Anyone else been having problems with Remo?

Am I the only one who is getting a bunch of bad heads lately...I've e-mailed remo explaining my issues....no word back as of yet...

[bermuda]

Which heads specifically?

If they're Remo's 2-plies, those have been spotty for many years. I stopped using Remo in 2001 because almost 1/3 of their Emperors and Pinstripes wouldn't tune.

Went to Evans then, and have had NO problems since.

Bermuda

[cdrums21]

Originally Posted by bermuda

Which heads specifically?

If they're Remo's 2-plies, those have been spotty for many years. I stopped using Remo in 2001 because almost 1/3 of their Emperors and Pinstripes wouldn't tune.

Went to Evans then, and have had NO problems since.

Bermuda

Had the same issues with Emperor heads, switched to Evans about 3 months ago. I've had no problems and the heads sound great. I'm using 2 ply coated G2's on tom batters, power center reverse dot on snare.

[ermghoti]

Really? What were the symptoms of "wouldn't tune." I have been thinking I have an out-of round 12", as I have to make concessions with one opposing pair of lugs to tune it, according to a Drum Dial. Coated Emperors over Ambassadors.

[wolfmoon]

I just put a set of clear Emperors on a few weeks ago. I got lucky and got a good set. They can be a nightmare at times and the same goes for pinstripes. I switched over to Aquarian and never had a problem but their heads really aren't readily available as Remo in the stores near me. I don't know much about Evans so I can't offer an opinion but Remo, yeah there are problems with their coating and their 2 ply heads. If you are able to take them out of their boxes and do the tap test, you may find some good ones. That's how I got a decent set of heads.

[bermuda]

Originally Posted by ermghoti

Really? What were the symptoms of "wouldn't tune."

The reason they wouldn't tune is that the underside ply often didn't lay flat with the batter side. There were wrinkles/waves, so the plies wouldn't tune the same, and therefore wouldn't resonate properly. They sounded dead, or at best, choked. Yet these heads get into the stores! So it's partly a manufacturing issue, but the bigger problem is Remo's lack of quality control.

Die-hard Remo fans tell me that they go to a store with a good selection and hand-pick their heads, and they have no problems. Then I explain the irony of having to separate the good heads from the bad ones, and reality starts to sink in.

With Evans, I haven't encountered any bad heads (and I also know that Aquarian's quality control is excellent.)

Bermuda

[ermghoti]

Excellent info, thanks.

[JCM]

Evans and Aquarian it is for me then!

[konaboy]

Gave up on Remo about a year ago after using them for 24 years. Too many problems with coating and the tuning seemed to be an issue. I switched to Evans and was amazed at how easily they tuned. I've had a coated G1 on my snare for about a year now and other than discoloration from sticks and brushes the coating is still in great shape. I've heard good things similar to this with Aquarian as well.

[Acronomic]

I also switched to Evans after coating problems with Remo. So far I've tried G2s and EC2 heads, no problems and superb sound. It seems Remo is the first choice for many drummers simply because of marketing, etc. I know it was for me. Here in Norway I often encounter limited variety in brands and Remo seems to be the one that's chosen in many cases.

[ThroneAmbition]

Being a Remo fan I'm not familiar with the Evans heads. What are the comparable Evans heads to the Remo Coated Emperors and Ambassadors. While my current pairing of Emperors over Ambassadors is fine I have from time to time experienced the same problems with the coating and tuning. I'm not ready to jump ship yet but it would be nice to know of an alternative.

[evans_69]

i am another who has changed from remo to evans, i would'nt go back

an alternative would be Evans G2 over Evans G1 ( too the above)

[Sirwill]

I have been using Remo for over 30yrs. and back then there was no other big head maker that could compete. Its also true remo's coating wares fast but I recently for the first time tried two sets of Evans heads G1 clear and G1,G2 coated. I must say at first i was in love but the G1 coated finish wore of fast as well but does last longer then the Remo. For me it comes down to sound and sustain and attack. I own a very expensive Ludwig snare that I have demoed heads. No matter what Evans head is mounted to it the snares tend to rattle and buzz. The Remo sound like your in the studio. Also the Evans tend to need re-tunning more often in my opinion...

