EVANS ALL AROUND

Nictarine

Silver Member
I've been using an EMAD on my kick drum for a while, with Remo Vintage Emperors Clear and Coated on my toms and a number of different snare batters (Aquarian Triple Threat, Evans HD and HD Dry, Evans ST Dry, Evans Genera Dry, Remo Powerstroke 77, Controlled Sound and Controlled Sound X, etc..) I decided to go all in on Evans even though I've never used their heads on toms, I went with Frosted EC2's for my toms, an EMAD on my kick and a Genera Dry on my snare.

The frosted EC2's were by far the easiest heads I've ever tuned and they sounded great without any Moongel or tape, I plan on getting a GMAD for my kick drum and Coated G2's for the resonant side of my toms.

I've attached a picture of my kit with the EC2's on my toms, excuse the Aquarian Triple Threat that's on my snare right now I'm waiting for my HD Dry to come in!
 

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Great choices in heads! I'll be curious to hear what you think of using the two-ply G2 heads as resos. Some people love them (and it depends on the tuning and the drums) while others aren't fans.

Feel free to hit me up if you ever have any questions!

#drumfam
 
I love Evans Heads!

My current setup: Tama Granstar (Birch) Power tom sizes.
Toms: EC2's on top /EC2 Reso.
Bass: Emad2 with narrow foam ring) / Emad Reso.
Snare: Power Center Reverse Dot / Clear 300.

Other than the foam ring on the Emad2, everything is wide open. So easy to tune!
 
Nice man! Evans guy here too... through and through.

Why coated G2 for resos? Your toms ring that much or you just like a very controlled sound?
 
I use a coated G1 for my reso heads, but never thought to try 2 ply. Maybe I'll see if I like it.
 
I used Frosted EC2s for the longest time and agree they were dynamite and super easy to tune. I'm currently experimenting with the Black Chromes and they're good but I think I like the frosted EC2s a tad bit better. I think my next set will be coated G2s or G14s.

Rounding out the rest of my kit I have just a regular EMAD on the kick and a Heavyweight on the snare. The Heavyweights are awesome! You would think they would be dead and thuddy with all that extra mass but they have plenty of tone and musicality!

I am just super impressed with Evans. Their innovation is second to none. The Level 360 stuff is easier to tune than Remo and doesn't require seating or anything like that. You just pop them on and after a couple minutes of fine tuning they sound fantastic.
 
I tried EC2s once and hated them on my Collectors. I expressed this to my local drum guru/salesperson/ all around killer advice guy and he said , quote "EC2s are for poopy drums". That and two ply reso heads? Can you even hear your drums anymore? I think you should just put muffle pads on top.....and bottom! You know, to get that really fat, beefy, toney, full, well rounded sound.
 
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I tried EC2s once and hated them on my Collectors. I expressed this to my local drum guru/salesperson/ all around killer advice guy and he said , quote "EC2s are for poopy drums". That and two ply reso heads? Can you even hear your drums anymore? I'm thinking of trying muffle pads on top.....and bottom! You know, to get that fat, beefy, toney, full, well rounded sound.

I agree. The EC2s made my entry level Tama Swingstar sound good by EQing out the junky overtones without deadening the shells. My second kit is an intermediate level Yamaha Rock Tour and I find that the EC2s choke the drum a little too much. Even with the Black Chromes I find myself craving more tone. That's why next heads will be coated G2s or G14s.

On the few professional kits that I've played I liked coated emperors and coated G2s the best.
 
I tried EC2s once and hated them on my Collectors. I expressed this to my local drum guru/salesperson/ all around killer advice guy and he said , quote "EC2s are for poopy drums". That and two ply reso heads? Can you even hear your drums anymore? I think you should just put muffle pads on top.....and bottom! You know, to get that really fat, beefy, toney, full, well rounded sound.

Compared to a DW Collectors my Tama Starclassic might be "poopy" to some!
I've got the EC2's over my old Remo Coated Pinstripes right now and they sound great, it's just time to replace them and I figure I might as well go Evans top and bottom.
 
I had the EC2s coated on my toms for a while and really liked them compared to the G1 coated, but they were just a little too damped for me. I was looking for something that was a little lighter on the damping and had a slightly more focused tone (the coated EC2s seemed to have more harmonics in the mix too). I was considering either the EC2 non-coated, or the G2 coated. I eventually picked up the G2 coated and I'm pretty happy with them. They seem to have a more focused tone, and are a little less damped. (Still a little too damp on my 10" tom, but that's a whole different topic).
 
