Final Double-Ply Head Update: The Saga Settles

C.M. Jones

C.M. Jones

Diamond Member
To those of you who have followed this riveting serial, please be patient as I briefly apprise unfamiliar readers: A few weeks ago, after using only Remo Coated Ambassador heads for over thirty years, I decided to upset the status quo by replacing my longstanding favorites with Remo Ebony Pinstripes -- everywhere, even on my snare drum. The results on my toms and bass drum were, and continue to be, very much to my liking. I don't foresee a reversion to Coated Ambassadors on those components anytime soon. The darkness, depth, and thud the Ebony Pinstripes supply are characteristics I intend to maintain.

The snare drum, on the other hand, has been a subject of significant indecision -- until today, that is. I should first point out that I own two snare drums:

I. Pearl Sensitone Beaded Seamless Aluminum 14 x 5.0

II. Pearl Session Studio Select (Mahogany/Birch) 14 x 5.5

When the Ebony Pinstripes arrived, I placed the Pearl aluminum in a closest, put the Ebony Pinstripe snare head on the Session Studio wood drum, and tampered with tunings for a few weeks. Today, for the first time since getting the Ebony Pinstripes, I played the Pearl aluminum, which has a Coated Ambassador, with my entire kit. The feel and response of the Coated Ambassador won out considerably for use on a snare drum. The Ebony Pinstripes just don't perform as well for higher tunings, and I'd never put one on my aluminum snare anyway, which is designed to speak with a brighter voice than an Ebony Pinstripe can accommodate.

Moving forward, my setup will include Ebony Pinstripes on my toms and bass and a Coated Ambassador on my snare.

The clouds have parted to reveal the true sky. Victory is mine. May the celebratory bells ring forever.
 
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I’ve been running to plies on my times for quite a while. I have an actually used any pinstripes though since the 80s LOL Right now I have coded the twos on my Thompson floor toms. I think my favorite is clear Aquarian super 2s. It’s cool that you’re finally left the ambassadors behind.They’re hard to beat on a snare drum though. I’ve been running Evans coated HD snare heads. I’ve got an evans emad on my Kik I’m pretty happy with that
 
lefty2 said:
I’ve been running to plies on my times for quite a while. I have an actually used any pinstripes though since the 80s LOL Right now I have coded the twos on my Thompson floor toms. I think my favorite is clear Aquarian super 2s. It’s cool that you’re finally left the ambassadors behind.They’re hard to beat on a snare drum though. I’ve been running Evans coated HD snare heads. I’ve got an evans emad on my Kik I’m pretty happy with that
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Yeah, the Coated Ambassador's responsiveness on a snare drum is second to none. Also, it was odd to look down over the last few weeks and not see an Ambassador on my snare. I almost experienced empty-nest syndrome, even though my son won't be off to college for another 12 years. I guess I have an unhealthy attachment to a drumhead. But, man, the crispness is just too sweet to abandon, especially on an aluminum snare.
 
Perhaps an Ebony Ambassador on snare could work? It's still an Ambassador and it would match the rest of the black heads.
Interesting first post as well; I've been going back and forth between brands and heads, these days clear G2's over clear G1's, but i find them a bit lacking in tone and almost plastic-y. That being said, a new set of heads is not cheap as well haha... but back to topic, been thinking about Pinstripes as well for a nice low tone, perhaps also the Ebony version to try something else
 
lefty2 said:
I’ve been running to plies on my times for quite a while. I have an actually used any pinstripes though since the 80s LOL Right now I have coded the twos on my Thompson floor toms. I think my favorite is clear Aquarian super 2s. It’s cool that you’re finally left the ambassadors behind.They’re hard to beat on a snare drum though. I’ve been running Evans coated HD snare heads. I’ve got an evans emad on my Kik I’m pretty happy with that
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Lefty, I see from your post that you have completely run out of your supply of periods and commas. I have a bunch of extra ones lying around, so I'll send you a few. Gratis!

(Here's a few to get you by for now. Ive thrown in a few extras, as well: ..............,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,!!!!!!!!!!!------------;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:::::::::::::::::"""""""""""""""********
And this reminds me - I'm running low on close quotation marks. Got to reorder!)

