Are Drum Heads from factory that bad?

DaleClark

Senior Member
Looking at the Memphis drum shop videos. Even with the high end kits, the shop changes out the factory heads for coated Remos. Maybe it's for sound consistency in their demos. I always thought DW shipped with really nice heads. Ludwigs had their weather master a few years back that many could take or leave.

I get that entry level kits have cheaper heads due to cost reasons (My cheap Yamaha Tour custom still has the Remo china snare side head).

Has anyone here been happy with factory heads?
 
Looking at the Memphis drum shop videos. Even with the high end kits, the shop changes out the factory heads for coated Remos. Maybe it's for sound consistency in their demos. I always thought DW shipped with really nice heads. Ludwigs had their weather master a few years back that many could take or leave.

I get that entry level kits have cheaper heads due to cost reasons (My cheap Yamaha Tour custom still has the Remo china snare side head).

Has anyone here been happy with factory heads?

I have a friend who swears that the only thing that sounds decent on a set of DW's is the DW factory heads.

Mapex Armory's factory heads sound pretty good.

I'm pretty sure that all of Pork Pie USA kits come with Remo Ambassadors.
 
Depends on the kit. High end kits will usually come with Ambassadors or G1s. I had a brand new arbiter that can with Coated ambs batter/Clear ambs reso and Powerstroke bass drum heads front and back.

I love the DW clear coated, I used to get them dirt cheap from Brum Drum before that closed.

The Remo UT are shite, Most other cheap stock heads on lower quality kits are awful unless you get USA Ambassadors or G1s stock fitted.
 
My Saturns and Reference Pures came with Emperors over Ambassadors from the factory. The Saturns immediately got new heads top and bottom (Clear G2's over G1's and EC2 Resos), including new bass heads (Emad and Fiberskin). The Reference Pures got new batter heads (Coated G2's and coated Emad) all around (I'm not made of money...).

At the same time, my PDP Concept kits came with crimped Remo UC Ambassador style heads top and bottom. Those all got immediately replaced for coated Evans G1s and G12's over clear G1's and Genera Resos). The only heads I kept on my Concept kits were the bass reso heads and the 24" bass batter head, which really needs to be replaced for a better head.

As for factory heads, I really don't like to use them, even if they are USA made Remos or Evans. They usually are either the wrong brand (I prefer Evans) or the wrong type of head (some of us like coated heads) for the sound I am looking to get out of the kit.
 
I'm happy with the factory Ludwig/Remo heads. They're clear emperors. I was thinking to replace them with Pinstripes, but and I like them quite a bit.
 
I've heard some really terrible ones, like the super cheap clear heads that came on my old Mapex kit (about 2004). My Ludwig Classic Maples came with Ludwig coated heads, which sounded just fine. At the other end of things, my Tama Silverstar kit, which is lower end, came with really good sounding coated heads. I used those til they wore out. I don't know what company made them, but the hoops appear to be Aquarian. I've heard that Tama is supplied with Evans, but these don't look like Evans to me, unless they are made to a different spec. IDK though.

In any case, not all factory heads suck.
 
The big irony is that more expensive drums come with good heads. But usually those who buy those sets install whatever heads are preferred. Cheaper sets come with bad heads, and drummers who buy those are often beginners who have trouble tuning.

When I bought Pearl Exports, I used none of the heads that came with the set. Mapex Saturn kits come with good Remo heads, so I have used them for a while. Peace and goodwill.
 
The big irony is that more expensive drums come with good heads. But usually those who buy those sets install whatever heads are preferred. Cheaper sets come with bad heads, and drummers who buy those are often beginners who have trouble tuning.

I don't see the irony. The lesser expensive kits are built to a specific price point and the manufacturer has to get there by eliminating some more expensive pieces and parts. Expensive USA made heads are first to go. The manufacturer's can still use a big name brand, like Remo/Evans, but save a lot of cost by going with a their much cheaper Chinese/Taiwan lines that have no relation to their USA counterparts.

The more expensive drums come with "good" heads because they can afford to go with good heads. It also helps the manufacturer with creating the sound they are trying to achieve on the kit. If kits are right on the cusp of ~$1500 you sometimes get a USA Remo batter with a UC Remo reso side, like in the case of the Gretsch Renowns (RN2). When you breach that $1500 mark and move closer to $2k+ you get USA heads top and bottom. My Saturns were USA Remos top and bottom. The Pearl Reference Pure uses USA Remo top and bottom. Renowns were USA batter, UC Reso, PDP's were UC all around.

If someone wants to replace the heads on their $2K kit, that's their business. It's a small amount of money relative to the whole kit. A 5 piece kit costs ~$150 for all new heads top and bottom plus a new bass batter. That's only 7.5% the cost of the entire kit. Compare that to a $650 Stage Custom 5 piece kit and its 23% the cost of the kit to replace the heads.
 
