Defective Remo pinstripe !@#$

tiffanyl

tiffanyl

Member
Hello everyone,

Tonight I decided I would tune up my 13" tom and at the same time switch the stock head out with a new pinstripe. Bad idea. I took off the old pearl stock head and found an old new pinstripe to put on (I'll explain later) looking forward to tuning it so my kit would sound better.

I try to fit the pinstripe on the shell only to find that it cannot fit snugly. Not that its small or anything, the size is right but the length of the head or something about the metal part isn't quite right. At a desperate last attempt, I put the hardware on and try to screw down the tension rods but only one side of the rods (aka 3 rods out of 6) will fit on at any one time, whilst the other 3 dangle in the air and cannot reach the lugs!! I take the darn head off and put it on the floor and sure, enough, it rocks back and forth like crazy and is not level at all.

The reason why I said it's an old new pinstripe is because it is brand new, I bought it at a music shop sale mid to late last year, but it may have been their old stock. I had no idea old stock=completely defective heads.

I guess I'll go put my old stock head back on now. I think I will switch to Evans. I had a similar problem with another remo head I bought, not totally defective thankfully, but a bit banged up for a head that was supposed to be new. Evans seem to have much better quality control.

Is it just poor quality control by the shop/ Remo? Or should I have scrutinized the head more closely when I bought it? What can I do with the defective head? Should I just throw it out? It would probably be pointless to go back to the music shop for a refund for something I bought months ago right?
 
Are you sure the problem isn't with the shell itself. Do a little test to see if your shell is in round. Your old head might only fit because it shifted when the shell of the drum did too. If this is the case you will have problems with any head you try until you get the shell back perfectly round. I hope it is a head problem and not a shell problem because a new head is a much cheaper and easier fix.
 
Holy crap ive had these problems before to. I thought something was wrong with my drum at first but then i realized that it just didnt fit, so what i did was tried it on another tom of the same size and found out that indeed it was bent to rat shit. It might be something heavy lying on top of it in stock, or it getting banged up traveling to the store, or even on the car ride or bus ride home back to your own house. It could also e the case of being the companies fault wile building it

For me i switched to evans and just love it so much more than remo. I get better responses out of drums know and the tone is just amazing. I play metal and tune them really low and remo skins could really never take low tunnings very well, it would get to muddled and would sound bad, but evans sounds great tweaked to the max, but also sounds great when there increadibly loose

so in my humble opinion go with evans
and try a couple different ones out, see what you like. I use to have remo for the rack toms and evans for floor toms and bass drum, but also a remo for the snare
but know im all evans
 
Hi !

You could try to straight it up but it may not work...
You know what, every time I buy a new set of Remo
head for my 5 pieces kit, there is at least two problematic
heads... As an exemple, the bass drum Powerstroke 3 does
not fit on my Sonor... it's a standard 20" bass drum !! The last
snare side I got (diplomat snare side) was deffective (too much
material from one side) and the last ambassador I got was too
small in diametre... (14" snare head)

It also happen with Evans but not that much in my experience...

I never tryed Aquarian because they are rare in eastern Canada
but I would love to try their SuperKick bd head...

Philippe.
 
basscase said:
Are you sure the problem isn't with the shell itself. Do a little test to see if your shell is in round. Your old head might only fit because it shifted when the shell of the drum did too. If this is the case you will have problems with any head you try until you get the shell back perfectly round. I hope it is a head problem and not a shell problem because a new head is a much cheaper and easier fix.
Click to expand...

Yup I'm pretty sure, I did a shell check before and slid pieces of paper under it when the shell was put on level ground, if I recall correctly 2 or 3 pieces of paper fit, it's an entry level kit so I wouldn't expect much, but i highly doubt it is the shell. Thanks for your input though
 
phil_qc said:
Hi !

You could try to straight it up but it may not work...
You know what, every time I buy a new set of Remo
head for my 5 pieces kit, there is at least two problematic
heads... As an exemple, the bass drum Powerstroke 3 does
not fit on my Sonor... it's a standard 20" bass drum !! The last
snare side I got (diplomat snare side) was deffective (too much
material from one side) and the last ambassador I got was too
small in diametre... (14" snare head)

It also happen with Evans but not that much in my experience...

