A good snare batter head?

Drum Kid

New Member
Hey Guys,
So Im in need of a good snare head. I just got my stick stuck in my Remo Ambassador Snare head, not the first time.
I want a good head that isnt all so expensive. It can be Evans or Remo (I dont like Aquarian, I just cant tune them)
Please help me choose!
My snare is a 14x8 Pearl Modern Utility Natural
Batterside: Remo Ambassador
Resoside: Aquarian Standard Reso (Looking forward to a Ambassador Snare Side)
Please no stupid questions or so, Im in a bad mood, sorry :/

Michael
 
Look, another Remo coated Ambassador will not do you wrong. For a snare, start with coated. Look up tuning on YouTube. TONS of vids. Good luck
 
A coated Ambassador like you have or and Evans G1 coated is what the majority of drummers use on their snare for a reason. I would replace what you have straight up or get an Evans G1 coated.
 
I use Evans: I have a G1 on one snare, a HD on another, and an HD Dry on another. They all sound great. If you are breaking Ambassadors, perhaps switching to a two ply will suit your style a little more. Emperor, Empreror X, G2, HD, Power Center ect ect.
 
I know you said you don't like Aquarian, but seriously take a look at their Hi-Energy snare head. It's durable as all hell. When they released it like 25 years ago or so, their ad had Nick Menza (Megadeth) playing one with a knife stuck in it. I can also attest to their durability and ability to take a beating while playing in a death metal band. It's a great head.

I like the Remo PS3 also.
 
If durability is a concern I'd suggest a Remo coated Vintage Emperor. Some kind of reverse dot head would also increase durability without sacrificing liveliness.

On the snare side I only use Remo clear Ambassador no-collar snare side. I think Remo's standard depth collar is too deep for snare side heads, and the no collar design gives a lot of room to re-tighten as the head stretches before running out of room.

I can't say I've had the same problem with Aquarian heads being hard to tune; all of my snares have Aquarian heads and that's almost exclusively what I use on all of my drums. I love them.
 
For the last several years I've been using a coated Evans HD. Not the HD vented.
 
My go-to snare batter is the Evans ST (SuperTough) which is a very lively coated 2-ply head. I've found that it rivals the Ambassador for sound, but is more durable and a bit meatier, but still bright. I recommend it for anything except orchestral and delicate brushwork (doubtful you'll be doing either on an 8x14!)

I know you said you don't like Aquarian, but seriously take a look at their Hi-Energy snare head.

I had used the Hi-Energy head on tour, and it is indeed durable! I think I logged 53 shows before it finally choked. It had been tensioned so much over time that when I took it off, it was so dished you could eat a bowl of Raisin Bran™ from it! It's not a sensitive head, but has nice attack and tone. If durability is more important than sound, I'd recommend that as your best value.

Bermuda
 
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I know you said you don't like Aquarian, but seriously take a look at their Hi-Energy snare head. It's durable as all hell. When they released it like 25 years ago or so, their ad had Nick Menza (Megadeth) playing one with a knife stuck in it. I can also attest to their durability and ability to take a beating while playing in a death metal band. It's a great head.

I like the Remo PS3 also.

Oh man Oh man, I absolutely HATE it! I had 2in the past and they just feel and sound horrible, one ripped and one is on right now (With lots of Moongel and Tape)
 
Changing your technique a tiny bit so you don´t keep ruining heads is out of the question, I guess?

Emperor X gets good reviews from heavy hitters.
 
Changing your technique a tiny bit so you don´t keep ruining heads is out of the question, I guess?

Emperor X gets good reviews from heavy hitters.

Boy Oh Boy. The first one ripped after 5 Months of 5As, and the one now broke because I played with a broken 5B stick that was sharp.
 
Something isn't right here. The OP claims to have just put a stick through an Ambassador in post #1, claims to have a Hi-Energy head on the snare in #9, and just put a stick through an Emperor in #11. Either it's a horrible technique issue, an over-tightening issue, bad luck, old used heads, or a load of crap.

Do you dent heads very much? This will tell a lot...
 
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Something isn't right here. The OP claims to have just put a stick through an Ambassador in post #1, claims to have a Hi-Energy head on the snare in #9, and just put a stick through an Emperor in #11. Either it's a horrible technique issue, an over-tightening issue, bad luck, old used heads, or a load of crap.

Do you dent heads very much? This will tell a lot...
I wasn’t going to say anything.

But I never dent heads let alone break them. There’s a technique issue here. And I play pretty hard.
 
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Oh man Oh man, I absolutely HATE it! I had 2in the past and they just feel and sound horrible, one ripped and one is on right now (With lots of Moongel and Tape)

Hmmmmmmm. Maybe one reason why you're breaking heads is because you have so much junk on them. Take them all off and they will get naturally loud without you having to hit them so hard.
 
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Unless I miss read it he said he ruined the head with a damaged tip that was sharp. If my tips are damaged I do not use them on my drums. It's time to get new sticks when your tips are damaged
 
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I'm trying to remember the last time I broke or even dented a drum head. And I play pretty loud. It's all a matter of how you hit the drum. No bull.

GeeDeeEmm
 
I'm trying to remember the last time I broke or even dented a drum head. And I play pretty loud. It's all a matter of how you hit the drum. No bull.

GeeDeeEmm
Well, I broke mine just accidentally dropping it on the iron bar sticking out of the ground. It happens. OP, look through these. I would recommend Evans G1 pack. Those are durable because of the thicker film
 
G-14 from Evans, you won't break this one.

^^^^^^^ I'll second that, GD!

This has been my main choice for most of my snares for the last few years. Loud, lively, sensitive (single-ply) and durable. I also like the Power Center Reverse Dot.
 
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