Remo Pinstripe

A-customs

Silver Member
By FAR My Favorite head ever.......Just brings out the tone of the drum like no other 4 me....If ya Never tried them,and your kit sounds like cardboard give them a shot,with no muffle and let the drums SING................Thank me later.......
 
I'm a long-time Pinstripe fan. My Pearls sound have always sounded great with their Pinstripes. I'm debating replacing the Evans Genera G2s batters on my Gretsch Renown Maples with them.

Not sure yet though. Still, I do love those Pinstripes!
 
I've used Pinstripes off and on for years. I always thought they struck the perfect balance of providing some openness while taking the edge off the higher overtones, if you wanted a sound a little darker than an emperor. They don't sound nearly as muffled as some other companies' muffled heads, IMO.
 
Allow me to be a bit rough with you... If you can't tune drums, use muffled drumheads. Not necessarily true, but close perhaps.

I've been through a lot of drum heads, including pinstripes. It seems like 2 ply, 14mil, is just a bit too much, while 10 mil single ply is just a bit too weak, so I've just ordered a set of Evans g plus, and we'll see what happens. Pretty sure they'll be perfect.
 
I've been through a lot of drum heads, including pinstripes. It seems like 2 ply, 14mil, is just a bit too much, while 10 mil single ply is just a bit too weak, so I've just ordered a set of Evans g plus, and we'll see what happens. Pretty sure they'll be perfect.

Maybe Vintage Ambassadors (thin double ply) or the Evans G14s (14 mil single ply) would be up your alley?

Personally the combination of my kit's birch, bad bearing edges, and Pinstripes turn it into plastic city, but I could see them maybe working on a less dry kit. However, for a double-ply sound, I'd rather go for an unmuffled two-ply and apply sliced moongel to taste.
 
Good, we've established we both like it a bit rough. So allow me to be a bit rough right back.

Not necessarily true,

Actually, not true at all.......not by a long shot. They are no more or less a viable option that any other head out there......despite them being the red haired step child of the drumming fraternity.

Granted, they are not for everyone.....nor are they for every playing situation. But they serve a purpose........even for those of us who can tune. In fact, they're serving a purpose on my kit as we speak. Doesn't mean they'll stay there......but doesn't mean I can't tune an Ambassador either. :)
 
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I saw a picture of Matt Cameron in the studio recording the recent Soundgarden record and he was using Pinstripes on his oak Yamahas. I'm pretty sure he knows how to tune, and even if he didn't, he's got Gregg Keplinger teching for him most of the time (at least he used to) and I know he knows how to tune.

I used to use those heads, too, as did most drummers at some point if they've been playing since the '80s or before. They were still in wide use into the '90s, too, IIRC.

There is definitely a vibe you get with those heads. Black dots are the same in that they have a distinct quality about them. I never thought it had anything to do with whether or not one knew how to tune.
 
I have certain drums that sound their best with a good ol' Pinstripe.
Undeserved "too muffled" head reputation...especially considering the likes of EC2. You want a REALLY muffled head, try an Aquarian Performance 2.

A coated ambassador is not always the best choice. I find my cheaper..uhh...cost effective drums with mystery wood sometimes benefit from a Pinstripe.
Also, there is no denying - Pinstripes love Yamaha Recording Customs for some reason. Still use them on my 12" and 14" RC toms.

A coated pin works on a snare drum too, when I'm looking for a drier fat sound.
As others have said, the other plus is no moon gel required :)

Neal
 
Just wanted to make the point that i Love the good old pinstripe.My Kit Yamaha Birch Custom Absolute sounds great with them......... it had coated Abassadors,that were still in ok shape......To each his own......
 
I used the Remo Pinstripes in the seventies and don't believe that I've touched them since.

Dennis
 
Just wanted to make the point that i Love the good old pinstripe.My Kit Yamaha Birch Custom Absolute sounds great with them......... it had coated Abassadors,that were still in ok shape......To each his own......

That's all that matters... if you're happy with your sound. If we all tuned the same using the same heads, then we would all sound the same. Your sound is your sound.
 
I used Pinstripes for all of the 80s and half the 90s; then, I got some that never sounded right. I switched to Evans and have been quite happy with them. I try others from time to time but always go back to Evans. This is just one guy's opinion. Peace and goodwill.
 
In my search for the Holy Grail, and my weakness in tuning, at the time I bought Pinstripes and thought they were great. However, as in a previous post I mention, that I had tried all of the Evans models and have gone back to the Coated G2 for batters. But as you say, your drums being different than mine, your ear being different, and your tuning being different, what you hear is what is important. In an effort not to waste the G14's I last had on the toms, I now use those as resos. I expected a dead sound but they sound as good as anything I've had there before. I was usning G1 clears for resos.
 
I used to use pinstripes all the time. Brand new out of the box, put them on, tune e'm up and they would sound great. The problem was about 3 or 4 months latter when they have some miles on them and have become chapped and calloused, they just seem to go dead and lose their tone.
 
My first drumkit I bought back in the winter of 1991 during my freshman year of high school was a "Blackhawk by Gretsch" at Sears.

It sounded like complete crap. Even as a new drummer, I knew that. I couldn't even tell you what kind of wood it was.

I bought clear Pinstripes for all the tom batters and Ebony Ambassadors for all the bottoms (yes I was a bit of a mark for Lars....I was also 13 yrs old).

These heads really made this low-budget beginners kit sound very good. I used it gigging on and off all the way up until 2008. Even experienced drummers would ask what kind of set it was, since there were no badges or anything. When I told them it was a Sears kit, they were shocked at the sound I was getting out of it.

I bought a Tama Silverstar (birch) last year, and just replaced the one-ply stock tom heads with the trusty old Pinstripes. The jury is still out......When playing alone, I like the Pins to eliminate some overtones, but with a rock band the overtones are masked during all but the mellowest of songs. The rest of the band says they sound great out front.
 
My first drumkit I bought back in the winter of 1991 during my freshman year of high school was a "Blackhawk by Gretsch" at Sears.

It sounded like complete crap. Even as a new drummer, I knew that. I couldn't even tell you what kind of wood it was.

I bought clear Pinstripes for all the tom batters and Ebony Ambassadors for all the bottoms (yes I was a bit of a mark for Lars....I was also 13 yrs old).

These heads really made this low-budget beginners kit sound very good. I used it gigging on and off all the way up until 2008. Even experienced drummers would ask what kind of set it was, since there were no badges or anything. When I told them it was a Sears kit, they were shocked at the sound I was getting out of it.

Aw yeah! I had one of those kits too, and Pinstripes is what I did with it. They sounded great.
 
Aw yeah! I had one of those kits too, and Pinstripes is what I did with it. They sounded great.

Wow....I didn't think anyone else owned that kit (or would at least admit it!)

Cool thing was that they offered an extra bass drum in the Sears catalog too so I bought that. I had NO BUSINESS playing double bass as a beginner drummer.

I gigged on and off for 16 years with a Sears kit....and Zildjian A cymbals, Tama hardware, and DW 5000 pedals and DW 5500 hi hat stand. Oh did I mention it was a Sears kit? It was $300 in the catalog. 2 of my cymbals were worth more than my entire kit!

After we took a hiatus in 2008, I left it at my bandmate's house. They pulled me out of drummer retirement last January and to me dismay, all the metal on the kit was badly rusted and I said, "to hell with it" and bought my Tama. I still have one of the original bass drum heads in my mom's basement as my memento of my first kit.

Sorry for the thread hijack.....moral of the story is Pinstripes can help!
 
Out of curiosity, what's the difference between Pinstripes and Powerstrokes?
 
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