I never tryed Aquarian because they are rare in eastern Canada
but I would love to try their SuperKick bd head...

Philippe.
Click to expand...

Any suggestions as to how I might be able to bend it back in shape? I did try to sort of put some pressure on it, but it's pretty tough metal. I really am going to switch to evans, I bought an evans reverse power center dot sanre head, it tuned up easily and sounds great, no problems at all. Aquarians are rare in Asia where I live as well, the only available suppliers are remo and evans.


nacdrummer3 said:
Holy crap ive had these problems before to. I thought something was wrong with my drum at first but then i realized that it just didnt fit, so what i did was tried it on another tom of the same size and found out that indeed it was bent to rat shit. It might be something heavy lying on top of it in stock, or it getting banged up traveling to the store, or even on the car ride or bus ride home back to your own house. It could also e the case of being the companies fault wile building it

For me i switched to evans and just love it so much more than remo. I get better responses out of drums know and the tone is just amazing. I play metal and tune them really low and remo skins could really never take low tunnings very well, it would get to muddled and would sound bad, but evans sounds great tweaked to the max, but also sounds great when there increadibly loose

so in my humble opinion go with evans
and try a couple different ones out, see what you like. I use to have remo for the rack toms and evans for floor toms and bass drum, but also a remo for the snare
but know im all evans
Click to expand...

Well I don't have another 13" tom right now but when I go for my lesson on sunday I'll bring the pinstripe along. Mmm... you're probably right, it must've been bad handling.

I thought about trying the coated ambassador over clear ambassador combo, but after this, I'm a little skeptical. What Evans heads would you recommend? I play indie and rock mostly, like lower tunings as well, never tried coated heads before. The EC2s look interesting but G2s seem to be the most commonly used.
 
I'm kinda on both sides of the Evans/ remo thing.
Eavns heads, straight up, great product, BUT I don't like the sound of them as much as Remo, especially when it comes to the single ply heads.

Coated Remo Ambassadors--I've used for years, and have never had a problem with a one.
No bad coating, no bent hoops nothing.

I USED to use Emperors, but hadn't in YEARS because they seemed to be real dead when you tap on them right out of the box (before you buy them), so I went with Ambassadors, and I loved them--and I also figured how can they screw up a single ply head?
Lots of ways, yeah, but I'm just sayin'.

I just put some Emps on my kit and they are really nice, but I checked them before I bought them (which I know many people can't for whatever reason).

Evans heads for all the consistency and quality, just don't have the crisp top end to the sound I want, especially the G1--it's not a crisp head to me like an Ambassador, but it's because of the film.
Evans uses it's Clear film for everything, and coats the Caoted heads.

They USED to use a White film, and THAT film was great.
It used to be the UNO 58 and I loved that head.
I could use any Evans top head I wanted, and the UNO 58 bottom head would give a brighter overall tone, but using the G1 (clear or Coated) would make the drum lose some life.
It didn't sound "bad", but it didn't sound as good as with the brighter UNO58.

For me, the White film is the difference, and it might have been a film similar to the one Remo uses for the Ambassador.

Now, if someone wants a beefier top end, without it being real crisp, then Evans is a fantastic head--and just going by looks, I think the frosted heads look cool as sh*t.

I used to love Aquarian heads and pretty much switched over to them for a couple years, but when they changed their film around '99-'00, their film just didn't hold up, and I didn't dig the sound as much--which really bummed me out.

The first use of the "new" heads, 3 or 4 songs into the set, and all the heads were dented to crap, and I hardy ever put a dent in one of my heads--and the previous film didn't dent, so I couldn't use them anymore.

Ambassadors last me without dents (even playing with double butt sticks) until the head just won't hold a tuning anymore--which is usually at least 3 or 4 months.
Kick heads (Coated Amb) last years and always sound great because of the way I do my beater impact patch, & how I can change them without messing the head up.
The snare head I use (Coated Emp w/top dot) lasted just short of a YEAR (on my main snare--a couple others have the same head), and it still sounded great for back beats, and rolls still felt....decent--but it was time to change it, so I think I get my moneys worth out of Remos.

