Choosing new drumheads! Help!

drums137

Member
Hi, I have a tama superstar hyperdrive (22x18, 14x5.5, 10x6.5, 12x7, 14x12, 16x14) i have currently on my toms clear ec2 sst over g1, i have a evans reverse power center over stock reso on my snare, and an emad 2 over stock reso on my bass. Im looking to try new drumheads change things up a bit plus they have been on my drums about 8 months or more so im gonna change em soon. For my toms im looking for that perfect studio sound, nice and warm, kinda wet,have some tone, punchy, some attack but not a clicky plastic attack, and i want some resonance but not ringy or dead. I want my floor toms to sound warm, kinda wet, punchy, but have a little control i want them retain some of that tom quality so that they are not just all growl and rumble, so they still have some punch and tone. I want my snare to have a nice crack and tight sound tuned high, nice funky, gospel sound, but be full and wet tuned low, nice pop and rock sound ( if its even possible to have a snare head that versatile, if not then i prefer that nice crack and tighness i mainly tuned it fairly high). For my bass drum i want to sound punchy and dark not have that plastic attack. I want a nice deep boom dark thud ( you know that studio sound) quick sound not a lot of resonance. I dont like that cheap plastic attack on any of my drums. Im open to any suggestion: evans, remo, aquarians. I know my im asking for a lot but any help is appreciated. Thank you.
 
My suggestions:
-Remo Emperors for tom batters
-Remo Ambassadors for tom reso's
-Aquarian Super Kick 2 or Evans EMAD 2
-Remo Emperor X for snare batter
-Remo Ambassador for snare reso

Those are just some combos I've heard that sound good. You were very specific, but its hard to get an idea of the sound unless you compare it to someones drum sound. Like some people want a Joey Jordinson snare sound for example, so they compare the sound they want to his. In short, a comparison would help for suggestions
 
Has anyone tried the vintage ambassadors?

I have and I really liked them. They have a very "big" sound and are very warm. I went with Vintage Emperors this last time through and really prefer the Vintage A's. The Vintage Emperors are extremely dry and low pitched, whereas the Vintage A's are exactly what I thought of when I thought of a head between an original Ambassador and Emperor, IMO.
 
Based on your descriptions, here are my recommendations with a quick line on why I picked them

Toms
G Plus Coated on top - They are a 12mil single ply as opposed to the standard 10mil to give a little more low end and the coating will take away the "plastic" fell you are referring to.

G1 Clear's on the bottom - They fill out the sound and give you a wide tuning range

Kick
EMAD Onyx on the batter side - Dark and heavy (literally)
EMAD Reso on the front with ans EQPAD resting on the fron head, NOT the batter. Belive me it will sound great

Snare
Evans Power Center Reverse Dot - Punchy, thick and responsive.
Hazy 300 on the bottom - It's a very versatile head. Again a wide tuning range.

Best of luck!
 
thank you, i also have another question related to the plastic attack thing: i've heard a lot here in the forums that evans film causes their clear heads to have these flinsy plastic attack compared to remo's and aquarian's film, is there any truth to these? and thank you a lot for the drumhead suggestions i had never even considered the g plus till now and maybe its time i give them a try.did you see the video i posted? The chris coleman drum solo? are my toms gonna sound like that with the g plus coated?
 
Watching the video you posted, i dont think my suggestions are right for the sound youre looking for. I would go with the evans suggestions the other guy gave. Also, for tom batter heads, you could look into aquarian proffessional 2's. Never heard them in person, but from what i have heard, they might be close. Idk
 
[EDIT: Sorry this is to drums137 not razorx,]

Even though Coleman is using clear G2's, you are saying that you don't want a 'plasticky' sound. Clear heads are usually the culprits when accusations of this kind are used of tom batter heads. I will also once again point out (because drum message boards have plenty on this subject) that judgments on head sounds behind the kit are always different than judgments made from in front of the kit, especially when you add in other instruments. If you are just playing in a practice or rehearsal room, then you are trying get the drums to sound good to you behind the kit. If you are out playing live or in the studio - definitely different.

Most of the Urban Gospel guys use clear heads and then.....any sound you hear with the big name players goes through processing: compressors, EQ, gain adjustments, reverb, etc. So you would hear a really different sound on top of their drums as well. That 'plasticky' sound behind their kits might equal better attack over a PA.

I'd recommend you try coated Studio-X heads. Aquarian's single ply head with an underside, thin, control ring. They are not 'plasticky' sounding at all and have resonance as well as control. You may also want to try coated G2's, my favorite Evans head.

Jim
 
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Thank you for the advice and it's not that i dont like attack its that i've read on several post here in drummerworld that evans mylar film produces a much harsher kinda cheaper sounding plastic attack and resonance which makes drums sound thinner compared to remo's and aquarian's mylar film and i just want to know if these "accusations" are true. I want to know if my dums will sound warmer with remo or aquarian compared to evans. If they will sound warmer or better then i can just buy the remo or aquarian counterpart of the g2 which would be the emperors or response 2. Also my drums have birch shells so right from the starting line they will sound brighter thats why i may consider giving coated heads a try.
 