GeeDeeEmm ;) ;) ;) ;)
 
iCe said:
Perhaps an Ebony Ambassador on snare could work? It's still an Ambassador and it would match the rest of the black heads.
Interesting first post as well; I've been going back and forth between brands and heads, these days clear G2's over clear G1's, but i find them a bit lacking in tone and almost plastic-y. That being said, a new set of heads is not cheap as well haha... but back to topic, been thinking about Pinstripes as well for a nice low tone, perhaps also the Ebony version to try something else
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FWIW

Single ply user forever, recently switched to 2 ply for toms.

I tried Pins first, and the G2's 2nd (both clear)

Liked the Pins a lot. The recorded sound IMO was better than single ply heads.

Tried the G2's. I liked the G2's a lot, from where I was sitting. The recorded sound was way worse than Pins, surprised.

Pins for toms for me for now.
 
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I can't say enough good things about Vintage Emperors. If you want the 2-ply feel without the plastic-y tone, I think they'd be a great option. They seem to have a smoother midrange and more balanced in overall tone.
 
iCe said:
Perhaps an Ebony Ambassador on snare could work? It's still an Ambassador and it would match the rest of the black heads.
Interesting first post as well; I've been going back and forth between brands and heads, these days clear G2's over clear G1's, but i find them a bit lacking in tone and almost plastic-y. That being said, a new set of heads is not cheap as well haha... but back to topic, been thinking about Pinstripes as well for a nice low tone, perhaps also the Ebony version to try something else
Click to expand...

An Ebony Ambassador would have properties similar to a clear one, mostly just different in appearance. A coated snare batter is more versatile in my opinion. The coating also provides a slight dampening effect, keeping overtones in check without smothering them completely. The Coated Ambassador is the ultimate snare head in my book.

If you want "a nice low tone" on your toms and bass," Ebony Pinstripes won't disappoint you. They'll take you rock-bottom low if you want to go there.
If you want to stay more midrange, the Clear Pinstripes Larry likes or the Vintage Emperors Winston suggests might be better options.
 
You're right. I just typed the wrong term. The mix-up in the brain results from the fact that dampening, too, can mean to reduce or diminish, though damping is the formal jargon in drumming parlance.
 
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Winston_Wolf said:
I can't say enough good things about Vintage Emperors. If you want the 2-ply feel without the plastic-y tone, I think they'd be a great option. They seem to have a smoother midrange and more balanced in overall tone.
Click to expand...

Do you use Vintage Emperors as snare batters too? If so, how would you compare them to Coated Ambassadors in both sound and feel?
 
Winston_Wolf said:
A bit softer feel under the sticks, a little fatter tone.
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That's one nice aspect of double-plies. Even at higher tensions, they're a bit more cushioned. I might try a Vintage Coated Emperor on my snare at some point. The Ebony Pinstripe was too thick for that purpose, but the Emperor might be just right. I'll roll with a Coated Ambassador until then.
 
Winston_Wolf said:
A bit softer feel under the sticks, a little fatter tone.
Click to expand...

I decided to order a Coated Emperor for my snare a few nights ago. It arrived this morning, and I put it on my Pearl Session Studio Select wood snare. It's still settling in (those double-plies just take longer to unpack their bags and relax), but it feels and sounds good so far. It definitely has a softer stick feel and a darker personality than the Coated Ambassador, though there's also a slight loss in sensitivity. The Coated Emperor seems ideal for backbeats and solid drumming. I do a lot of that, so it might be a good option every now and then, though the Coated Ambassador will remain the mainstay for my snare.

The Vintage Coated Emperor you suggested is a bit thicker, so I went with the regular version instead. I think the standard Coated Emperor is about as heavy as I want to go.

Oddly, I've been preferring my wood snare over my aluminum as of late. The warmth of the wood is drawing me in again.
 
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C.M. Jones said:
The Coated Emperor seems ideal for backbeats and solid drumming. I do a lot of that, so it might be a good long-term solution.

Oddly, I've been preferring my wood snare over my aluminum as of late. The warmth of the wood is drawing me in again.
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I'm leaning this way myself now. I personally love playing tight batter heads on a snare, just because it's easier to play. But I generally love hearing lower toned snare drums. I've used a bunch of different batter heads on my snares over the years. But I have only recently realized that when I listen to recordings of my drumming at church going back well over 15 years now, I'm really drawn to the sound of the regular Emperor on my snares when I've used them. I keep a record of what snare batter head I'm using. The Emperor can still be tensioned up to be somewhat bright, but I'm really digging that deep and thicker sound of the Emperor when not tuned up too tight. Since much of the music I play is ballad-like and nothing too fast, I'm just now realizing how much the Emperor sound really pleases me.
 
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