But, between the 2 brands (Evans/Remo) for 2 ply heads (and if someone isn't going to be totally anal, and listen to every nuance in a head), then I'd say the Evans is a nicer, more consistent choice.

For Single ply, or different model types like a Black Dot, then I stick with Remo.

But either way, yes you should check the head over before you buy it--especially when it comes to blow out sales!
 
tiffanyl said:
Hello everyone,

Tonight I decided I would tune up my 13" tom and at the same time switch the stock head out with a new pinstripe. Bad idea. I took off the old pearl stock head and found an old new pinstripe to put on (I'll explain later) looking forward to tuning it so my kit would sound better.

I try to fit the pinstripe on the shell only to find that it cannot fit snugly. Not that its small or anything, the size is right but the length of the head or something about the metal part isn't quite right. At a desperate last attempt, I put the hardware on and try to screw down the tension rods but only one side of the rods (aka 3 rods out of 6) will fit on at any one time, whilst the other 3 dangle in the air and cannot reach the lugs!! I take the darn head off and put it on the floor and sure, enough, it rocks back and forth like crazy and is not level at all.

The reason why I said it's an old new pinstripe is because it is brand new, I bought it at a music shop sale mid to late last year, but it may have been their old stock. I had no idea old stock=completely defective heads.

I guess I'll go put my old stock head back on now. I think I will switch to Evans. I had a similar problem with another remo head I bought, not totally defective thankfully, but a bit banged up for a head that was supposed to be new. Evans seem to have much better quality control.

Is it just poor quality control by the shop/ Remo? Or should I have scrutinized the head more closely when I bought it? What can I do with the defective head? Should I just throw it out? It would probably be pointless to go back to the music shop for a refund for something I bought months ago right?
Click to expand...

The defect may be from rough handling of the product during shipping or at the shop - you never know how many times or how careful something was transported unless you are with it every step of the way. You might try to find another source for that size drumhead and see if the fit is any different.

Mike

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

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw
 
KarlCrafton said:
I'm kinda on both sides of the Evans/ remo thing.
Eavns heads, straight up, great product, BUT I don't like the sound of them as much as Remo, especially when it comes to the single ply heads.

Coated Remo Ambassadors--I've used for years, and have never had a problem with a one.
No bad coating, no bent hoops nothing.

I USED to use Emperors, but hadn't in YEARS because they seemed to be real dead when you tap on them right out of the box (before you buy them), so I went with Ambassadors, and I loved them--and I also figured how can they screw up a single ply head?
Lots of ways, yeah, but I'm just sayin'.

I just put some Emps on my kit and they are really nice, but I checked them before I bought them (which I know many people can't for whatever reason).

Evans heads for all the consistency and quality, just don't have the crisp top end to the sound I want, especially the G1--it's not a crisp head to me like an Ambassador, but it's because of the film.
Evans uses it's Clear film for everything, and coats the Caoted heads.

They USED to use a White film, and THAT film was great.
It used to be the UNO 58 and I loved that head.
I could use any Evans top head I wanted, and the UNO 58 bottom head would give a brighter overall tone, but using the G1 (clear or Coated) would make the drum lose some life.
It didn't sound "bad", but it didn't sound as good as with the brighter UNO58.

For me, the White film is the difference, and it might have been a film similar to the one Remo uses for the Ambassador.

Now, if someone wants a beefier top end, without it being real crisp, then Evans is a fantastic head--and just going by looks, I think the frosted heads look cool as sh*t.

I used to love Aquarian heads and pretty much switched over to them for a couple years, but when they changed their film around '99-'00, their film just didn't hold up, and I didn't dig the sound as much--which really bummed me out.

The first use of the "new" heads, 3 or 4 songs into the set, and all the heads were dented to crap, and I hardy ever put a dent in one of my heads--and the previous film didn't dent, so I couldn't use them anymore.

Ambassadors last me without dents (even playing with double butt sticks) until the head just won't hold a tuning anymore--which is usually at least 3 or 4 months.
Kick heads (Coated Amb) last years and always sound great because of the way I do my beater impact patch, & how I can change them without messing the head up.
The snare head I use (Coated Emp w/top dot) lasted just short of a YEAR (on my main snare--a couple others have the same head), and it still sounded great for back beats, and rolls still felt....decent--but it was time to change it, so I think I get my moneys worth out of Remos.