Thank you for the advice and it's not that i dont like attack its that i've read on several post here in drummerworld that evans mylar film produces a much harsher kinda cheaper sounding plastic attack and resonance which makes drums sound thinner compared to remo's and aquarian's mylar film and i just want to know if these "accusations" are true. I want to know if my dums will sound warmer with remo or aquarian compared to evans. If they will sound warmer or better then i can just buy the remo or aquarian counterpart of the g2 which would be the emperors or response 2. Also my drums have birch shells so right from the starting line they will sound brighter thats why i may consider giving coated heads a try.

razorx - sorry I directed my last post to you. My brain was clouded over.

drums137:
Your welcome...I do hope it helped. :)

I think you'll hear from fans in all of the brand name camps as far as which 'brand' is warmer or at the least sounds the best. I think all of the big three have differing strengths. As far as the Aquarians, if you are comparing Emperors, consider Super-2's as well but the Responses are nice.

I don't really feel that the Evans coated G2's make drums sound thinner but I haven't done a direct, side by side comparison with other brands. My Yamaha MCAN's have coated G2's on them now but have sounded good with Aquarian 1-ply Satin Texture coated and Studio-X's as well. All a bit different but still musical.

I am toying with idea of putting different thickness heads on different toms to see if that has an effect. Probably not too much I think.

I do know that I've gotten the most life out of Aquarian heads as their coating lasts the longest. These heads have a bit less highs but are also a bit warmer than say a Remo equivalent. They also usually take a few days to get sounding right but sound great then.


You mentioned you have birch drums and rightly observe that they have a brighter sound with more attack. Birch drums also have a quicker decay so getting a head with too little resonance might lose some needed tone. I'm still thinking coated Studio-X's or even the Aquarian Satin Texture Coated adding small pieces of Moon Gel or gaffer's tape (like Stanton Moore does on his floor tom) to add dampening.


Jim
 
Thank you a lot for the advice its really helpful. Also what I meant about the drum sounding thinner and plastic was about the Clear g2 compared to an emperor or response 2, if there is any truth to this. Also what kind of drumhead will make drums sound warmer and darker? 2 ply or 1 ply? And thank you again you've been very helpful
 
Thank you a lot for the advice its really helpful. Also what I meant about the drum sounding thinner and plastic was about the Clear g2 compared to an emperor or response 2, if there is any truth to this. Also what kind of drum head will make drums sound warmer and darker? 2 ply or 1 ply? And thank you again you've been very helpful

The general consensus is 2 ply sounds warmer. Some have said by the negating of some highs but.....YMMV.

However there are also other solutions. Like the Aquarian Jack DeJohnette head.

http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/products/jack-dejohnette

I put this head on a church's Pearl steel shell 6.5 x 14 and it worked wonders. Jack uses them over the entire set. A bit pricier than the more popular heads but worth it for the right drum.
Also their Modern Vintage Mediums are warm but still single ply. These may be more jazz/folk than you're looking for but still very nice heads. One's on my Pork Pie 6 x 13 right now.

Then as I've mentioned there are the single ply's with some built in dampening: Studio-X's, Powerstrokes and Evans Genera (I think Genera?). The Remo CS Dot heads stick a big dot in the center of a single ply Ambassador. NICE snare head and used by Tony Williams on his toms and bass drum. I've only dug them on snares.

BTW: Here is a helpful list guide from Aquarian's site. Scroll down to see the manufacturer comparisons.

http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/products/drumhead-guide-comparison

It's sounding like you should go coated whichever way you go.

Jim
 
Once again thank you, it seems that 2 ply heads are warmer then if so then maybe i should go with 2 ply coated for the toms, and i don't know what YMMV means?
 
Ok, so what do you think i should finally go with? 2 ply heads or 1 ply head? Coated or clear? and thank you again for all the advice?
 
I would use 2 ply and coated in your situation. However before you choose i may make a suggestion. Why not use the Evans site [or Remo's or Aquarian's] and look at the individual head characteristics to find what seems to describe your sound. Evans site for instance usually has a few bars to describe the general qualities associated with the head [although they arent always there] between that and by researching what some of my idols play I can usually find what I am after.

This link is to the evans site:
http://store.daddario.com/category/148266?language_id=1&currency_id=1
 
I've seem those charts but i think im leaning towards the 2 ply coated since i have ec 2 sst clear i think the 2 ply coated will stil keep that punchy sound and the coating will add some warmth plus still control the drums a bit but still more open than the ec2s (correct me if im wrong i don't want to buy the wrong heads), now i just got to decide which company, which do you think would produce a warmer sound g2, emperors, or response 2? Also which coating sounds more alive? I've heard some bad stuff about evans coating being dull and flat? These are only accusations i've read in the forums just want to see if there is any truth? And thanks again to all of you for the advice.
 
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