New Evans heads?

Ang

Member
Anyone out at NAMM 2016 have any feedback on the new Evans '56 Calftone heads? What weights are they making, did anyone get to play them?
Looks like they are similar to Remo Fiberskin.
I am psyched, I was thinking about putting the Remo Fiberskin heads on one of my kits and I've been an "Evans guy" for years, so this is a very welcome addition to their product line up.
 
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Hey Ang! If you check out our Instagram and also search #Calftone, you'll see a lot of comments from people who attended NAMM and tried them out. While they may appear similar to other heads on the market, they're closest to true calfskin. We spent several years experimenting and dialing in the elements of the drumhead to achieve a similar feel and sound to calfskin and we're quite proud of what we've produced.

We'll be releasing the full range of tom sizes as well as bass drum heads (including 16" bass drum versions!) in single-ply Calftone, EQ4, and EMAD. We're not releasing additional details about thickness at this time, as it's mostly irrelevant, since these heads don't play by the same "rules" as traditional 100% film-based drumheads.

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Whaaaaat?! Amazing!! I can't wait to try these. I've hoped Evans would come out with a head like this for a long time. I wasn't completely thrilled with the offerings from other companies. These look like a sure hit.

Will this be a permanent addition to the Evans family?
 
From what I heard they are due out in May. That will give time to wear out the G12's I have now.
 
Whaaaaat?! Amazing!! I can't wait to try these. I've hoped Evans would come out with a head like this for a long time. I wasn't completely thrilled with the offerings from other companies. These look like a sure hit.

Will this be a permanent addition to the Evans family?

Yep, these will be here to stay! We'll start shipping to retailers in late April/early May.
 
While they may appear similar to other heads on the market, they're closest to true calfskin. We spent several years experimenting and dialing in the elements of the drumhead to achieve a similar feel and sound to calfskin and we're quite proud of what we've produced.

Any specific thoughts on how these compare feel- and sound-wise with Skyntones?
 
Thanks EvansSpecialist, I first heard about them on InstaGram from NAMM, a few days after posting this I began to learn a little more regarding these. They look great and I can't wait to hear them in person.
Thanks for the reply.
 
YES!!!! I've been hoping Evans would develop these.
 
They sound and feel far more like actual calfskin, based on our A/B comparison testing and sampling to players that frequently use calfskin.

Very cool. These sound really, really promising based on the videos.
 
I had a chance to sit down with these at NAMM this year. I didn't stay long, but I wish I had. There is something about these heads that is totally addicting to play. I can't wait for them to start shipping. I feel like "late April/early May" can't get here soon enough! That's what I was told at the booth as well. I feel like I've checked on their arrival at least a dozen times now, and still no news blurb on the Evans site. Grant it, it's only April 13. But I'm impatient!

I don't have tons of experience with real calfskin outside of the world of hand percussion. (I've wet and stretched calf over djembes enough to know I'd rather not do that anymore.) And I've played the fiberskyn stuff from remo a good bit. I'd say to me the biggest thing you'll notice that's different is that these are quite substantial in mass. They feel big under your hands. They feel thick to the touch. When I first saw them, I was honestly a bit worried they might sound and play a little dull. Fiberskyns have the look and a similar brush feel to skin heads, but they're still kind of thin and IMHO have a matching thin tone. Not "thin" thin, but thinner than the real deal. The '56 heads couldn't be further on the opposite end of that spectrum. The finish is a little smoother than I thought it would be at first, but with a visibly raised topography that makes brush work sing while still allowing the stick to travel quickly across the surface when glancing between drums. I've been playing the J1 Etched on most of my kits, but these are on a whole new level in that department. The feel is great. The mass of the things really let you dig in and crack them, but that same mass allows for some great light playing as well. Sometimes thinner heads tend to kind of "flap" when played with a light tough unless they're tuned quite high. These don't do that at all.
Best of all the tone is out of this world! I've always loved Evans for this reason, the tone is just impeccable. Every time I replace an old beat up drumhead or a cheap-o factory head on a student drum, it's like the drum all the sudden comes back to life. I always tell my students that the drumhead is at least 50% of the tone of the drum sound, and when it's an Evans head, it's 70%. So I was already a fan. I have used and do use other heads from time to time, but this is the head that has changed my mind. This is, to me and my taste, the best sounding drumhead on the market. (When it gets to market) You won't believe the way the kick sounds. It's just absolutely ludicrous. When these hit the market, I'll be fully Evans again. They are most certainly going on my primary set and my bebop set, and I'm switching my fusion kit to the J1s for variety. The snares are a toss up, but I may very well end up with those two heads on every drum I own.
Hope that tells you something. If you think of anything specific I can try to remember what I experienced and what the guy was telling me. I honestly went to their booth to get to know them better etc, and he TOTALLY told me his name and all sorts of info about the heads... but I was distracted. I wasn't expecting these. All kinds of fun.
 
Yeah, the wait for these is getting excruciating! Hoping some more specific news comes soon.
 
I looked up some calftone stuffs on instagram, as Evans specialist suggested, and i saw someone holding up a Red hydraulic? I know Evans made some red hydraulics in the past, but this one from the namm show had the Evans level 360 logo on it. Will you guys be releasing the hydraulic series in red again?
 
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the demo heads, Coday!

Calftone bass heads will start shipping to stores as of May 2nd. Check with your local retailer to make sure that they've preordered them.

And yes, Hydraulic Red heads are coming back!
 
Awesome to hear! I'm super keen on getting a set of the calftones onto my drums, when will the tom heads be shipping out to retailers? I can't really wait!! I've got gigs to go to hehehe.

What's a good resonant head to complement these heads?
 
Tom and snare heads should ship in June/July. As far as a good reso to pair with the Calftones, I like the sound of Genera Resos and G12s most though I still need to try them with the J1 Etched.
 
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