[flicky]

Originally Posted by ThroneAmbition

What are the comparable Evans heads to the Remo Coated Emperors and Ambassadors.

I'm interested in this to. Or even clear Emperors and Ambassadors?

[Cymbalrider]

I have seen many defective Remo heads. I had Evans g2 coated heads for a while but I found it hard to tune them and had to retune them often. I then tried Aquarian Texture Coated which I couldn't tune right at all and they are the ONLY head I've ever owned to lose coating. I then went Remo Fiberskyn and got a few that didn't seem to fit the drum right and one that split for some odd reason. The rest though tuned right up, have been very durable, and sounded great on my maple kit. On the resonant side I have clear ambassadors which sound much better than the Genera resonant heads I had before. I had an EMAD bass head which always sounded plasticy and still had a lot of overring even with the big mufflering in, and had a spongy feel. I've got two Powerstroke Fiberskyn Ambassador heads on either side of my bass now with felt strips behind them and they have a great feel and sound (I only put the felt there because of my combo gigs didn't favor a 22x18 open bass) I tried putting Evans G1s on a school Premier set last year and couldn't tune them right either. They started wearing down pretty fast as well but no different than Remo Ambassadors. I'm still in the middle about this issue too. I like the quality of Evans heads but I don't like the feel or sound, a good Remo feels and sounds amazing to me, but there are too many bad ones out there. I've seen this with marching heads too as Evans MX heads held up way longer than Pinstripes, Black Max, Ebony Powerstroke, but seemed harder to get a good sound out of.

My main problem has been with GC heads.....won't fit over my masters shells......I have heard from 4 people that GC sells blems......no problem...as long as they would advertise this

GC can officially kiss my arse here in Austin.....this moron tried to tell me my masters shells were out of round........measured 18 times.....not the case idiot........freakin dumbarse.....let him tune my toms......what are these managers hiring these days?

feel much better.....thanks

If you guys are n Austin....buy from Tommys drum shop......

[Skitch]

Originally Posted by evans_69

i am another who has changed from remo to evans, i would'nt go back

an alternative would be Evans G2 over Evans G1 ( too the above)

Funny, I did just the opposite; I switched from Evans to Remo and I will never go back because the Remo Ambassadors have "that" sound! The big thing which made Evans was that Neil Peart used them back in the days of Exit Stage Left. The funny thing is, that Neil was and still is adamant about the vibrafibing of the inside of his drums.



Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

[Michael G]

Remo has been my baby since I started.

Remo Ambassadors all around, and eventually want to try the new simulated calfskin heads.

[ThroneAmbition]

Originally Posted by Skitch

Remo Ambassadors have "that" sound!


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

When all the talk settles, in the end that's what it's all about... The Sound.

[Skitch]

Originally Posted by larlev

My main problem has been with GC heads.....won't fit over my masters shells......I have heard from 4 people that GC sells blems......no problem...as long as they would advertise this

GC can officially kiss my arse here in Austin.....this moron tried to tell me my masters shells were out of round........measured 18 times.....not the case idiot........freakin dumbarse.....let him tune my toms......what are these managers hiring these days?

feel much better.....thanks

If you guys are n Austin....buy from Tommys drum shop......

I didn't even know that there was a Guitar Center in Austin.....I always went to Tommy's when I was in Austin, which wasn't enough.

Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

[fijjibo]

Originally Posted by bermuda

Yet these heads get into the stores! So it's partly a manufacturing issue, but the bigger problem is Remo's lack of quality control.

Die-hard Remo fans tell me that they go to a store with a good selection and hand-pick their heads, and they have no problems. Then I explain the irony of having to separate the good heads from the bad ones, and reality starts to sink in.

With Evans, I haven't encountered any bad heads (and I also know that Aquarian's quality control is excellent.)

Bermuda

Bermuda, as an endorser/pro drummer - isnt it burning bridges by saying such things?

