What Batter and Reso Heads do you use on YOUR Kick?

Drummertist

Silver Member
I see alot of threads about what heads to buy, so why don't we do a study on what batter and reso combos work and don't work.

Answer these questions:
What heads do you use on your kick? (include whether coated or uncoated, single or double ply, etc.)
What type of bass drum you have?
What sound does it make with the heads?
What type of music do you play?

Thanks,
Drummertist
 
I think any head combination can have many sounds depending on ones taste and ability to tune. My 22 inch has a Gretsch reso and Evans batter Emad, but I have had too many sounds to list. And those tunings have to do with or could have to do with what I'm playing.
 
I use Remo Powerstroke 3 front & back. Falam slam patch at beater impact point on batter head, small offset hole in front head. Perfect amount of muffling for any style music, no further muffling needed. I have a Pacific CX wrapped maple and a Sonor Force 3003 laquered basswood/maple, and I play rock & funk mostly.
 
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EMAD 2 on both sides with a gibraltar dual click pad on a 22x18 export kick and i play rock
 
Coated ambassador, front and back. Solid reso head. Both tuned a little higher then you'd expect. A t-shirt rolled up between the pedal and batter head as muffling, plus another tshirt inside the drum that touches the reso head. This way can be adjusted on the fly, just tilt the drum forward so the shirt touches more of the head, or vice versa. Frickin awesome
 
Pearl ECX (maple shell)
PS3s front and rear. (clear batter, Pearl logo ebony reso)
No port and nothing in the drum
For loud rock unmiked.
"Booooom"

PS3s usually don't sound their best at JAW--they need to be tuned up a little higher. I bring the reso up just to the point where it begins to make a real tone, with some bottom and sustain. Then I tune the batter a smidge higher than that.

If you're playing loud music unmiked you need "boooom" to cut through the band. This combination works brilliantly on this drum. The control ring takes the "boing" out but leaves plenty of sustain.

More extensively pre-muffled bass heads, while being perfect for miking, just don't do the job in the unmiked situation.
 
I bring the reso up just to the point where it begins to make a real tone, with some bottom and sustain. Then I tune the batter a smidge higher than that.

I agree completely. With 22" and up you can tune up a bit and still have plenty of depth and punch
 
1. Batter - Evans EMAD Reso - Gretsch
2. Drum=Gretsch Catalina Maple 18x22
3. A distinct but resonant thump
4. Rock, funk, jazz
 
I see alot of threads about what heads to buy, so why don't we do a study on what batter and reso combos work and don't work.

Answer these questions:
What heads do you use on your kick? (include whether coated or uncoated, single or double ply, etc.)
What type of bass drum you have?
What sound does it make with the heads?
What type of music do you play?

Thanks,
Drummertist


1. 24 inch Batter- Clear EMAD Reso- PS3 Smooth White both single ply.
2. 18x24 PDP MX-R Series 8 ply maple
3. Nice thud, sounds deep. You can really feel it. My other reso that came with the PDP was completely different from this head. That was realllllly resonany. The combo that I have now is the sound i've always wanted. Sounds like Steve Miller from Just Surrender SJC 18x24 from the CD: If These Streets Could Talk
4. I play punk/hardcore/rock kinda in there!
 
I see alot of threads about what heads to buy, so why don't we do a study on what batter and reso combos work and don't work.

Answer these questions:
What heads do you use on your kick? (include whether coated or uncoated, single or double ply, etc.)
What type of bass drum you have?
What sound does it make with the heads?
What type of music do you play?

Thanks,
Drummertist


Coated Ambassador batter

Smooth white Ambassador front

4" HOLZ for the mic

20x26 bass drum.

Sounds full, natural, has a real nice attack and solid body.

Not "boomy", just a big solid sound.
I never have a problem with any sound people micing and getting a great sound from it (quickly and without any fuss I might add) in small venues on up to very large places and outdoor "sheds".

Records well too, and sounds huge if you want that sound, but can also sound like a standard bass drum too.

I play in a rock band that has several flavors (within in the rock vein) in the different songs, so it handles everything from softer songs to heavy rock songs.

Not telling how I muffle or tune it, but it's a pretty friggin' awesome bass drum.
A few here know, and I helped a guy that worked with Kid Rock on a project, and my method worked great for him on his kick, so it works on any size drum.

Right Mi....?..... :)
 
1. Aquarian SKII clear with Aquarian Regulator in smooth white (with Aquarian double kick pad)
2. 22 X 18 Mapex M Birch (no internal muffling)
3. Solid, deep, somewhat quick thud when tuned high (kick pads add some additional attack)
4. Hard Rock
 
22" EMAD1 Clear Batter
with an EQ3 Coated White Reso.

Sounds good.
 
I use a 22 powerstroke III coated white head for my kick batter side.

22' Resonant side is an Evans EMAD black.
 
As follows:
1. Remo clear PS3 on batter, Black Yamaha logo PS3 on front with a falams pad at beater impact point. 4" hole at the 4 o'clock position on front head for miking purposes. Small hourglass shaped pillow in drum barely touching heads. End of pillow touching batter head is about 5" long and about an inch thick, end touching resonant head about 10" long. Batter head tuned very low, a hair less that 1/2 turn on each lug. Front head tuned about 1/2 turn on each lug.

2. Yamaha maple custom absolute nouveau 22x18 bass drum
3. Produces a nice low boom with a slight amount of resonance, nice punch and attack.
4. I play rock, country and studio, sounds great in all applications.
 
DW VLT 22 X 18: EQ3 batter, factory reso.
DW 22 X 18: EMAD2 batter, EMAD reso.
DW 20 X 18: EMAD batter, EMAD reso.
Ludwig 22 X 18: PS3 batter, PS3 reso.
Yamaha MCAN: 22 X 18: EMAD2 Batter, factory reso.
 
I see alot of threads about what heads to buy, so why don't we do a study on what batter and reso combos work and don't work.

Answer these questions:
What heads do you use on your kick? (include whether coated or uncoated, single or double ply, etc.)
What type of bass drum you have?
What sound does it make with the heads?
What type of music do you play?

Thanks,
Drummertist

-Aquarian Super Kick clear 1-ply w/ Remo Falam Slam in center (batter) / Ebony Powerstroke 3 with 5 inch hole @ 4 o'clock (resonant)
-Yamaha Stage Custom Birch 20x17
-The sound-- Controlled thump and pleasing bass overtones with no pillows or blankets inside the drum; I also use an acrylic "Crystal Ball" beater made by Pro-Mark, which I really like. I mostly play rock, and when I tune it low it sounds great in that context.
 
What heads do you use on your kick? Remo Coated Emperor Batter and Coated Ambassador Resonant

What type of bass drum you have? 9 ply Birch Ludwig Accent CS Custom

What sound does it make with the heads? A nice resonant thump. Resembles JB's bass

What type of music do you play? Funk, Classic Rock, Blues
 
1. Batter-Clear EMAD2, Reso-EMAD Resonant
2. Poplar (unfortunately); 16x22
3. I love these heads because you can either have a deep thud or a more open sound because of the adjustability. I tend to go more towards the former
4. I mostly play rock
 
What heads do you use on your kick? Aquarian Full Force I clear on batter (or Super Kick I), Full Force Black as Reso (or single ply custom logo head)

What type of bass drum you have? Peace Paragon Maple. 14" x 26" and 18" x 22"

What sound does it make with the heads? Depends on if I have a pillow inside or not. Normaly a big open boom with short sustain.

What type of music do you play? Anything, mostly rock.
 
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