Which heads for Metal

Hello,

As you can see, I am wondering what drum heads would be good for hard rock style music. I really love the looks and overall idea of the clear DW drum heads with the solid strips around the outside of the drum. I don't know if these would be the best choice for a hard rock style of drum playing or even if there good heads in general. Over all, my question is what are some good drum heads for hard rock? Don't know if this would be needed but the heads would be replacing my stock heads on my DW Concept maple drum set 7 piece.

Thanks,
-Jake
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

You can use any head for rock that you like but generally I would recommend any double ply head especially if you're a hard hitter. Coated or not as your preference dictates. My go-to heads are Evans G2 coated for most pop/rock applications. If you like an even more controlled sound you can go with EC2 or Remo Pinstripe but that might be too much depending on your taste. What heads have you tried?
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

I use the vintage emperors for the batter and ambassadors for the reso. The vintage emp's are a little thicker and give a great deep tone. I use a standard coated ambassador for the snare batter. I have been using this setup for quite a while and really think it I a great hard rock head setup.

But, as always, the truth is in the ear of the beholder. I like clear heads, other guys like coated heads. I used coated heads in my last studio session to give a little damping, so I believe different heads have different purposes.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

You can use any head for rock that you like but generally I would recommend any double ply head especially if you're a hard hitter. Coated or not as your preference dictates. My go-to heads are Evans G2 coated for most pop/rock applications. If you like an even more controlled sound you can go with EC2 or Remo Pinstripe but that might be too much depending on your taste. What heads have you tried?

I haven't tried any heads because I just got the set a few months ago and I just now decided I want to try new head because the stock ones don't sound that great.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

I see. Head experimentation is a long process. After years of trying different things you'll zero in on a few favorites. My recommendation right now is Evans G2 clear. That will give you a good all around sound, will have some durability and it's a good first foray into double-ply heads. You can try buying just a 12" at first to make sure you like the sound.

For the snare I use coated single ply for everything.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

I got a question, I don't have a lot of knowlage in drum heads. How come I guess you could say, "after market" heads sound better than stock heads.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

Aquarian Response II, Remo Emperors, and Evans G2 are all great choices.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

I got a question, I don't have a lot of knowlage in drum heads. How come I guess you could say, "after market" heads sound better than stock heads.

Drum manufacturers know that most drummers have preferred heads they use on their kits, so the first thing they are going to do is change the heads.
There's no point to them putting on expensive heads, so they use budget heads to save on cost.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

Drum manufacturers know that most drummers have preferred heads they use on their kits, so the first thing they are going to do is change the heads.
There's no point to them putting on expensive heads, so they use budget heads to save on cost.

Ohh, ok that makes plenty of sense.

Thanks Dodeska!
 
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Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

My next set of heads will be Evans G14 over Evans Genera Resonant for all toms.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

How important is replacing reso heads? How big of a difference can reso heads make the sound of the drum better?
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

I don't play hard rock but I would say for the batters, Evans black dot or Ludwig silver dot for the toms and bass and Evans reverse dot for the snare. For the ressos I don't think it makes any difference. BTW, I have a bunch of black and silver dots for sale $5-$10 plus shipping. PM me if interested.
 
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Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

Aquarian Response II, Remo Emperors, and Evans G2 are all great choices.

This is true. It really matters more how you tune and dampen your kit. I variously use Remo Weatherking Pinstripes and Evans G2's. Most of the time it's Pinstripes. They've been great for a very long time.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

I play hard rock, and find that Clear Emperors over clear Ambassadors work great on the toms, and coated ambassadors over clear snare side ambassadors are full and articulate on the snare. For the bass drum, Superkick I or II are both full and deep, yet articulate. I just replaced my emperors on the toms after two years, but they were still in great shape, just marked up from the sticks.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

Gonna hi-jack this for a sec. PDP people please stop calling your drums DW's. Just because DW owns PDP does not mean that John Good and the DW drum builders made your kit. I used to have a Premier XPK when Yamaha owned them. Did I call it a Yamaha XPK? If God has blessed you with a PDP Concept Maple then enjoy it for what it is instead of calling it something you think sounds more prestigious. You'll be talking about your "DW" one day and someone like me will pull up and start unpacking a real DW Collectors. As for heads, Emps up Ambs down. Peace, I'm out.
 
Re: What drum heads for hard rock?

This is true. It really matters more how you tune and dampen your kit. I variously use Remo Weatherking Pinstripes and Evans G2's. Most of the time it's Pinstripes. They've been great for a very long time.
The heads I replaced were the original Pinstripe and resos that came with the kit back in 1988. Pinstripes last forever. Haha! I took the 13 and it is now on a friends kit. sounds better than the crap stock head that was on it. So that head is 16 or 17 years old and still going. It sounds a little dead, but not that bad. The other drums have newer Emps on them and the Pinner mixes OK with them.

I'm thinking of trying some Black Chrome next. I like the tone I get with Emps over Genera, but I think the BC's will dampen the tone just a touch more to where I like it.
 
I use Evans Black Chrome heads on all my toms. They sound great, but they're unpopular, cause I guess they don't sound as good as other heads? Don't quote me on that. Anyways, my drums sound good anyways, and the black chrome makes my kit look even better. Overall, IMO, they sound great for metal and they're really durable. I've also used the Evans EC2 too, and they're great.
 
Hey there! For metal you have a lot of options out there.

Coated or Clear G2: 2 ply thick head, very well blended and allows drums to sing, and you can get a really fat sound out of these. Probably the most generic Evans heads out there. The coated version makes a drier and warmer sound, I personally like the coated G2's.

Clear EC2S: 2 ply thick head, this time with pretty little sustain and tons of attack. This is a very well rounded metal drumhead, but if you don't like that thud or slight mud-iness, this head isn't for you.

Emperors: Similar to G2. If you want snare heads Emperor X's are the way to go. Enough said.

Ambassadors: More of the classic rock sound, single ply.

Here are my favorite heads: Coated G2, Hybrid Coated, Heavyweight Kick Drum.

Anyways, hope you find your sound, after all, it's all up to you if you like the sound or not.
 
Try Aquarians. I just find them to be more durable than the others, and typically, they are a little cheaper too. You get your money"s worth. For Hard Rock, try Super 2 coated or Response 2 coated on the tops. Classic Clears on the reso heads. In answer to your question, you shouldn't replace the reso head EVERY time you replace batters, but every third time or so will be fine. If the stock resos you have are only a few months old, you could stick with them. But most of the guys here will probably say that it's bad voodoo to mix heads. Most people use one brand exclusively. But, it's entirely up to you.

Don't get discouraged if the first set of skins you get aren't quite what you want. As another guy here said, it takes time.
 
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