Bass reso: Smooth White PS3 or Fiberskyn PS3?

TraxxFactor

Member
I will be getting new heads for Christmas but I'm stuck on the bass drum reso. So far, I have decided on the clear PS3 batter. How much of a sound difference would there be between the Smooth White and Fiberskyn resos? Is the Fiberskyn good for rock music, or strictly jazz? As an unimportant detail, I like the retro look of the Fiberskyn but I like the classic look of the white head.

Thanks guys.
 
Quite a bit. I had both of these as reso heads recently. The Fiberskyn was definitely higher pitched overall, your typical "jazz" bass sound. In reality, it just projects all the frequencies pretty equally, but you tend to hear the brighter stuff over the bassy tones. The smooth white PS3 is a great reso head with a variety of ways to tune and can easily produce any sort of rock sound.

Just as a warning on looks, you'll see the outer ring through the head, especially when lights focus on you. It doesn't look too appealing. The Coated PS3 is the same, however between the stripes and the coating diffusing the light a bit, you don't see this "ring". Looks quite good too. Here's an example:



The coating doesnt change the sound significantly either
 
Thanks for the info. Looks like the Fiberskyn is scratched off. But why does Remo have to make things so complicated?? Is it really that hard to make a coated PS3 without stripes?
 
You can get them, with a bit of searching. They're normally reserved for drum companies and their "exclusive" drumheads, like the Mapex logo bass head. The outer ring issue may still show up, though not as much as on a smooth PS3.

Of course, if a black bass head looks awesome with your kit, that solves all problems right there.
 
Thanks for the info. Looks like the Fiberskyn is scratched off. But why does Remo have to make things so complicated?? Is it really that hard to make a coated PS3 without stripes?

It isn't complicated at all. Remo does make a Coated PS3 without stripes, they just don't advertise it.

I know this, because a few years back I called Remo customer service, asked if they made it and they said yes. Here is the part number for it.

P3-11XX-00 (XX being the size of the drum)

Normally a Coated PS3 has codes like P3-11XX-BP or P3-11XX-C2, but if you switch the last two digits to 00, that tells the distributor or the manufacturer to not include the stripes. It ISN'T a special order, so it shouldn't have any kind of additional up charge. It is a standard item they make, your dealer or the distributor might not have it in stock.
 
I've used Remo and Evans heads up top in all sorts of swap outs over the years. For some reason, I always buy an Evans Ebony Reso for all my bass drums.

When I finally replaced my stock Gretsch logo coated Ambassador Reso awhile back, I bought the Evans Ebony Reso without even thinking.

It always sounds good.
 
What kind and what size is the drum in question?.... and whatcha got on the batter head?

The Fiberskyn and a PS3 are two very different heads. Mostly, it's that the PS3 is a muffled head, and the Fiberskyn is not.... though you can get the Fiberskyn in PS3 flavor (which I have as a batter). It's a nice head on the batter side.... as for a reso, it *can* sound awesome: My not-so-local shop had a *big* bass drum with a Superkick-1 batter and a Fiberskyn PS3 reso. Sounded pretty cool. So to flat out nix the Fiberskyn isn't quite right.

As for a muffled reso head, I'd be careful. Depending on your setup, you could have a real dud on your hands.

-Ryan
 
It isn't complicated at all. Remo does make a Coated PS3 without stripes, they just don't advertise it.

I know this, because a few years back I called Remo customer service, asked if they made it and they said yes. Here is the part number for it.

P3-11XX-00 (XX being the size of the drum)

Normally a Coated PS3 has codes like P3-11XX-BP or P3-11XX-C2, but if you switch the last two digits to 00, that tells the distributor or the manufacturer to not include the stripes. It ISN'T a special order, so it shouldn't have any kind of additional up charge. It is a standard item they make, your dealer or the distributor might not have it in stock.

Thanks a bunch for that info. So I order the head from customer service?

What kind and what size is the drum in question?.... and whatcha got on the batter head?

The Fiberskyn and a PS3 are two very different heads. Mostly, it's that the PS3 is a muffled head, and the Fiberskyn is not.... though you can get the Fiberskyn in PS3 flavor (which I have as a batter). It's a nice head on the batter side.... as for a reso, it *can* sound awesome: My not-so-local shop had a *big* bass drum with a Superkick-1 batter and a Fiberskyn PS3 reso. Sounded pretty cool. So to flat out nix the Fiberskyn isn't quite right.

As for a muffled reso head, I'd be careful. Depending on your setup, you could have a real dud on your hands.

-Ryan

The size of mine is 22x16. I am gonna get a clear PS3 for the batter. The only reason I ruled out the Fiberskyn was because the previous guy said it brings more highs than the smooth white, which I didnt want.
 
You can get them, with a bit of searching. They're normally reserved for drum companies and their "exclusive" drumheads, like the Mapex logo bass head. The outer ring issue may still show up, though not as much as on a smooth PS3.

Of course, if a black bass head looks awesome with your kit, that solves all problems right there.

I'm definitely gonna look for heads like that. If I would get one like that, I would take off the drum company logo. And the black head is no-no because right now I have a silver wrap kit and the bass drum has black hoops. I'm gonna refinish my kit with a natural lacquer and then get wood hoops, so the black head wouldn't look good.
 
Thanks a bunch for that info. So I order the head from customer service?
.

You can't order directly from Remo. Take the part number I gave you to your favourite Remo dealer. They won't have it in a catalog, but it can be done. A lot of shop owners will refuse to order something because it isn't in the catalog. That is poor service. Ask them to call Remo to verify, get it ordered and enjoy!
 
You can't order directly from Remo. Take the part number I gave you to your favourite Remo dealer. They won't have it in a catalog, but it can be done. A lot of shop owners will refuse to order something because it isn't in the catalog. That is poor service. Ask them to call Remo to verify, get it ordered and enjoy!

Alright so I'll just bring that to Resurrection Drums and I'll be good to go.
 
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