Doop
Junior Member
Hi all --
I'm a fairly new member to the forum and just returning to drumming after a long hiatus. I recently purchased my first kit in 20 years -- and the first one I've owned in almost 10 years: a Ludwig Element SE Retro Downbeat in Mod Orange (8x12, 14x14, 14x20, 5x14). My question is about the bass heads, specifically the reso. I've seen a lot of praise for and got some direct advice to use PS3s as both batter and reso, so I went ahead and bought two PS3s for my kick (though I haven't yet put them on).
However, I'm considering using a Smooth White Emperor on the front instead, and I'm somewhat ashamed to admit my reasons are purely aesthetic -- I want a bright, solid white head, and smooth rather than coated so I can apply a vinyl graphic logo. From the research I've done, though, the prevailing opinion seems to be that an Emperor as a reso is not the best choice. I certainly don't recall seeing anyone recommend it.
I don't want to create a bad sounding bass in order to get the right "look." So I'm posing the question to you before I spend $30 on another head: Could a PS3 batter/Smooth White Emperor reso combination sound good on a 14x20, or should I stick to the PS3s front and back? Is an Ambassador a better alternate choice? How might the smaller size play into the choice of weight, in terms of tone and pitch?
Thanks in advance for the advice!
-- Mike (aka Doop)
I'm a fairly new member to the forum and just returning to drumming after a long hiatus. I recently purchased my first kit in 20 years -- and the first one I've owned in almost 10 years: a Ludwig Element SE Retro Downbeat in Mod Orange (8x12, 14x14, 14x20, 5x14). My question is about the bass heads, specifically the reso. I've seen a lot of praise for and got some direct advice to use PS3s as both batter and reso, so I went ahead and bought two PS3s for my kick (though I haven't yet put them on).
However, I'm considering using a Smooth White Emperor on the front instead, and I'm somewhat ashamed to admit my reasons are purely aesthetic -- I want a bright, solid white head, and smooth rather than coated so I can apply a vinyl graphic logo. From the research I've done, though, the prevailing opinion seems to be that an Emperor as a reso is not the best choice. I certainly don't recall seeing anyone recommend it.
I don't want to create a bad sounding bass in order to get the right "look." So I'm posing the question to you before I spend $30 on another head: Could a PS3 batter/Smooth White Emperor reso combination sound good on a 14x20, or should I stick to the PS3s front and back? Is an Ambassador a better alternate choice? How might the smaller size play into the choice of weight, in terms of tone and pitch?
Thanks in advance for the advice!
-- Mike (aka Doop)