But, between the 2 brands (Evans/Remo) for 2 ply heads (and if someone isn't going to be totally anal, and listen to every nuance in a head), then I'd say the Evans is a nicer, more consistent choice.

For Single ply, or different model types like a Black Dot, then I stick with Remo.

But either way, yes you should check the head over before you buy it--especially when it comes to blow out sales!
Click to expand...

Karl you really know a lot of stuff, I asked you about a tuning once and tried your method and it worked. So thanks!

I have wanted to try the coated ambassadors for some time now, but some drummers I've talked to here have said that shops that stocks them here don't keep them well, added to that the hot and humid climate here, the coating gets sticky and comes off really easily. So i have to be extremely careful about buying coated ambs here. I've decided my next purchase will be coated G1s then some coated ambs for comparision sake

Thanks for all your information!
 
For what it's worth, I use (and have always used) Remo heads exclusively and have never had a problem or found a defect. I've used everything from clear Ambs (reso), coated Emps, clear Pinstripes, clear Powerstroke 3's, clear Powerstroke 4's (bass drum), and have always been happy with the outcome.

Just thought I'd throw that in there.

- Mike
 
tiffanyl said:
Karl you really know a lot of stuff, I asked you about a tuning once and tried your method and it worked. So thanks!

I have wanted to try the coated ambassadors for some time now, but some drummers I've talked to here have said that shops that stocks them here don't keep them well, added to that the hot and humid climate here, the coating gets sticky and comes off really easily. So i have to be extremely careful about buying coated ambs here. I've decided my next purchase will be coated G1s then some coated ambs for comparision sake

Thanks for all your information!
Click to expand...

No problem, glad I could help.

It must be the weather where you are for heads to store funny and do weird stuff.
I'm with Mikey, I've never had a bad Ambassador, and the only heads that were "bad" in the Emp range were a couple real dead ones (once they were on the drum) I sent back (& got good ones back), and a couple that got damaged in shipping in many years--a pretty good record I think.

I do find it odd that I basically "never" have had a problem with Remo heads, and there are people that have had nothing but trouble with Remo stuff...

You can check into the Remo's, but you have to go with the product that's not going to fail on you, so if that turns out to be Evans, then you have a great head and a nice sound out of them.

If you still kinda want to try Remo, but the conditions where you are screws up the coatings on heads, you could check out the Smooth White Remo head (Ambassador and Emp versions available), which is kind of an "in-between" sound of the Coated and Clear head sound.
The coated Amabassador just has that thin coating on it, so it's "basically" the same head--I'm sure there's some difference, but how much could be minor.

I really think that it's been the White film (as opposed to the Clear Hazy) that has been so durable and has held up to double butt sticks and not dented and has sounded good for quite a while--and actually, I was just thinking about trying these out (Smooth White) myself today.

I don't pound the crap out of the drums, but I do play hard & aggressive when songs call for it and that white film really holds up for me.
 
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I've seen many defective Remo heads over the years, fortunately most of those weren't mine. I've seen Pinstripes especially the marching variety often defective out the box. I've personally had defective Fiberskyn Ambassadors and Fiberskyn Powerstroke (22") heads before. I've been using Evans all around now on both my kits and have not had any problems at all with quality. Evans does have a different tone than Remo though. I tried Aquarian, once and only once. I ordered 5 texture coated heads for my maple kit. (4 toms, 1 snare). I'm a jazz player mostly, so unless I'm pretending to be Buddy Rich, I don't play that hard, but within a few DAYs the coating was literally peeling off the heads. I've never seen this happen with ANY of Remo or Evans heads before. You could tap the drum and white coating would come off in a little dust cloud. Pretty soon big clear spots were in the drums and this defeated the purpose of the Aquarian "our coating resists chipping" heads. I've played on a snare drum that had an Evans G2 Coated on it for I'd say a good couple of YEARS and it only had two little spots where the coating was gone (the size of maybe a 5A tip for each) That's some tough stuff there....
 
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