Changing Drum Heads

sky92

Member
Hey Everyone

I've been playing almost a year now on my mapex horizon and i think it and myself have performed well so far in the few gigs me an my band have done,(my band plays synth rock) however my cousin mentioned to me that i should replace the heads on my kit to make it sound a lot better.

So i've decided to replace them all, however i'm confused on a few things.

1, Which heads should i go for, my cousin recommended Remo Ambassador Clear
As my band plays synth rock i need my bass drum to be quite punchy, like drum & bass sounding bass drum. My toms need to be bright an break through the synth and guitars for the fills etc, and same with my snare?

2, Do i replace both sides right away or replace the top head then the bottom head ?


Thanks Everyone
Sky
 
I would suggest Evans EC2 for the beaters. As for the resos, just G1. If you're using stock heads at the moment then it will be a big improvement, and I would consider changing both of them. The EC2s are punchy and able to cut through other instruments, while not being so over powering that they're annoying. If you're wanting something that has a dark and really fast attack then the Evans Onix are perfect, which is why they're used for metal a lot. Also, they are really durable so that's a plus.
Regardless of what you choose, it most likely will be an improvement over what you're using now. I just prefer Evans over any other drum head brand and know that the products I have listed are good at cutting through other instruments. Hope you enjoy whatever you choose.
 
hi, i use aquarian superkick II on my kick (22"), with an evans reso (with hole). sounds quite punchy.

toms are very personal. but aquarian performance II are quite good, as are G2s. for snare I use an aquarian coated with Power Dot.

really though, if you don't know how to tune then all heads will sound shit, download the doc's tuning bible.
 
I second the EC2 recommendation; also like EC Resonants. I like the Evans EQ3 bass drum batter head, but many like the Emad bass drum batter head.

Some swear by Remo or Aquarian, and they are good too. I like Evans best. Peace and goodwill.
 
I too use the EQ3. Very nice bass beater, but most things that Evans makes are. Never tried it, but on his toms my favorite drummer uses G2s for the beater and EC resos. He says it gives his toms a clean, but quick sound. I always love the way his drums sound so I might try it sometime.
But really, drum heads are about personal preference, and I'm partly bias because I love Evans and they're all I use. Not saying any other brands aren't good, just that Evans is clearly the best, lol.
 
The thing is, you can get a respectable sound by using a good quality single ply head (10 mil) for the resonant side and just about any other head for the batter. The trick is Always the way you tune the heads. I played Evans Hydraulic heads for batters on a DW Collectors kit a few months ago and they sang, not as much as G1 or G2s, but they did have nice sustain.

Dennis
 
I just recently got my new Mapex Horizon Limited Edition last December, and I am about to change the heads, for the old ones are very beat up and sound awful because they are stock. I am thinking about using Evans drum heads, such as the coated G2's. The price is very affordable and I was wondering if ya'll prefer Remo overall or either Evans? I am going to try and use the stock Remo UX (I think that's them) for as long as I possibly can. What do ya'll prefer for the batter heads? Thanks! :]
Tyman265
 
I just recently got my new Mapex Horizon Limited Edition last December, and I am about to change the heads, for the old ones are very beat up and sound awful because they are stock. I am thinking about using Evans drum heads, such as the coated G2's. The price is very affordable and I was wondering if ya'll prefer Remo overall or either Evans? I am going to try and use the stock Remo UX (I think that's them) for as long as I possibly can. What do ya'll prefer for the batter heads? Thanks! :]
Tyman265

Stocks heads in general are pretty crappy, change them ASAP.
I prefer Remo coated emperor heads, but different people prefer different things. So maybe go with a Remo coated ambassador over a clear ambassador, or a G1 coated over a G1 clear. It's a pretty basic combination and should help you find out what you like and don't like.
 
This was a big revelation to me when I first started playing. Lots of threads about the quality of wood, birch, acrolite etc... drum material, what sounds good, different settings.

And then I learned about the drum head choices and to further complicate things, tuning adds about 10 million other options. One thing that was really cool after my first complete skin change was the bounce was back, I had not realized it was gone, my chops were better because everything was tuned a bit tighter and I could use bounce more effectively.

Two sites that have helped me are

http://www.remo.com/

I just use Remo because they sounded familiar in the beginning. Brand loyalty neurosis makes choosing things a little quicker and easier. All of the head companies are good and people will argue and debate. There were some good comparasion articles on here.

The other helpful site was

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/index.html

he talks a lot of theory but it helped me get the big picture.

And then add in the thousand different stick choices. It would take a lifetime to understand it all. Thats what is cool about drumming.
 
We all have preferences on head types and brands, etc, but any major brand will get you there. Tuning is most important. Also, unless you are close micing and recording, the audience will NOT notice the difference in sound from any distance at all. I would be willing to bet that I could tune up three similar drum sets, each with heads from a different manufacturer, and in a school auditorium or across a crowded club, you could not tell which was which.

People worry too much aout this stuff. Your playing and your tuning are most important.
 
We all have preferences on head types and brands, etc, but any major brand will get you there. Tuning is most important. Also, unless you are close micing and recording, the audience will NOT notice the difference in sound from any distance at all. I would be willing to bet that I could tune up three similar drum sets, each with heads from a different manufacturer, and in a school auditorium or across a crowded club, you could not tell which was which.

People worry too much aout this stuff. Your playing and your tuning are most important.

I totally agree with the above statement. Peace and goodwill.
 
I totally agree with the above statement. Peace and goodwill.

I am always amazed at the difference between what you hear on stage and what the audience hears. I think they should add a rating for drum heads on how easy they are to tune
 
Back
Top