18" Floor Tom Heads Suggestions

jmf-tt

Junior Member
Hi - I realize head choices and tuning is a personal preference but was wondering what many of you were using on you 18" floor tom batter and reso?

Thanks
 
Right now mine has g2 coated over g1 coated, although I'd much prefer to use a g1 on the batter side too, but I'm going to wait until it wears out. I like a nice musical sound that can play anything and G1s seem to do well. G2s can be a little stubborn at times. I use my 18" as a bass sometimes, so I need something versatile as well. My recommendations are of course Evans G1 Coated heads on both sides. You will be able to tune then different ways to get different sounds quite easily. I've had too many issues with Remo heads, but if you want to take the chance, Coated Ambassadors will never hurt. With an 18" tom you need something that speaks clearly, as it's so big so single ply heads are wonderful. Coated heads are great to get that big warm sound out, although there is nothing wrong with using clear heads although you will have a lot more of a plastic sound on that big of a drum.
 
On my Ludwig Classic Maple 16x18's I use.....

Coated Ambassador, or Coated Emp over Clear Ambassador.

I sometimes use Coated Abassadors on top & bottom.

Coated Emps on top have a more imediate attack, and a fat tone.

Ambassadors are more even in the attack/tone.

Coated Amabssadors on T&B have a more focused attack, a warmer tone (than clear bottom) and a little bit beefier resonance.

The overall tone & resonance will change depending on how you tune the drum (both sides the same, top or bottom tighter, etc...).

Both can sound as fat or crisp as one would want, and resonate as long or short as you'd want--it all depends on the tuning, and if you use any dampening like tape or moongel.

Have fun experimenting!
 
Being a Remo guy, I almost always run clear Ambassador reso. My 18" floor is a Luddie 6 ply. My main choices for batter, Ambassador, Controlled Sound, Powerstroke 3, Emperor and Pinstripe.
 
On my Ludwig Classic Maple 16x18's I use.....

Coated Ambassador, or Coated Emp over Clear Ambassador.

I sometimes use Coated Abassadors on top & bottom.

Coated Emps on top have a more imediate attack, and a fat tone.

Ambassadors are more even in the attack/tone.

Coated Amabssadors on T&B have a more focused attack, a warmer tone (than clear bottom) and a little bit beefier resonance.

The overall tone & resonance will change depending on how you tune the drum (both sides the same, top or bottom tighter, etc...).

Both can sound as fat or crisp as one would want, and resonate as long or short as you'd want--it all depends on the tuning, and if you use any dampening like tape or moongel.

Have fun experimenting!

So can you describe how coated Emperors would differ from clear Emperors on an 18x16 floor tom? I just got one with my new kit and I've only had one go at tuning it (clear Emp). I couldn't get a great sound out of it and found it really hard to tune.
 
For what it's worth, and this has nothing to do with heads per se, I'd suggest getting a Drum Dial, I assume you know what I am referring to. I just got one today and I find it extremely helpful in tuning. There is no reason why you cant get any head to sound good on your drum. (assuming your bearing edges are true and the shell is round) Tuning a drum is not an easy thing. If the heads are tensioned unevenly, it kills everything. Then you have the whole phase cancellation (comb filtering) phenomenon to contend with.....Guitar players have it easy ha ha
 
i current use remo smoothwhite batter and stockhead reso on my dw collectors maple.
i might try the coated ambassadors on both sides as KarlCrafton described, maybe that would help me control the sound a bit moore, as for now it rumbles forever.
 
For what it's worth, and this has nothing to do with heads per se, I'd suggest getting a Drum Dial, I assume you know what I am referring to. I just got one today and I find it extremely helpful in tuning. There is no reason why you cant get any head to sound good on your drum. (assuming your bearing edges are true and the shell is round) Tuning a drum is not an easy thing. If the heads are tensioned unevenly, it kills everything. Then you have the whole phase cancellation (comb filtering) phenomenon to contend with.....Guitar players have it easy ha ha

Yeah I can tune a guitar without thinking but I'm really struggling with this big bad tom. I can tune the rack ones ok - 10 and 12 and get a decent tone out of them but I couldn't really hear any pitch from the floor tom.

I do have a drum dial. Do you (or anyone else) have any settings to try out? I stopped using it when I realised that to use it properly I would have to tune the thing by at least once and then take the readings.
 
Thanks everyone. I think I'm gonna go with the G1's on the bottom and coated G2's on top. I'm replacing Remo's pinstripe and I like them but its worth trying different heads to compare.
 
So can you describe how coated Emperors would differ from clear Emperors on an 18x16 floor tom? I just got one with my new kit and I've only had one go at tuning it (clear Emp). I couldn't get a great sound out of it and found it really hard to tune.

A coated Emp has a slightly warmer tone...a little more controlled sound, not as open (but it does have an open sound if you don't use any muffling--I don't) and the attack on the clear head seems brighter.

The clear heads can sound really fat and deep, but the coated's have that bit of controlled crispness that I like, and they get plenty fat sounding too.

I actually think that a coated Ambassador on T&B can get a beefier sound than an Emp/Amb combo--but what you use is up to you.

On an 18" floor tom, it's a good idea to listen to the drum standing over it, and away from it, have someone else hit it (as well as sitting next to it) etc... because you'd be surprised at what it sounds like after the sound has that little bit to develop.

When you are right there sitting next to it, it might sound a little flat, or not like what you think you want to hear, but listen to it at a different angle or place and listen to what it really sounds like.

An 18 is a big drum, and it can get tricky because you might want to hear this big, fat solid sound (big and fat, but cuts off--like on a cd), but it might sound kinda ringy, or not as fat or whatever, but you have to listen and adjust a little as needed.

It can sound big, fat and solid, but it might sound like that where the mic is, and where someone is sitting a little away from it, and not exactly where your ear is sitting at the kit.

Since the 18 FT has a lower note to begin with, if it doesn't have much resonance orprojection, it's not going to translate over a PA either, so if you are getting mic'ed up at a show, make sure your drum(s) has(have) some life to it (and is tuned well) if you want people to actually hear it well.

A little muffling like half a moon gel or a rolled up small piece of tape can get a more solid tone out of it too, just be careful of overdoing it because it can start to sound slappy and the tone can get hollow.

Good luck, I hope some of this helps.
 
Thanks fella

That's a wicked description.

I'm gonna keep going with the clear Emperor on top and Ambassador on bottom at the moment because that's what I've got. I may try the coated in the future though.

Chris.
 
Thanks everyone. I think I'm gonna go with the G1's on the bottom and coated G2's on top. I'm replacing Remo's pinstripe and I like them but its worth trying different heads to compare.


Correction! They didnt have the Evans and went with the Ambassadors coated on top and clear on the bottom and WOW, they sound nice!.
 
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