Evans EC2 Coated - Thoughts

sjczildjian

Senior Member
I recently re-head the whole of my drum kit, using Evans EC2 coated heads for batters.

Does anyone else have problem with them sounding too thin and papery? I though with them being a 2-ply head, you wouldn't have this problem... Im seriously thinking about moving to Aquarian... Ive heard only good things. I think my days with Evans are quickly coming to an end.

I have a maple kit and really want to bring out the warmth of the shells. Can anyone suggest any good heads for this type of application?

(I also purchased an EMAD2 Clear and an EMAD resonant for the kick - Im not too happy with them either...)
 
I absolutely love the clear EC2's, but the coated ones sound too papery for my taste too. Neither are what I'd call warm though. The muffling ring cuts most of the frequencies that contribute to a "warm" sound. The clear ones are really fat, but are still very clean and open. I use Evans Strata 1000 as bottom heads to add a little midrange back and warm them up a little, but they're still not what I'd go with if you're looking for a truly warm tom sound.

If you're looking for warm, I'd suggest Aquarian Modern Vintage, Evans white coated G Plus, or Remo Renaissance Emperors.
 
How are you tuned (batter and reso)? I have used them on several kits through the years and I have always liked them.
 
If you have nice shells I would stay from anything with a control ring. Again I will say you must try the Aquarian Super 2 clears, they are phenomenal heads. Be patient with them though, tune out the wrinkles and fine tune from there. They take a while to work in, I mean a while.
Also they hold there tuning for a long time.
 
I still messing around with the tuning at the moment. I know the batter and reso are meant to be tuned at the same pitch, but I tend to tune the reso head up a little bit higher. I want to really bring the mids out of the 12x8 rack tom. I cannot find a single place that sells aquarian heads. It's annoying me!!
 
Interstate Music has a great selection of Aquarian heads. I also don't have any stores near me stocking Aquarian either so they've always been my go-to place for everything I can't find locally.

I love my Aquarian heads, but Evans makes some great stuff too, and quite a few things I can't get from any other maker.

Don't forget that you can gain or lose a lot of midrange from your choice of bottom head. Putting a warmer head there will bring out more of the tones you're looking for.
 
The G2 coated are a lot warmer than the EC series.

I have a friend who had some EC1 clears, and the 16" floor tom never sounded fat and throaty like that size drum can. Very papery sounding.

The toms were just "OK", but that head on the FT was awful IMO. To each their own, but I wouldn't put them on my drums.

Coated Pinstripes have a fatter sound, and it's got a nice sound.

Also, Aquarian Modern Vintage, Remo Fiberskyn Ambassador, Remo Suede...coated Ambassadors can be warm, G1 and G2 are nice....
 
I still messing around with the tuning at the moment. I know the batter and reso are meant to be tuned at the same pitch, but I tend to tune the reso head up a little bit higher. I want to really bring the mids out of the 12x8 rack tom. I cannot find a single place that sells aquarian heads. It's annoying me!!

What is your location? maybe i can help.
 
I like them for what they are designed for; a high level of attack. They are not very versatile but sound great for their intended purpose. I don't need that sound very often, but when I do I might use them. I use coated G1s for 80% of what I do. However, I do have a set on my Cat Maple with a 16 kick (ps3 clear batter and ps3 coated resonant) 10 rack, 12 and 14 floors. The Coated EC2s on the toms are about 5 years old and so broken in that they have the warmest, most resonant tone ever. I keep fresh heads (mostly coated G1s) for my DW, Starclassic Maple (which will have a B/B sitting next to it at the end of the month) and Superstar Hyper-Drive (usually has a set of EC2s), but I won't change the Cats unless one gets torn or ripped. The sound I get out of them now is a complete 180 from what they were designed for, and I love it. Just thought I would share my story of new and worn-in EC2s.
 
I recently re-head the whole of my drum kit, using Evans EC2 coated heads for batters.

Does anyone else have problem with them sounding too thin and papery? I though with them being a 2-ply head, you wouldn't have this problem... Im seriously thinking about moving to Aquarian... Ive heard only good things. I think my days with Evans are quickly coming to an end.

I have a maple kit and really want to bring out the warmth of the shells. Can anyone suggest any good heads for this type of application?

(I also purchased an EMAD2 Clear and an EMAD resonant for the kick - Im not too happy with them either...)

Based on the sound you seem to be looking for, I'd recommend the G2 coated heads or, if you'd like to experiment with a more durable single-ply head with a fuller tone, check out the G Plus coated.

