New Heads.. How often???

Its been drilled in to me that you cant beat a new set of skins on your drums. That may be true in most cases. But a couple of things got me thinking.
I just reworked a 79 Slingerland kit. The heads were Remo Enony pins about 5 years old. I bought the same brand and put them on the set. It didnt work out. The old heads sounded much better. Very warm, and fat, with great tone. I put them back on.

Another point. In a lot of drum vids.. I am talking the real pros of the game.. The heads look more then well used. Just last night I was watching a Steve Gadd video. The heads looked like they took a real beating. He was playing a coated snare batter head. Well at one time it was coated. Now you could see a large ring of bright clear plastic were most of his strokes landed. The drums how ever sounded great.

These are guys that could change heads every set if they wanted to. But I suppose if it aint broke dont fix it. Got me wondering?????
 
Obviously, if the head breaks, it gets replaced. But when I'm working alot (not lately) the heads would get changed out about every month - the bottoms about every three months. And I always keep a spare snare head and bass drum head in the truck when I'm at the gig (you can get along with a tom, but not the other two).

I experienced what you experienced once with an old kit, the heads were so old they formed to the shell. But usually after a break in period of playing and tuning them for a few hours, the drums gave me what I wanted. This dilemma has happened less and less to me though and I think it's because the newer drums I've been playing are closer to round than anything from the past (yes, it's true!). So once I got in to the habit of changing out heads, my sound remained consistent.
 
I actually like my heads when they've been played in for a bit. If they're dead or damaged, they get changed, but I probably wait a little longer than most to swap 'em out.
 
New heads do sound good, no doubt; but I do find that after some time a set of heads can just open up and get really good sounding on a drum. I've gone years with the same head in some very extreme circumstances.
 
Back when I was playing live a lot I'd change batter heads every month or so. Now, I pretty much only record, so I change heads every time I have a new project to work on. I'll change bottom heads if it's been a few months, or if it's something I really really want to sound good.

I prefer brand new heads to anything, but I especially like them after a good couple days of playing on them.
 
Every 15 minutes. Whether they're being played or not. I set my alarm to make sure I take care of my drums. I haven't slept in years. I can't do this much longer. Shoot! Gotta go change 'em again...

15 minutes?!?!?!?!? what blasphemy!!!!!! i change mine every other stroke! 10 strokes if they just open up after being played a while....
 
i agree that, as long as theres not the appearance of a minimum dent on the heads surface, the head is on a fine state
if there is a dent, you should consider changing, 10.0$ isnt really such a a big inversion, is it? (you can get 2 ply heads for 13$ which, in my case, lasted me 5 years and still going!)
 
You mean to tell me that heads are supposed to be replaced?
I have never replaced mine. Those things are expensive!
I still have the heads that came with my kit in 1974.

When I see a dent in one of my heads, I take a clothes iron or a blow dryer and I smooth it back out.

One of my heads looks like this, What should I do?
I think that tape will fix it.

Gadd will be proud of me.

By the way, I smashed through this guy in just a few hours.
I was pissed at my bass player that day!
 

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You mean to tell me that heads are supposed to be replaced?
I have never replaced mine. Those things are expensive!
I still have the heads that came with my kit in 1974.

When I see a dent in one of my heads, I take a clothes iron or a blow dryer and I smooth it back out.

One of my heads looks like this, What should I do?
I think that tape will fix it.

Gadd will be proud of me.

By the way, I smashed through this guy in just a few hours.
I was pissed at my bass player that day!

i don't see stick marks so i think that head is ok.... probably a tuning issue really....
 
That's it, No stick marks on it so it still has some life left.
Unlike my bass player, His life is over as far as I'm concerned!
 
thats your answer bob, make skins out of the bass player. they really don't serve a purpose other then ordering pizza and beer anyway......
 
thats why their so rare, they make awesome skins....










and i'm a guitarist so i'm not going down that path. i might find myself being tuned on my own kit one day.......
 
Better to use guitar players (bass players are hard to come by).
True, Why wast a bass player when he is good for getting beer and pizza?
A guitar player is good for nothing!
Guitar players are thin skinned though. Perhaps they are good for a snare bottom.
 
ok i'm backing out of this thread slowely before somebody gets the bright idea to invite me over for a jam session..........
 
Perhaps a two ply hybrid head could be made from both a guitar player and a bass player.
I could just see the ad for that now on Sam Ash!
 
Come to think of it, I'm being serious now.
Has any head manufacturer ever made a two ply head with lets say a 3 mil and a 7 mil ply?
A hybrid two ply head!
 
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