Looking at the Memphis drum shop videos. Even with the high end kits, the shop changes out the factory heads for coated Remos. Maybe it's for sound consistency in their demos. I always thought DW shipped with really nice heads. Ludwigs had their weather master a few years back that many could take or leave.

I get that entry level kits have cheaper heads due to cost reasons (My cheap Yamaha Tour custom still has the Remo china snare side head).

Has anyone here been happy with factory heads?

I think the main reason for the swap is not to mark up the factory heads. Would you buy a new kit with used heads?
Also, they probably are very good at tuning all those kits to get the sound they want with the Remo heads.
 
I usually change out snare batter heads, but factory tom heads usually work for me, especially reso side.

Exception is Pork Pie snare heads - they always sound great to me.
 
I think the main reason for the swap is not to mark up the factory heads. Would you buy a new kit with used heads?
Also, they probably are very good at tuning all those kits to get the sound they want with the Remo heads.

Great point. That is probably wht's going on
 
I don't see the irony. The lesser expensive kits are built to a specific price point and the manufacturer has to get there by eliminating some more expensive pieces and parts. Expensive USA made heads are first to go. The manufacturer's can still use a big name brand, like Remo/Evans, but save a lot of cost by going with a their much cheaper Chinese/Taiwan lines that have no relation to their USA counterparts.

The more expensive drums come with "good" heads because they can afford to go with good heads. It also helps the manufacturer with creating the sound they are trying to achieve on the kit. If kits are right on the cusp of ~$1500 you sometimes get a USA Remo batter with a UC Remo reso side, like in the case of the Gretsch Renowns (RN2). When you breach that $1500 mark and move closer to $2k+ you get USA heads top and bottom. My Saturns were USA Remos top and bottom. The Pearl Reference Pure uses USA Remo top and bottom. Renowns were USA batter, UC Reso, PDP's were UC all around.

If someone wants to replace the heads on their $2K kit, that's their business. It's a small amount of money relative to the whole kit. A 5 piece kit costs ~$150 for all new heads top and bottom plus a new bass batter. That's only 7.5% the cost of the entire kit. Compare that to a $650 Stage Custom 5 piece kit and its 23% the cost of the kit to replace the heads.


It still doesn't make sense to me to slap your name on a poorly made drumhead that a. compromises the sound of a new drumkit, b. often makes it more difficult to tune for beginners who already could use a helping hand tuning, and c. does more to harm the impression of your company's product with new drummers than support it.

Even in the off-chance someone was like "WOW, I LOVE THESE REMO UT BATTER HEADS!" It's not like you can go to the store and buy them.

I feel like it could be in Remo and D'Addario's interest to work out deals with drum builders to cover more of the cost to showcase their professional level heads on entry level kits......

with the return being they've made an impression on the demographic of players who don't yet have a brand preference.
 
Last edited:
I feel like it could be in Remo and D'Addario's interest to work out deals with drum builders to cover more of the cost to showcase their professional level heads on entry level kits......

with the return being they've made an impression on the demographic of players who don't yet have a brand preference.

Or the head manufacturers can make money by selling the cheap heads to the drum manufacturers for their lower end kits, then make money from the consumer when they say, "Ugg I need to replace these crappy UC heads." The head manufacturer gets paid twice in the current scenario.

In the end, it works out great for the head manufacturer by getting paid twice, it works out great for the drum manufacturer because they can keep the cost of their kits lower and be competitive in the market place, and it works out great for the consumer because they can get in to a great set of entry/intermediate level drums at a good price knowing full well that "wear items" like heads are only a temporary thing and they can choose from the myriad of heads out there when the UC heads get replaced.
 
Or the head manufacturers can make money by selling the cheap heads to the drum manufacturers for their lower end kits, then make money from the consumer when they say, "Ugg I need to replace these crappy UC heads." The head manufacturer gets paid twice in the current scenario.

In the end, it works out great for the head manufacturer by getting paid twice, it works out great for the drum manufacturer because they can keep the cost of their kits lower and be competitive in the market place, and it works out great for the consumer because they can get in to a great set of entry/intermediate level drums at a good price knowing full well that "wear items" like heads are only a temporary thing and they can choose from the myriad of heads out there when the UC heads get replaced.

I say for most low end kits, especially if they are for kids-teenagers, the factory heads will get played until worn out.
 
I say for most low end kits, especially if they are for kids-teenagers, the factory heads will get played until worn out.

Yes, and many beginners couldn't tell a good head from a bad head.
 
Most factory kits come with either Remo or Evans, just rebranded to the drum manufacturers logo! So not sure about all this talk on cheap heads.
 
I have a friend who swears that the only thing that sounds decent on a set of DW's is the DW factory heads.

Mapex Armory's factory heads sound pretty good.

I'm pretty sure that all of Pork Pie USA kits come with Remo Ambassadors.
Have your friend check this video out.
 
Back
Top