What kind of issues are you having with the EMAD2 and EMAD Reso? It's quite possible that these heads just aren't intended for the sound you're looking for. If you want to bring out the warmth and resonance of the shells for the whole kit, I'd recommend going with an EQ3 on the kick batter and the EQ3 Resonant Bass Head.

Also, the Evans EC Reso's are crap...

What makes you say that? They're certainly not what I'd recommend for your tonal interests, but there are many whol like what they have to offer, given the appropriate tuning and application.

I'd be happy to help you find the right heads to match your desired sound.
 
I am in Sydney. Not even Billy Hyde stock them. Sounds like aquarian PIIs are the way to go.

Also, the Evans EC Reso's are crap...


Um, I would not go performance II's for what your looking for. They may sound too dull. Response II's or super 2's would be my recommendation. But that is up to you.
I think that saying ec resos are crap may be unfair, a lot of drummers use them because they dig them for their sound. So I would have to agree with EvansSpecialist on that, even though the underlying theme of his post screams damage control. (hehe)
 
Also, the Evans EC Reso's are crap...

I'm curious what you don't like about them. I've found them to have a nice clear, deep tone and are very easy to tune. I've used them with EC2's and G2's, and thought they helped get a very fat, yet controlled tom sound.

But again, anything with some kind of muffling like the EC heads are going to trim out a lot of the frequencies that contribute to a warm sound. Using EC2 top and EC Reso bottom is only going to compound the lack of warmth you're getting.

I've found if you want to maximize a batter head's particular trait it really helps to pick a bottom head that shares a similar quality, so you're essentially getting that same tone twice.

I use often use Modern Vintage top and bottom, and they sound absolutely amazing. Warm, fat, tubby, yet still have nice attack and good sustain.

The white coated G Plus would get you in the same ballpark, tone wise, but I'd definitely use the same head top and bottom.

Strata 1000 top and bottom are a very warm, and lots of midrange "twang", but since they're medium 1-ply they're still fairly bright and have attack similar to other 10 mil heads like a G1 or Ambassador.

Renaissance Emperor over Renaissance Ambassador is another killer combination, and have a lot of the same midrange quality as the Strata, just a little heavier sounding because of the 2-ply batter.
 
Mine only sound papery when I don't hit them with enough authority. I think the sound of the coating comes out more when I play really light. At any rate, all I hear on the mics is a nice fat deep sound that I love, so I usually go g2 coated on my toms. Not the snare though. Genera dry.
 
I love the ec rezo head
use it top and bottom for my 12" & 13" tom and it sounds fantastic
I use the Ec2 clear for my 16" FT batter with an EC rezo
also sounds perfect - dialed in
Full, round, warm *no overtones* and just enough resonance.

and they start to sound even better once they get *worn in*
a little.
 
I am not a fan of coated heads, especially on toms. I have EC2's and EC Resonants on my Pearl toms. Both my snares (Pacific SX 14x5 and Pearl Sensitone 14x5) both have an Evans EC Reverse Dot, which is not coated, for the snare batter. The only coated head I am using is the front head that came on my Gretsch bass drum.

I have played both of the snares with those heads, and they sound very good. I have not played the toms with other musicians yet, but the floor tom sounds much better than it did with a coated G2 over a clear G1.

Peace and goodwill.
 
Based on the sound you seem to be looking for, I'd recommend the G2 coated heads or, if you'd like to experiment with a more durable single-ply head with a fuller tone, check out the G Plus coated.

What kind of issues are you having with the EMAD2 and EMAD Reso? It's quite possible that these heads just aren't intended for the sound you're looking for. If you want to bring out the warmth and resonance of the shells for the whole kit, I'd recommend going with an EQ3 on the kick batter and the EQ3 Resonant Bass Head.



What makes you say that? They're certainly not what I'd recommend for your tonal interests, but there are many whol like what they have to offer, given the appropriate tuning and application.

I'd be happy to help you find the right heads to match your desired sound.

I have tried the G2s over G1s, they are just way too open for my liking. Never tried the G Plus before, but I am quite a hard player so I will need something that is 2ply.

As far as the kick in concerned, I am looking for a punchy sound that you can really feel. My kick is 22x20 so should sound like a cannon going off! With the EMAD, I had to resort to putting a pillow inside to get rid of the high end ring, something I've never had to do with my old combination (EMAD Onyx - EQ1)

The EC Reso's were recommended to me by the guy in the music shop. He said they will help control sustain - they do the opposite!
 
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