BATTER and RESONANT combinations

Goreliscious

Senior Member
I've just bought a PDP X7 kit which has 'fast' tom sizes - 8x7, 10x8, 12x9, 14x12 and 16x14. On my old kit which had the same shell diameters but deeper shell depths, I had Coated G1s on bottom and Coated G2s on top - which got me the sound I was after.

When I got my new X7 kit I put the Coated G2s on top and Coated G1s on bottom like before, but have found the combination to be a bit much for the shells on my new kit as I'm not getting much life out of them.

I've rung around a few drum shops and some people say that it's the Coated G1s on bottom that are the problem whereas some say it's the Coated G2s on top. The people that say it's the Coated G1s on bottom tell me to go for a single ply clear resonant head. The people that say it's the Coated G2 on top tell me to step down to a single ply coated or a clear double ply.

I don't know whether I should:
A) put a single ply clear on bottom and move my Coated G1s from bottom to top
B) leave my Coated G1s on bottom and get another set of Coated G1s to put on top
C) single ply clear on bottom and double ply clear on top - lose the warmth/dullness

Any ideas/opinions/similar experiences?
 
what sound, do you want to achieve exactly?
 
I use G2 coated on top and G1 clear on the bottom and it works for me. I have tried alot of heads over the past 2 years and this combo sounds the best for me.
 
Sound I'm looking for: warm but able to hear the body of the drum rather than it just being a thud

I think I'm leaning towards Coated G1s on top and bottom. I usually tune the batter and resonant skin to the same pitch so it makes sense to go for the same skin top and bottom.
 
Sound I'm looking for: warm but able to hear the body of the drum rather than it just being a thud

I think I'm leaning towards Coated G1s on top and bottom. I usually tune the batter and resonant skin to the same pitch so it makes sense to go for the same skin top and bottom.

Probably a good call. I now have Coated Ambassadors over clear ambassadors on both my kits. Great sound!
 
Go To the Evans website. They have a great chart that will explain sounds and head combinations, and I am with The Wave on this one about not using a coated head on the reso side. It's just going to choke the sound
 
Pdp X7 have poplar shells I think. The only poplar kit I played in my life it's a Pearl export with original heads on. The toms sound really dead and have no resonnance. I think the best thing you have to do for a warm sound with some presence is to put a G1 Coated on top and a G1 Clear on bottom. Take time to tune and it will sound good.
 
For the time being I'm gunna put the factory clear Ambassadors back on, (top and bottom), considering the principle - you can only take away, you can't add. I can't add resonance to a tom that's got too heavy heads for it on it, but I can dampen it down to kill the overtones of a lighter skin.

I tried to Coated G1s on top of the clear single ply...didn't like it. Have also found that clear skins are ten times easier to hear the lug pitch in and are generally easier to tune.
 
I discovered recently that clear double-ply heads (Remo Emperor or Evans G2) sound really good on floor toms when used on the resonant side. I use a coated Emperor batter and clear Emperor resonant on my 14 inch tom; this combo gives the drum a really nice naturally EQ'd sound with plenty of low end.
 
For the time being I'm gunna put the factory clear Ambassadors back on, (top and bottom), considering the principle - you can only take away, you can't add. I can't add resonance to a tom that's got too heavy heads for it on it, but I can dampen it down to kill the overtones of a lighter skin.

I tried to Coated G1s on top of the clear single ply...didn't like it. Have also found that clear skins are ten times easier to hear the lug pitch in and are generally easier to tune.

I concur that your solution is likely coated G1 over a coated G1 for more "life". Matching batters and resonant is "magic' that many miss. You get a smoothness and w/ the right tuning (both heads at the same pitch) you get no weird ring despite the openness, a pleasing "ring" if you will.

But like you said, "you can only take away" and why I kep going back to glear G1's over clear G1's on kits. A little moongel here and there, makes your setup amazingly versatile!

Here's post (Pearl Forum) that covers much of what is discussed here, and escpailly valuable fo rthose w/ diecast hoops:


Originally Posted by ryctor
Its not focused, its dead!
The focus given by the resonance restriction of the Die Cast hoops, gives no room for a too damped head. The shell is designed to vibrate and its being chocked by the weight of the hoops and the rings on the heads!
A medium weight single ply is a very most definitely cheaper option , and there is no more open tone, specially nice when controlled by Die cast, than the sound of a coated or clear (sometimes too bright) single ply head.
After that, if too many overtones or the sound is not as warm as you would like, there are the double ply heads that offer fat deep overtones and nice resonance.
Start all open and then decide if any muffling as in thicker heads are needed.
My favorite setup is clear ambassadors over clear ambassadors, and a quarter of a piece of moongel, awesome tone, controlled overtones, not sacrificing the stick def or the volume. Perfect under the mic! And its removable on demand, so you can go totally open in seconds, if the situation requires it. Try to do that with any double ply!!
Just my two cents, and I hope this helps!
Good Luck!


Response: Applause! Wow, this is a good post... and why I keep going back to clear G1's over G1's on a Starclassic Maple I had and now my Starclassic Bubingas.
 
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I've found Evans heads to have less sustain than Remo or Aquarian heads. Even G1 Coated heads have quite a focused sound compared with Coated Ambassador heads. I'd recommend trying Coated Ambassadors all around, nice warm open sound.
 
i've been a fan of evans coated g2's on batter side with evans resonant glass on reso side. the resonant glass are thinner (7mil) compared to their regular resonant (10mil). probably comparable to a remo diplomat over an ambassador.

i've been using this combination for many years now; don't think i could change. but i do see that evans came out with an EC resonant head...hmm...wonder how they are.
 
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