Difference between 1-ply and 2-ply?

JesusMySavior

Silver Member
What's the main sound and feel difference between them? Should I worry about them breaking?

I'm thinking about some Studio-X coated's from Aquarian but the MusFriend site says that they break easily, according to the reviews.


All I'm doing is recording with them, I play heavy jazz/fusion style stuff...

would I need a 2-ply head? I'd like the head to be responsive and distinctive on the kit. I'll be mic'ing them with a dynamic mic over the rack toms and of course some condensers on the sides.


thanks!
 
Hey dude,

Well, saying that you play Jazz/fusion, then i don't think you should worry about 2-ply heads. You should seek 1-ply. Coated maybe.

Cheers
 
Agreed, and I would add that you don't select a 2-ply head for "added durability." If you break heads your technique is off or the head is bad. You choose a 2-ply head because it has the sound you want.

1-ply will have more sustain, and livelier tone, and be louder.
2-ply will have shorter sustain and fewer overtones.
 
1-ply heads have a higher pitch, less sustain, and more of a "boingy" sound.

2-ply heads have a lower pitch, longer sustain, and a slower response.

For your type of music, I would recommend 1-ply heads. Coated, if you want less attack.

Single ply heads actually have longer sustain. The 2 free floating plies are a bit "self muting"
 
1-ply heads have a higher pitch, less sustain, and more of a "boingy" sound.

2-ply heads have a lower pitch, longer sustain, and a slower response.

For your type of music, I would recommend 1-ply heads. Coated, if you want less attack.

Nope. Friction between the layers cuts sustain compared with 1-ply.

You can often get 2-plies to a lower pitch, but it's not by much.

"Boingy" becomes "lively" with good tuning.
 
Single ply heads actually have longer sustain.

Actually, they don't. I've experimented time and time again, and double-ply heads sustain for longer. It depends how you tune your drums, though. At super-high tunings, double-ply heads tend to choke up before single-ply heads do, but at medium to low tunings, double-ply heads sustain longer for sure.

Nope. Friction between the layers cuts sustain compared with 1-ply.

Nope. With modern head manufacturing techniques, friction between layers is virtually eliminated. The greater total mass of the head is what makes it sustain longer.

You can often get 2-plies to a lower pitch, but it's not by much.

Yeah, I agree. Pitch-wise, it's only about a third or fourth down, but that's significant enough to matter to some people.

"Boingy" becomes "lively" with good tuning.

True, but compared to the sound you get from a double-ply head, there still is that noticeable "boingy" quality in single-ply heads. I'm not saying that boingy is bad--it's just a different sound. The bright sound from a Zildjian A is not better or worse than the dark sound of a K, just different. Although, some would argue to the grave that one or the other is far superior...
 
Actually, they don't. I've experimented time and time again, and double-ply heads sustain for longer. It depends how you tune your drums, though. At super-high tunings, double-ply heads tend to choke up before single-ply heads do, but at medium to low tunings, double-ply heads sustain longer for sure.

You stand alone in your opinion. I have yet to find anyone else who thinks 2 ply heads sustain longer than single ply
 
You stand alone in your opinion. I have yet to find anyone else who thinks 2 ply heads sustain longer than single ply

I know plenty who think so. Actually, I think it's about a 50/50 split of all the drummers I know. I've had this talk with roughly 20-25 or so drummers and drum techs. For some reason, this topic comes up a lot (and I'm not the one who brings it up, I swear!).
Let me know the next time you tour the west coast of the states. When you come through Portland, we could meet up and I could prove it to you, if you so desire (or really care). We could go get a coffee or a pint afterwards... :)
 
I think it really depends on the kit itself. I would think on most maple kits though, the clear ambassador would definitely have the most sustain. I put those on my Ludwig 3 plies, and they had too much sustain for me, even when I put pinstripes on the resos to see if that would eliminate some sustain. My thicker shelled 6 ply Luds seem to resonate more with coated emperors, though. But, that's the only kit I've had where that was the case.
 
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