that "new head" feeling

Dipschmidt

Senior Member
Is it just me, or do you guys also love that "new head" feeling? It's almost as if you have a brand new set. (to me at least...) I'm not sure why, but I am extremely excited to stop by my local drum store to pick up a vintage script ludwig head for my bass and a genera HD dry for my LM402.
 
Funny one that.....I always like it when I put new heads on (probably the fresh look TBO), but I'll tend leave it as long as I possibly can to change heads over too. I just love the way they sound once they've been 'played in' a bit.
 
Funny one that.....I always like it when I put new heads on (probably the fresh look TBO), but I'll tend leave it as long as I possibly can to change heads over too. I just love the way they sound once they've been 'played in' a bit.

Yeah, its like a pair of shoes, you gotta break 'em in to get that "full experience." (that sounds a little weird, but you get my point...) And the new look definitely contributes to it ;)
 
I have an Ian Paiste signature snare that sounds very good with coated Ambassadors but you don't get the best sound until the coating has worn a bit in the centre.
Also when they get old they get hard and don't bounce so well. I crank mine up really tight at that point and they give off a lovely crack.
 
I love the feel and sound of a new coated head on a snare, tuned nice and tight. That first rimshot is pure audio ecstacy.

I will agree though, once a head is "played in" a little, it gets to sounding really nice. Especially on toms, the initial "brittle" feeling goes away and it's really comfortable.
 
I'm a new head guy. I don't like tired heads. So if I have a drum that is "busy", such as a snare, I'll likely change the head every few weeks.
 
I'm a new head guy. I don't like tired heads. So if I have a drum that is "busy", such as a snare, I'll likely change the head every few weeks.
same here.

one of my favorite things to do is play on my kit while the new heads are still really tight on the drum, stretching a bit. playing with brushes and light sticks is just too fun.
 
I'll side with the prefer a few days worked in over a fresh skin - same with sticks, I usually can't wait to get a few jams in before the sticks feel "right". Been playing the same pair of sticks for a couple months while I've got 4-5 new pairs in my bag.

New guitar strings, on the other hand, are the cats meow even over a few hours played.
 
Is it just me, or do you guys also love that "new head" feeling? It's almost as if you have a brand new set. (to me at least...) I'm not sure why, but I am extremely excited to stop by my local drum store to pick up a vintage script ludwig head for my bass and a genera HD dry for my LM402.

It depends. On toms, I like new heads.

On snare drums, however, I absolutely, unequivocally HATE new heads. I find new heads pangy, too stiff almost always prefer a head that's been worn in from at least two weeks of playing. The one exception is Fibreskyns which are very mellow right out of the box.
 
Nobody's mentioned this...

I love new heads because it's a chance to experiment. Buy my normal pack of clear Remo Emperors, but also grab one 16" head I haven't tried before, just to see how it sounds. Never know when you've found a new sound you love.
 
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