wants to get a little more flavor out of them, then they are welcome.

Drum heads are like chewing gum. They take a minute to get going and then you get all that great flavor and tone then they begin to fade a little then they finally lose that pristine tone. You can still chew them but they're not the same. :D
 
Tuning technique buddies! :)

It's the only way I'll tune anymore!

my question is, how often should you tune them? Should I be checking them every couple months. Sorry, don't mean to de-rail your thread, but this question is in-line with the OP's question too.

In my playing, there are always those couple tension rods that will come loose under regular playing. When they come loose, I just tighten them back up, but if that doesn't sound right, I'll tune the drum. Otherwise, I tune before each gig, which for me can be anywhere from once every few days to once every month depending on the current schedule.

Ever since I got a Tune Bot, drum tuning has been an absolute breeze, so it takes almost no time to check over the tuning and fix it before I put the drum in the bag when I'm packing up for a gig.
 
I have the stock resos on my 1985 Pearl kit. They look new, so I cant see a reason to change them. that's just me though.
 
What? You're supposed to change the reso heads?

Seriously, it depends, but i have gone as far as three years between changing them out.
 
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