good ol' coated ambassadors

Spectron

Spectron

Silver Member
I recently outfitted my kit with coated amb's over clear amb's
and this is without a doubt the best head config I have tried
on my Tama Imperialstal drums.

Holy delicious gooey tone batman!

Call it a freak accident of superb tuning or new head syndrome
whatever...these heads were effortless to tune and sound PERFECT

right now I have them tuned pretty much JAW with the reso heads tuned quite higher
and to me, my toms have never sounded better..warm, open, punchy and the floor tom is as low as I have ever had it and still sounds clear and pure.

as of now my take on heads is - there is a reason why 10mil single ply heads
are considered 'standard' and I have heard it said coated ambassadors are the number 1 recorded head...I can sure testify to why...

anyway..to most of you this isn't news but If you are considering a head change and haven't tried good ol' coated over clear ambassador combo - I say give it a try!
You might just be impressed!

no need to go looking at all the fancy new head designs out there
the good ol' remo ambassador is the best I've personally tried to date
and I have tried a lot of heads:

Evans Ec2, Evans Ec reso, Emperor clear and coated, Vintage emperor, Ambassador X, Evans gplus..
Evans G2 coated, Attack single ply clear, aquarian classic clear, pinstripe,
Fiberskyn (the worst eva!) LOL

Some report trouble with remo coating wearing off prematurely and all I can say
is I have had a coated Ambassador on my 12" tom previously and it probably has
been hit at least 2000 times and although it is worn and dished out - the coating is perfectly intact...so I don't know what to say about that..none of my Emperors or ambassador x's have had any coating trouble either...
 
Yeah man, many people swear by Coated Ambs.. I'm thinking about a head swap these days.. I may just have to give them a try.

Glad you're enjoying your new heads.

Cheers!
 
Good 'ol Ambassadors for me too. For many years now.
Bass drum batter as well, and a Coated or Smooth white on the reso.
 
Absolutely!!! I found the same after going through many trials of different heads (EC2, G2, Emps, clears coated) and for me coated Amb batters on coated Amb resos work/sound the best. Make your drums sing with one simple head choice.
I also use a coated Amb reso on the kick drum too, but have yet to "dare" to try an Amb on the kick batter (PS3 for me there).
 
+1 for me, too. Coated over clear Ambassadors. Just tried this combo for the first time recently and I'm sold on it. I now see why they're "standard". I didn't used to think "standard" was appropriate or somehow good enough for how I played; seemed like only old out-of-touch geezers were using them. So, I guess that's what I am now! I think it's the simplicity of design that doesn't get in the way of letting the drums speak with maximum richness and openness.
 
I'm playing coated Ambassadors over coated Ambassadors on my DW Classic drums and that combination sounds really nice.

Dennis
 
I am one of those 'old geezers' who got back into drumming a few years ago after a pretty long hiatus. Tried some Evans heads right away..well they were nice but there was something lacking, so back to the Remo Ambassador and the sound I grew up with for toms. Love them on rack toms, but i prefer a Coated Vintage Emperor on my larger floor tom. They seem to give out a better thump. Still use clear Ambassador resos everywhere.
 
Hey guys, how do the coated or cleat amabassadors as batters hold up for heavier playing styles like rock / hard rock? I never dent my two ply heads like aquarian super 2's, emperors or g2's so I am just curious.

Thanks
 
Ya some heavy hitters prefer an Emp. I think Ambs hold up fine. I play rock but am not an 'athletic' drummer....economy of movement I've been told big denting is really only an issue if the stick is hitting at a wrong (too high) angle.
 
I fully, nay, joyously endorse coated ambassadors, the drum heads with built-in soul, and I applaud this thread.
 
I've got coated Ambassadors with Ambassador resos on my precious Rogers. Love 'em and see no reason to look further. They are just right for me.
 
Yep CA's for me too. Not only does the coating stay on but they last longer than coated g1's.

Recently I had a G1 coated on my snare because my local drum shop didn't have any coated ambassadors that day (go figure) and the g1 sounded good not great but when it went it went.
You can pinpoint the strike on the drum when the head had expired. It lasted 3 weeks. I'ld say I put about 15 hours on it.
Remo amb's last way longer.
1 thing about the G1's though, they sound good out of the box. Remo amb's on the other hand have asettling in period before they sound amazing.
Sorry for going off topic. Ya thumbs up for coated ambassadors.
 
PeteN said:
Hey guys, how do the coated or cleat amabassadors as batters hold up for heavier playing styles like rock / hard rock? I never dent my two ply heads like aquarian super 2's, emperors or g2's so I am just curious.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I play heavy rock in one band, and hit solidly hard in all 4 of my bands. I do use dynamics, so I'm not "pounding" 100% of the time, but I don't dent a Coated Ambassador.
I think it's the White film TBH. Clears will dent.

I use a double butt stick as well, but I don't dent those heads. I don't play into the head though, so that's probably why.
My tom is angled slightly to match my hand angle, but my ft's are flat.

For a rock/heavy player, even though a Clear-Clear combo sounds cool, I don't think the Clear for a batter would be the most durable choice for someone that couldn't (or didn't want to) afford to keep a stock of spares, or for someone who doesn't like changing heads after a head stopped sounding good.
Coated Ambassadors are tougher.
 
KarlCrafton said:
I play heavy rock in one band, and hit solidly hard in all 4 of my bands. I do use dynamics, so I'm not "pounding" 100% of the time, but I don't dent a Coated Ambassador.
I think it's the White film TBH. Clears will dent.

I use a double butt stick as well, but I don't dent those heads. I don't play into the head though, so that's probably why.
My tom is angled slightly to match my hand angle, but my ft's are flat.

For a rock/heavy player, even though a Clear-Clear combo sounds cool, I don't think the Clear for a batter would be the most durable choice for someone that couldn't (or didn't want to) afford to keep a stock of spares, or for someone who doesn't like changing heads after a head stopped sounding good.
Coated Ambassadors are tougher.
Click to expand...
Thanks Karl...Im going to try some coated ambassadors on my Gretsch New Classics, I have clear emperors on there now but need to play them a few more weeks before I swap them out. I have some new Coated Ambassador X's but not sure if I want to use those on the new classics.
 
Yep... It took me up until a year and a half ago to find that coated ambassadors are the perfect match for my toms with ebony ambassadors on my reso's. I know evans make some decent heads, but with the coated g1s or g2s, I could never get them tuned right. I use them for my 12" and 14" snares too (or a CS sometimes)


First time I threw ambassadors on the top and bottom, I was pleased at the ease of tuning and the wide range I can tune with the head combo. Didn't have to stretch or seat them, and my ears were pleased with the sound. Hell, my bandmates were surprised with the sound I got from them. They could actually hear it resonate.
 
Our ears and minds are almost PREDETERMINED to like that sound... it has been a part of music for half a century. It's one of those things that can't miss... Ambassadors are like Coca Cola of the drumming world... they can go with anything... tuned high, mid, low... thin shells, thick shells, you name it.

And on snare drum, no matter what tom and bass drum heads I use at the moment, there's no way I can find something to suit me better than coated ambies.
 
Never had much luck with them, I find they sound plasticy and even when the coating didnt chip off I found the head went dead in 3 to 4 weeks of regular playing. I have found the Aquarian texture coated and or my favorite the texture coated studio x last at least 3 to 4 times longer before going dead, the coating is almost bullet proof and they sound much fuller and warmer plus they sell for less money.
 
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Coated A's over coated A's with vintage Ludwig 3 ply Classics in the middle = heaven on Earth
 
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