Compared to a DW Collectors my Tama Starclassic might be "poopy" to some!
I've got the EC2's over my old Remo Coated Pinstripes right now and they sound great, it's just time to replace them and I figure I might as well go Evans top and bottom.

Tama Starclassic are definitely not "poopy" drums. I said EC2's are for poopy drums. Putting them over two ply, coated, muffled reso heads is overkill. It like viewing the Mona Lisa through a veil. You've got a nice kit, I just think you might like to hear it.
 
I tried EC2s once and hated them on my Collectors. I expressed this to my local drum guru/salesperson/ all around killer advice guy and he said , quote "EC2s are for poopy drums". That and two ply reso heads? Can you even hear your drums anymore? I think you should just put muffle pads on top.....and bottom! You know, to get that really fat, beefy, toney, full, well rounded sound.

ECs's def. make lower-level drum sound better. i had them on a tama rockstar.

i had them on dw eco-x. when i swapped them out for G2's, they went from sounding great to just sounding good/ok. lol
 
UPDATE!!

I played my kit with the EC2s on the batter side and Coated Pinstripes on the reso side outside of my practice space and the toms sounded WAY too dead, you guys were all spot on with 2 ply resonants being too much.

The drums sound decent in my practice space but it's got weird acoustics, probably due to too much sound deadening material in the walls and bass traps.

Thanks for the advice! Going with G1 resos for sure!
 
I purchased a pack of EC2 coated by accident (thought I grabbed G2's). When I got home and discovered I purchased the wrong heads I figured what the heck I might as well give them a spin. I thought they sounded great. Really enjoyed the tone. Then I figured I'd set up the microphones and see how they sound recorded. They sounded dead. Not horrible but not as good as they should. I swapped coated G2's from another kit and the G2's sound much better recorded. I even tried Pin Stripes and they sound better than the coated EC2's recorded.

With that said, I don't do any fancy recording. Just a Zoom Q8 with the built in x/y mics plus MXL 900 & 991 plugged in to the back of the recorder.
 
I purchased a pack of EC2 coated by accident (thought I grabbed G2's). When I got home and discovered I purchased the wrong heads I figured what the heck I might as well give them a spin. I thought they sounded great. Really enjoyed the tone. Then I figured I'd set up the microphones and see how they sound recorded. They sounded dead. Not horrible but not as good as they should. I swapped coated G2's from another kit and the G2's sound much better recorded. I even tried Pin Stripes and they sound better than the coated EC2's recorded.

With that said, I don't do any fancy recording. Just a Zoom Q8 with the built in x/y mics plus MXL 900 & 991 plugged in to the back of the recorder.

If you really liked their tone when listening purely with your ear, isn't the issue the recording (either mic placement, recording quality, etc.) vs. the heads? Recording gear should help to pick up what you hear from the acoustic source.
 
If you really liked their tone when listening purely with your ear, isn't the issue the recording (either mic placement, recording quality, etc.) vs. the heads? Recording gear should help to pick up what you hear from the acoustic source.

That may be so, but with everything being equal, the EC2 coated had more of a "slap" tone whereas the G2 coated had an acoustically natural sound recorded in my nonprofessional recording basement. Maybe it's the surrounding or maybe it's the device but it seems the G2's just sound better recorded with what I have available.
 
That may be so, but with everything being equal, the EC2 coated had more of a "slap" tone whereas the G2 coated had an acoustically natural sound recorded in my nonprofessional recording basement. Maybe it's the surrounding or maybe it's the device but it seems the G2's just sound better recorded with what I have available.

In that case, if the recorded tone is what matters most, G2 heads seem to be the best fit. However, if you're not spending the majority of your time recording, I'd recommend using what you think sounds best from an acoustic perspective. Always best to judge the sound in the environment(s) that you'll be using the gear.
 
In that case, if the recorded tone is what matters most, G2 heads seem to be the best fit. However, if you're not spending the majority of your time recording, I'd recommend using what you think sounds best from an acoustic perspective. Always best to judge the sound in the environment(s) that you'll be using the gear.

Good advice. Thanks.
 
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