Mind you, its true what you say - thats why I use Evans, lol

[Cymbalrider]

I'm concerned as in the near future I'll need to change heads out again. Last time around I got 10,12,14, 14, 16 FIberskyn Ambassadors and 10,12,14,16 clear ambassadors for the bottoms of toms along with two 22" Fiberskyn Powerstroke 3 Ambassador heads for the bass drum. Now, the 12" clear one was not the right size or was out of round and so was one of the 22" heads. The 16" Fiberskyn split mysteriously one day while I was practicing. All of them sort of loose their tuning when I've taken them on gigs and back which I attribute to the weather changes which is odd for a "weatherking" head. The heads that didn't have problems though worked great and parts of my kit sound really great. I'm considering just going all Evans G1 coated tops, bottoms, bass, and all as I don't like playing the guessing game on Remo heads. The strange thing is a good Remo head to me feels and sounds better than an Evans, Aquarian but the odds of such things are kind of risky.

[ironman]

Thank G_d for this forum ! I recently purchased a set of Rockstars - not exactly top of the line drums ! But I have read that the right heads
and tuning can make a big difference. Read a lot of opinions on different heads and found too many opinions to be useful. So, I decided to go with Remo Emperors - smooth white. The 10" tuned up nice and I thought I was in for a nice surprise. Then the 14". Dead.
No matter how I tuned it , resonant side higher, lower, same - looking for a "sweet spot" and couldn't find it. Then the 12" - somewhere between the 10 & 14. I constantly found myself stopping in mid play/practice to mess, yet again, with the tuning. I just bought a 16"
Swingstar off ePay (actually I got it for next to nothing) brand new, in the box. The stock head was horrendous. I had a Emperor clear 16"
in the closet and I quickly threw it on, tightened it up a bit and I can't believe how nice it sounds ! The Swingstar sounds better than all of the Rockstars ! I am partial to the lower/bigger drum sound anyhow but I know the sound improvement had more to do with the head than the drum size. The clear puts the Emperor smooth white to shame on these Rockstars. I don't even think its a preference thing - no matter what sound you're into I think anyone listening to these would agree the 16" has the most natural drum sound of them all - very little overtone ringing, big and full and I spent 2 seconds tuning it. I gave each 2 1/4 turns from finger tight and I don't think I need to touch it again. Now I'm sitting there trying to decide whether its a drum or head problem ! At least this forum gave me a clue - I never knew there
were all these problems with quality control etc.Heads are too damn expensive to experiment with all different head types. Although the clear sounds great on the 16" I'm not sure its the sound I'm looking for. The 16 overwhelms all the others. I have a stock on my kick which sounds like hell and I've been reluctant to buy a new one due to the price - afraid to make a wrong choice ! The other thing is I wonder how many folks criticize a particular drum/model because they heard the drums with the wrong head choice for that drum ! I'm thinking Rockstars suck and so Swingstars really suck. Drooling over maple
Ludwigs etc. The 16" Swingstar sounds excellent ! Also, I have a set of birch Premiers that are very sensitive to head selection but they are a "jazz" set and a completely different animal from the Tamas. I know these Rockstars are capable of more. I think both the Swingstar and Rockstar are the Philippine mahogany and very close in sound. The difference in heads though makes a huge difference ! Anyone out there that has stuck with the "stock" heads thinking there isn't much of a difference do yourself a favor - save your pennies and change them out as quick as you can ! I can't believe, just to save a couple of bucks, drum companies send their products out with these cheap heads ! How many young drummers make a decision on a drum brand based on hearing them with the cheapo stock heads ? If you want to stand out from the other companies at least equip your product with heads that bring out their best qualities ! First impressions count for a lot ! Now I have to figure out if I have a few problems with quality control in either the drums or the heads or maybe neither or both - just the right heads to bring out the best in these particular brand/model drum(s). It maybe that going with the same heads for all drums (10" thru 16") isn't the best way to go. I'm confused, bummed out but at least this thread/forum let me know that it "just ain't me" having these problems. My biggest fear is that I'm stuck with a best of the best 10" and 16" and some challenged snare, 14" and kick. Even though the kick is 18 x 22 I can't get the low tone I hear on almost all of my favorite recordings. I don't think the stock head is the culprit in this case - projection yes but I doubt another head will go any lower. So many kick heads to choose from ! Too many ! When I first started playing back in the 60's there weren't as many choices and you either had a nice set (sound wise) of drums or you didn't ! Clearly drums like the Tama Rockstars are very sensitive to head selection. Now I'm wondering what a single ply would sound like. The Emperor clear is full but somewhat uncontrolled. If I can get all of the toms and the kick to sound the same they might sound awesome or sound like a freight train. The 14" clear sounds like a cardboard box in comparison to the others. Anybody else been down this road with the Rockstars ?

