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.