Bass Heads

Hi, guys. I've been using Remo for a long time and have been very happy with them. I don't see any pressing reason to change.

I know there are a lot of Evans and Aquarian devotees, and I appreciate how fervently those who love a particular brand will support it, but I'm mainly interested in advice on which pairing of Remo bass heads might best suit my intentions.

I play rock and hard rock, which occasionally borders on metal. I've got Pinstripe batters on my toms and clear Ambassadors for resonant heads. Coated Emperor X black dot batter on my snare, hazy reso.

My inkling is to go with a clear Pinstripe batter and a coated Powerstroke 3 resonant. However, I'm basing this on pure conjecture and that's why I'd greatly appreciate informed opinions.

Thanks.
 
Well, before I became an Aquarian devotee, the Remo Pinstripe was my head of choice for a bass drum, and I switched the black powerstroke for the resonant side as soon as that head was invented.



So given what you have said, I think that combo will do what you want nicely.
 
Have been happy with PS3's for batter (both coated and clear) and reso (sometimes black, sometimes white, sometimes Fiberskyn) for many many years now.

Everyone has their preference and I'm not here to argue "for or against".....all I can do is state what's worked for me and what has given me the sound I'm after, for more than 20 years now. I've never had cause to change.....but that doesn't mean you shouldn't if the desire strikes you.
 
Cool! Thanks a lot.

That said, I am interested to hear why you decided to switch to Aquarian, if you don't mind sharing.

The Aquarian Super Kick II is the sound I always wanted from my bass drum. Really good low end, nice attack, no need to extra muffling. Best bass drum ever invented in my humble opinion.

With the pinstripe, I was often experimenting with muffle rings, foam padding, and such trying to achieve the perfect sound. With the Aquarian Super Kick II, I get that perfect sound right out of the box, with no need to mess with extra muffling. They tend to really last a long time as well.
 
Have been happy with PS3's for batter (both coated and clear) and reso (sometimes black, sometimes white, sometimes Fiberskyn) for many many years now.

Everyone has their preference and I'm not here to argue "for or against".....all I can do is state what's worked for me and what has given me the sound I'm after, for more than 20 years now. I've never had cause to change.....but that doesn't mean you shouldn't if the desire strikes you.

Thanks, Pocket.

I know I can hit Remo and see how they detail the PS3 clear and the Pinstripe, but I'm curious about your take on it. They both have muffling rings, from what I understand, so what makes the PS3 -- presumably -- superior to the Pinstripe?

My thought to go with a Pinstripe kick batter sprung from that I use them on my toms, and like them.

I've never used anything but the stock heads on my kick, which are some variety of Evans stamped with a Gretsch logo. So I have no comparison besides that the stock heads on my Gretsch Cats are vastly superior to the stock heads that came with my old SP kit. No surprise there, really. Still, I gather I can improve upon the stock Gretsch heads, too.

Just trying to divine the direction that might make me happiest, since it's almost a c-note to replace the kick heads.
 
The PS3 is a single ply head with a muffling ring. The Pinstripe is a two ply head, and around the edge, what actually looks like a muffling ring, is actually a layer of *(nondescript) measured layer of a ring reducing agent* :) between the two plies to dampen the outer frequencies.
 
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The PS3 is a single ply head with a muffling ring. The Pinstripe is a two ply head, and around the edge, what actually looks like a muffling ring, is actually a layer of oil between the two plies to dampen the outer frequencies.


Not trying to start an argument, but Pinstripes do NOT have any oil in between them whatsoever. the only drumhead company that puts oil in between the plys is Evans, in the Hydraulic series. Search google if you dont believe me, there are a couple of forums where I have read this. What Pinstripes have are threads of a certain material that they call "dampening product" between the pinstripe on the head, and the crimp.
 
so what makes the PS3 -- presumably -- superior to the Pinstripe?

Nothing. Purely down to preference.

From Remo:

Pinstripe® heads are made with two 7 mil Mylar® plys with a measured layer of a ring reducing agent applied between them at the outer edge of their trademark stripe to dampen high frequency overtones for warmer resonance.

Powerstroke®3 features a thin underlay at the outer edge of the head to subtly dampen unwanted overtones. This creates a near-perfect balance of response and tone control that has quickly made Powerstroke 3 one of Remo’s most preferred drumheads
.

It was also my understanding that only Evans Hydraulics are the only head with oil between the layers...but it also looks as if Remo are being particularly coy here too. I have no idea what "a measured layer of a ring reducing agent" is either.

They also have a PS4 which is like a PS3 but two ply.
 
SKII gives just enough control where I don't need additional muffling on the BD.
However, if I am mic'ing, I'll keep the DW pillow inside the BD just barely touching the reso head.
 
Im an Aquarian user myself but I find the 2 plys a bit too dead and use the single ply super kick 1 with the ported regulator front with no extra dampening live or when recording.
 
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