[ironman]

Also, after reading through this thread I had a thought... I wonder how many of us bought our Remos (or whatever) in a pre packaged set ?
I don't trust big established companies anymore. Is it possible that they get rid of known blems in a package deal ? Slide in a bum 14" with the rest ? Not sure this even makes sense and I don't want to smear a particular company but I have no doubt that any/every company has bean counters that think up ways to recoup any loss.
I know for a fact that tuna fish companies have a very slick way of doing this - I've been eating tuna all my life and have noticed a pattern
with good and bad cans which coincides with a marketing/tv commercial campaign. Suck you in with the best of the best (get you to switch brand) and slowly you see the excellent cans turning up with 25% or so of junk fill ( a little more explanation to this but I don't feel like
typing it all out here). Not much different from a drug dealer adding more "cut" to a substance (and maximizing profit) once you've become a regular "customer". No, I wasn't a drug dealer but I did grow up in the 60's ! There is a ploy that companies and individuals use I think is called using a "sweetener". I had a carnival person tell me how they did this with the prizes you win at various game booths at any county fair ! Even on eBay - someone will sell a "lot" of something - say in fours. Three will be desirable but the fourth is junk. If you want the 3 you have no choice but to buy the 4th ! I always average out the 3 with the total price to see if its worth it. Four "widgets" for $40.00.
One of the "widgets" is worthless to me. 4 widgets for $40. averages out to $10. a piece. I eliminate the 4th and figure on three for $40. and decide if its then still the deal it looks like at first blush. Drum head companies may do this or, because of the mass production, they may not even be aware which heads are duds. It would be near impossible to demo them all prior to shipping. Used heads on eBay may be the same way so I'm leery. Keep all your best and dump the worst on ebay. OK, spent too much time on the keyboard here - just thinking
out loud so to speak and wondering if anyone else has had similar suspicions !

[Cymbalrider]

I think there are just a lot of dud heads out there. Even if they changed how they made heads now the old ones are still floating around. The Fiberskyn heads I got for my kit months ago had a date of 2002 on the box. I've experienced issues with Remo and Aquarian and yet had great heads from both companies too. I have yet to see a quality issue in Evans although I've seen several I didn't care for but that's me, not the head. I will be buying Evans heads myself as I can testify to their durability at least. I would say the only heads I'm considering though are the G1 coated, j1 etched, and maybe coated Emad or EQ1. I had a clear EMAD once and hated the thing as it had the worst tone I've ever heard on a bass drum with probably the worst feel too. Then again I could just put G1 Coateds on the bass drum too. I don't there is any conscious effort to sabotage the drumhead industry though. I think mainly it's a result of laziness if anything. There are factory guys concerned more about turning out thousands of heads a day that anything else.

[Odranaz]

Originally Posted by ThroneAmbition

Being a Remo fan I'm not familiar with the Evans heads. What are the comparable Evans heads to the Remo Coated Emperors and Ambassadors. While my current pairing of Emperors over Ambassadors is fine I have from time to time experienced the same problems with the coating and tuning. I'm not ready to jump ship yet but it would be nice to know of an alternative.

Ive been having some trouble with remo lately too, and im probobly goin to switch to evans or aquarian.

i found a GREAT comparison chart on the aquarian site...it really is great.

http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/dru...asp#comparison

..its closer to the bottom

[ThroneAmbition]

i found a GREAT comparison chart on the aquarian site...it really is great.

http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/dru...asp#comparison

..its closer to the bottom[/quote]

Thanks for the information.

I continue to visit this thread and have to say in all fairness to Remo that I've been playing my current heads, Coated Emperors over Coated Ambassadors, almost nightly for several weeks and have not had any problem with the coating or sound quality. I have ordered some coated Powerstroke 4 heads to try, but can't imagine them sounding any better than what I have now.

[tooldrums1000]

So get a load of this yesterday I was playing the drums and I was having a really fun time and doing many advanced grooves I looked down at my snare head and I saw a huge tear in it. Im so dissapionted. ill put up a pic of it. I got it at the end of november last year for my birthday and It teared yesterday. Damn!!! Any ideas on new heads?

