Reso head explanation

M

Mystic

Guest
Will someone please explain to me what the difference of using emperors as reso and ambassadors as reso and what is a good snare side reso and will someone give me some explanation on different remo snare side reso heads, thanks.
 
Often underestimated for its contribution to the tone, resonant heads are mostly responsible for the pitch, lingering tone and pitch of that created as a result of striking the batter head and resonance of the shell. Since the resonant head produces “resonance” and aids in sustain, it has a major effect in the overtones and enhances the timbre of the drum. Generally, you do not use anything other than single ply (Ambassador, G1, etc.) on the bottom, but there are exceptions.

Basically, your Ambassador-weight resonant head is a good middle ground in terms of sustain, resonance, and pitch. Any thinner (less mass = less energy = less sustain) or thicker (too much mass = less energy = less sustain), you lose sustain, resonance, and deaden the drum sound.

For snare side reso heads, there are a lot of options...the industry standard again, is the Ambassador (hazy). You can go with a Diplomat (thinner) for increased sensitivity and snare response, or thicker for a deader, boxier sound.
 
theres been a few threads about this lately, but here you go:
Ambassadors make great resonant heads as they yield an average amount of sustain with a average tone. Diplomat heads as resonants will have a brighter tone and shorter sustain because of the thinner weight. Emperors on the bottom of drums would be kind of ridiculous and you probably wouldn't get much sound of them, but on say 16" and 18" toms they may turn out ok. As for snare side heads they have a completely different scale. Ambassador batter heads are 10mil while Ambassador snare side heads are 3mil. Diplomat snare side heads are even less, and I think there is such a thing as an Emperor snare side, but it's not a two ply head. A thinner snare head will dry out the snare. Ambassador snare sides are great all around. Thinner bottoms are more sensitive though.
I would suggest using Ambassadors for tom resonant heads, clear are common, although coated gives a warmer tone and use Ambassador snare side heads for the snare. If you use Evans use G1s for resos and Hazy 300 for snare side
 
hmm consider I am using a pearl export with poplar shells, would you recommend PS4s cause currently I am using PS3s and I like them on the rack toms but the floor toms seem a bit obnoxious so should I do PS4 emperor on floor toms and PS3 ambassador on rack toms, and will ambassadors make a big difference from stock?
 
hmm consider I am using a pearl export with poplar shells, would you recommend PS4s cause currently I am using PS3s and I like them on the rack toms but the floor toms seem a bit obnoxious so should I do PS4 emperor on floor toms and PS3 ambassador on rack toms, and will ambassadors make a big difference from stock?
If you're talking about batter heads...I'd go with Emperors. Those PS3/PS4 heads are far too muffled. If you're playing with a band, your drums will simply sound dead in the mix. Go with Emperors for the batters...and Ambassadors on the resos. The difference won't be huge from the stock heads (depending on how old they are, of course), but you'll notice it. It'll be worth it.
 
.....a pearl export with poplar shells, would you recommend PS4s cause currently I am using PS3s and I like them on the rack toms but the floor toms seem a bit obnoxious so should I do PS4 emperor on floor toms and PS3 ambassador on rack toms,
If, by "obnoxious", you mean you're still getting too many overtones out of your floor toms, the PS4 batter, will take the "ringing out". So will the Pinstripe head. You can experiment with what you have right now. Just tape a small piece of material (or use Moon Gels) to your batter head. If that's what you want to do, sound wise, then the PS4, or the Pinstripe, may be the batter head for you. Larger drums, like floor toms, by size, are gonna resonate more.
will ambassadors make a big difference from stock?
Your stock reso's are probably done. Most cats use single ply heads reso. But who's to say you can't use Emperor batter. All you can do is try it out, and see if it's your cup-of-tea. No rules.
 
Basically, your Ambassador-weight resonant head is a good middle ground in terms of sustain, resonance, and pitch. Any thinner (less mass = less energy = less sustain) or thicker (too much mass = less energy = less sustain), you lose sustain, resonance, and deaden the drum sound.

I'm sorry, but you have this exactly backwards.

Assuming the same number of plies, the thicker the reso head the longer the sustain.

Mr. Newton (and your 7th grade science teacher) disagree with your equation. A greater mass--once set in motion--tends to remain in motion longer.

A listen to the video posted in this thread makes this obvious.

I've recently been using a couple of Evans G-plus heads (thicker than G1s, 12mil vs 10mil) as resos on a couple of toms. With G1s as resos on all the drums, those particular toms didn't sustain as much as the others. Switching to G-plus resos increased their sustain and now they match very well.
 
hmm I watched the video and I liked that EC reso, with the dampening, would an emperor serve as an equivelant to that in the remo line?
 
Hmm, I have a Pearl BLX, i have clear ambassador's on the reso side of my toms and clear pinstripe on batter, can anyone suggest a better combo?
 
I'm sorry, but you have this exactly backwards.

Assuming the same number of plies, the thicker the reso head the longer the sustain.

Mr. Newton (and your 7th grade science teacher) disagree with your equation. A greater mass--once set in motion--tends to remain in motion longer.

A listen to the video posted in this thread makes this obvious.

I've recently been using a couple of Evans G-plus heads (thicker than G1s, 12mil vs 10mil) as resos on a couple of toms. With G1s as resos on all the drums, those particular toms didn't sustain as much as the others. Switching to G-plus resos increased their sustain and now they match very well.
Sure, assuming the number of plies are the same. However, an Emperor or G2 (as the OP is asking about) on the bottom of a drum will never have the sustain or resonance as an Ambassador or G1...at least in my experience. They completely killed the sound of my drums.
 
Thanks for the responses, so it looks like ambassadors are the favored head for resos, but reconsider I am using an export with poplar shells, those are known for their high tones correct? So assume I use a thicker head will it regulate those high tones and make them say warmer, and does it really make a difference when you are under mics? Thanks again everyone, sorry I keep asking these small in depth questions, I am about to make a big purchase on a lot of heads and I only have 1 shot so I wanna make sure I choose the right heads the first time, and I don't wanna wait and waste money on all of these different heads to figure out the difference. Thanks again.
 
Ambassador batter heads are 10mil while Ambassador snare side heads are 3mil. Diplomat snare side heads are even less, and I think there is such a thing as an Emperor snare side, but it's not a two ply head. A thinner snare head will dry out the snare. Ambassador snare sides are great all around. Thinner bottoms are more sensitive though.
I would suggest using Ambassadors for tom resonant heads, clear are common, although coated gives a warmer tone and use Ambassador snare side heads for the snare. If you use Evans use G1s for resos and Hazy 300 for snare side

Good explanation. You would be amazed at the number of salesman at the major retailers who don't know anything about the heads they are selling. No wonder people ask these same questions over and over.
 
Sure, assuming the number of plies are the same. However, an Emperor or G2 (as the OP is asking about) on the bottom of a drum will never have the sustain or resonance as an Ambassador or G1...at least in my experience. They completely killed the sound of my drums.

Agreed! But your post said nothing about number of plies, it only mentioned thickness. Just wanted to avoid confusion.
 
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