A matter of taste

Drumming, like everything else, goes through fads. I think a lot of times there is no particular "right" or "wrong" answer for things. A lot of times it's just a matter of opinion or choice. When I choose which to buy, Zildjian A Customs or K Customs, the decision almost killed this almost-thirty year old man. Someday I'll own sets of both. The only thing you can do is see what everyone else is doing so you stay up with the times or try everything out and stay true to what it is that YOU like.

So the question is

Which do you prefer, nylon tipped sticks or wood?

What is your favorite type of heads?

i like nylon tipped sticks, and my favorite type of heads are clear remo pinstripes for toms.

remo powersonic for basshead.

remo emperor-x for snare

cballz2006 said:

Drumming, like everything else, goes through fads. I think a lot of times there is no particular "right" or "wrong" answer for things. A lot of times it's just a matter of opinion or choice. When I choose which to buy, Zildjian A Customs or K Customs, the decision almost killed this almost-thirty year old man. Someday I'll own sets of both. The only thing you can do is see what everyone else is doing so you stay up with the times or try everything out and stay true to what it is that YOU like.

So the question is

Which do you prefer, nylon tipped sticks or wood?

What is your favorite type of heads?

Click to expand...

I USUALLY use Nylon tipped sticks, but I have on occasion used wood tips, I like both, but unless it's a subdued volume gig, it's tough to stay with the wood ones.

As for heads, I end up using Ludwig Heavy Coated for batters A LOT! They're the same thickness as a Remo Ambassador, but they have a slightly deeper tone at the same pitch. A trait I really like. I'Il also use bunches of different types of heads, depending on mood or a particular sound I'm digging at the moment.

i like nylon tipped sticks, mostly because the tips don't chip away so quickly.

i like a remo ambassador on my snare. that is such a great head! and i like a remo powerstroke 3 on the bass. i had a coated one, but now i have a clear one and i think i like it a little better. on the toms i usually like evans g2s, but my new kit came with clear pinstripes and they sound better than i thought they would so i'm keeping them.

Well, the Zildjian K or A Custom also was a crossroad for me.

To answer your question:

Wood tips and Evans G2 Coated Heads

I love the sound a nylon stick gives me, especially on the cymbals, but I've had a really hard time keeping them from breaking so I have used wood sticks and they are far more durable for me. As far as brand of sticks...don't care, I see no difference in brands when you are talking consistent sizes and woods. I use anything I can get my hands on. I must say I didn't like Vaters 5B, for some reason they just 'felt weird' in my hand, like they were heavier or something. That still wouldn't make me not play Vaters.

Heads...the big head makers all make good gear, but I fell for Aquarian when I was trying to get my cheapy beat-around kit to sound better and those heads (Response IIs) did the trick, really brought sound out of the toms I didn't know they had. As far as snare and kick heads, I don't really care...Ill use any consistent heads between Evans, Remo and Aquarian.

Once Aquarian made my crappy kit sound like it did, I decided to move Aquarians over to my good rig, but Aqaurian tom heads is really where I have the most allegiance. I do have an Aquarian kick on my Sonor, but the snare head is a Remo. I won't mix my tom heads, but the kick and snare who cares...it all sounds good.

In my younger days I liked nylon tips, so I could cut through more.

Now I'd rather blend in than stick out so I use wood.

I like single ply heads for the attack, the big 3 all sound fine.

Except the snare I like coated emps.

I like them both (nylon, wood) tips, but I tend to use frequently the nylon ones - lately.
The nylon tips give that bit of bright sound on cymbals and toms, the wooden tips a bit more low - heavy.

For my ash pocket kit, I went back to two ply Remo Emperors. I had previously been dedicated to getting all the sound out of my maple shells with single-ply clears. (any:Remo, Evans, etc.)The ash shells are all tone/ring and two plys help round out the sound.
I tried, just because they look cool, the black suedes.
As a result, I switched back to wood tips, 'cuz nylon will mark up the black heads. I don't know why I ever went to nylon in the first place. I LOVE the feel and sound of wood. (hickory 5A) I imagine for certain cymbal sounds or loud situations I'd use nylon again.
There aren't, for me, any hard and fast rules for heads or sticks. It's all situational.