Best heads for Rhythm Traveler toms

How did you go with the heads, Bob?
I bought those Aquarian Studio-X heads for my Tama Stagestar kit, which happens to have the same tom dimensions as the american version of the RT. I was looking for a warm jazz sound for the Tama kit with it's 18 inch bass drum. I will wait until they wear a bit on the Tama kit, and I'll hand the worn Studio-X's down to the RT when the time comes to change heads again on the Stagestar. Can you find a Tama Stagestar in Oz? If so, I recommend that you try one! It is a great, inexpensive, small bass drum kit. I bought mine used for $200 american. the Stagestar's are hard to find in the states because kids beat that crap out of them as beginner kits and Jazzers buy the good ones up as soon as they come to the used market because they make perfect beater kits for them. I looked for a good Stagestar for about a year before I found one locally.
I plan to do a full studio mic up of the Stagester in a few weeks. I'll post sound clips then.
 
Last edited:
Bummer about killer weasels, Al, but valuable info re: the fittings. Thanks! I might be taking the kick to a guy in Wy Yung's shop who's apparently a very good tuner. He said 16" kicks are hard to tune right because they want to be toms. If he can't make it sing I may have to look for something bigger.

And that leads me to the other issue, Bob. I have lots of drumming wants and limited space. I really can't accommodate an extra Statestar especially since I plan to get a e-kit so I can practice at home instead of being perennially rusty and frustrated at not being able to play the things I used to be able to do.

If I accede to all my drumming wants I'll have drums in bed with me! I mean, I like drums a lot but I don't want to deal with all the jealous aggro and sulking when I get home just because I tried out other drums at Billy Hyde's or Drum City ...
 
Bummer about killer weasels, Al, but valuable info re: the fittings. Thanks! I might be taking the kick to a guy in Wy Yung's shop who's apparently a very good tuner. He said 16" kicks are hard to tune right because they want to be toms. If he can't make it sing I may have to look for something bigger.

And that leads me to the other issue, Bob. I have lots of drumming wants and limited space. I really can't accommodate an extra Statestar especially since I plan to get a e-kit so I can practice at home instead of being perennially rusty and frustrated at not being able to play the things I used to be able to do.

If I accede to all my drumming wants I'll have drums in bed with me! I mean, I like drums a lot but I don't want to deal with all the jealous aggro and sulking when I get home just because I tried out other drums at Billy Hyde's or Drum City ...
The electro kit is probably the best answer for you at the moment. I frequently wake up on the floor next to my kits, So sleeping with my drums is not new to me! LOL.
I'm sure that the talented Wy Yung can get a bit more from your 16" bass. I myself would move to an 18" bass. The 18" I think is the minimum size that a good bass drum can be.
Everything else wants to be a tom. I would try an Aquarian performance II on the 16" bass batter. http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/products/display.asp?id=3 Or perhaps a Remo PowerStroke 3.
I would go with a single ply on the reso with a 3" porthole and a felt strip behind the head. A mic with low volume in the PA would also be great. I put just a bit of bass on the PA at gigs almost all of the time.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I think you're right, Bob. Do you think your wife would put the rolling pin away if you slept more with her than with the kit? Can't be good for a woman's ego to be considered less desirable than an inanimate object (but at least your kit isn't inflatable :)

The guy at the shop said that 16" kicks want to be toms too. You know, I don't see Aquatian heads in Sydney, just Remos and Evans.

You know, I can't remember how I cut a porthole in the reso of my old kit's kick drum. The Pearl stock reso has a very clean-looking 6" hole in the centre and I don't want to change it unless I can get another head to look as good.

I've never experimented much with heads in the past (and should have done!). Can different heads produce deeper tones? Would a thicker head work better with JAW tuning?
 
I've never experimented much with heads in the past (and should have done!). Can different heads produce deeper tones? Would a thicker head work better with JAW tuning?

A thicker head will probably muffle the drum somewhat, but you might try a coated Emperor or G2 on it to avoid the excessive muting that, say, an EC2 might provide. Stay with thinner resos up front. I'm not personally a fan of port holes in resos, and I would probably hold out as long as I could with a 16" BD to coax as much tone out of that thing as I could. I have a 16" floor tom with no bottom head, and it's all attack, no tone... a kind of thut as you hit it.
 
Thanks Al. I guess it depends. If I can only get a middling rather than deep tone out of it then I might as well reduce the tone and go for a dull thud. I see the logic in not porting the reso, though. I think I'll need to take my drum to expert tuners and then once they've optimised it, record the sound so I know what I'm going for.
 
Back
Top