[Garvin]

Ummmm. I'd say that head was more than ready to go. Do you use baseball bats or drumsticks? LOL

[punkuzz900]

Originally Posted by tooldrums1000

So get a load of this yesterday I was playing the drums and I was having a really fun time and doing many advanced grooves I looked down at my snare head and I saw a huge tear in it. Im so dissapionted. ill put up a pic of it. I got it at the end of november last year for my birthday and It teared yesterday. Damn!!! Any ideas on new heads?

Damn, when you START to get a see-through patch on your skin it's time to buy a new one. That skin was just waiting to die, must have sounded so bad, i mean, once your skin's coating has started to chip away and become see through, it defeats the object of having a coated head doesen't it? And (not being rude) but how the hell did you make a tear that huge?

[Cymbalrider]

I had a Fiberskyn head split like that too a 16" version. Kinda strange the little 7A split it. That went on the list of my issues with Remo now. I loved the Fiberskyn heads too but when 4 out of 12 heads I bought didnt' fit the size they were supposed to and one splits for no reason one day, I'll never buy them again. The thing is that even if Remo changed how they made heads in the last 5 years or so, the old ones are still floating around. I noticed on a leftover box that the date was 2002. I'm not really an Evans fan at all, and the only ones I can stand are the G1 coateds but that's what I'll have to use from now on I suppose. No point in spending 10-40 dollars per head if they aren't even going to fit right. When I had Evans heads before, I had no technical problems with them, but they were g2s and I just didn't care for the 2ply feel. I still like Remo, always have but there needs to be some quality control out there. It's not right paying that much money, waiting a week to get it delivered only to have it not fit or tune right.

I never had any trouble with Remo, no bad heads as far as I can tell. But that might be blissful ignorance. I'll probably give Evans or Aquarian a go some day.

[liam1523]

Hi. Can anyone help me with this problem or is it meant to happen. I bought a 12" clear pinstripe a few weeks ago and i bought a 16" clear pinstripe last week. I started noticing waves or rainbow coloured liquid of some sort inside the plies of the head in my 12" tom. This was the first time upgrading my heads after the standard ones that came on my kit. I forgot about it and just kept playing as it sounded as it should. Then a couple of days ago the same thing happened to my 16" tom and i dont know what it is. I'll explain again. Its a sort of rainbow coloured liquid in between the plies of the head. It doesnt change the sound but it looks really bad and each time a i play with them the liquid grows and there is more of it. Its getting bigger every day. CAN ANYONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THIS IS OR HAS ANYONE EVER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM.

Thanks, Liam

[ZildjianMan1023]

buying remo heads.. i currently have evans g2 heads coated all over but im getting new heads in october.. and you know i like to try all brands seeing which i like and what not.. i am terrified to death of buying remo heads from the stuff i hear.. are they any good? if so hows the coating? and if you play in a thrash metal/ rock/ punk band what heads are best?


Thanks,

Dom

[voldak]

if you are terrified of buying from them.....don't. Stick with the Evans EC2s, you say you have the coated heads...have you tried the clear?

[hawk9290]

3







twenty characters

[ZildjianMan1023]

nope havent tried evans clear yet.. But! i do like trying different things though

[voldak]

I actually haven't tried the coated EC2s yet, but they look nice. I will be playing on them at the Guitar Center Drum Off haha. If I like them then, I might be making the jump to coated on my next set of heads.

[Cymbalrider]

That stuff is oil that's between the plies. That makes Remo Pinstripes and Evans hydraulic heads so dead sounding. It's completely normal although strange looking.

[tomtom]

Originally Posted by Cymbalrider

That stuff is oil that's between the plies. That makes Remo Pinstripes and Evans hydraulic heads so dead sounding. It's completely normal although strange looking.

That stuff is NOT oil. There is no oil between the plies in Pin-stripe heads. There is however oil in the Evans hydraulics (hence the name). But plastic is made of oil so when two clear plies of plastic rub against each other, it causes this "rainbow" effect. The more you use it, the more the plies rub against each other, therefore: more "rainbow" effect. This is actually not a problem and doesn´t affect the sound.