I really like Attack Heads

[WuHan Solo]

I used to use Attack bass drum resos when making custom printed logo heads because they were inexpensive and the full coverage print would alter the sound of them anyway. I never did try any batter heads or even resos for my toms, but I found the quality of the heads I did use to be pretty good.
Their current website leaves a lot to be desired but I did get a bit of a chuckle from their "Royal Series" ad featuring Eric Singer. He looks so thrilled to be endorsing their product that he can barely contain himself.

 

[Out of Round]

"Until at last, he found his own kingdom, and wore his crown upon a troubled brow."

 

[vyacheslav]

Right, it's the crimped construction and also the fact that they boasted about their USA mylar film. These are both talking points that Remo had about their UT heads. That's not proof per se, but it's interesting.

It's also pretty clear that Attack is a branding and distribution operation, not a manufacturer. That means they're getting their heads from someone else's factory. I don't know how many overseas drum head factories exist but my guess is not many, and we know Remo has one, which puts it in play as a possible source.

Furthermore, Remo's factory isn't located just anywhere overseas. It's located in Taiwan, or at least it was at one time. Guess where Attack heads are made? They're made in Taiwan, which again is interesting.

Incidentally, this thread got me curious so I bought a couple of open-box unused Attack heads on eBay to replace the factory reso on my old (early '90s, made in Taiwan) Pearl Export 13" tom, and also just to generally check them out. One is from before the rebranding and one is from after. The earlier one presumably has USA mylar film per their advertising at the time. The later one has the new style logo with "Proflex 1" text and presumably has what Attack is calling proprietary Dynaflex film.

What I notice is that the Attack heads' metal hoops are identical to each other as expected. But they are also nearly identical to the hoop on my Export's original head, which is interesting. There is a slight difference in the Export hoop's surface appearance but that could be explained by the ~30 year age difference. All three have the same dimensions, the same radiuses in the folded metal, and line up perfectly when you stack them together. If someone told me they were made on the same tooling, I could believe it. Both of the Attack heads are marked "Made in Taiwan," the older one with a stamp and the newer one with a sticker.

As for the film, as far as I can tell, the film in the two Attack heads is identical. It looks the same and sounds the same when you tap on it and handle it (this is with the head uninstalled). It also is indistinguishable (to me) from the film in a clear Remo Ambassador that I have on hand. IOW as far as I can tell, Attack's new Dynaflex film may really be USA mylar film just as it was before the rebranding. The outlier is the film in the original Export head which is slightly milky and sounds higher pitched and crinklier when you tap on it.

I still tentatively think these Attack heads are basically UT heads under a different brand, which isn't necessarily a knock against them. I think they're probably a good option especially for uncoated resos if you want to save some bucks. I could see them being good for batters too but it would be a matter of whether you like their coating.

Interesting points. Unless the older Attack head was a Terry Bozzio series, it was NOT USA Dupont S-Mylar. That's the only USA material that they ever used. After the re-brand it was called Royal 1, which, as stated above, has been discontinued because Remo, whom they used to buy the film from, wouldn't sell it to them anymore.

I suppose it's possible that they are using the Remo factory in Taiwan, but unlikely. Here's why I think that:

1. If Remo was making heads for them anyway, why would they refuse to sell them the Dupont USA film? If Attack was using Remo's factory/materials, why would that be an issue? To me, it sounds like Remo doesn't want to provide product to a competitor trying to get a piece of their market share.

2. Following up on the last sentence above, Attack is an aftermarket drum head manufacturer/provider, and a completely different company than Remo (or anyone else). By default, this makes them a competitor to Remo. Why would Remo be helping a competitor manufacture products to sell in the same venues that they do, under their own (non-Remo) brand, especially at a price point that would be likely to take at least some of the market share away from Remo? Remo is such a large brand, you would think if they were making Attack heads, they would want them to read something like "Attack: Designed and made by Remo" or something like that. Plus, Remo doesn't sell their UT/UX/UC heads individually. Why would they be doing that for Attack (and let Attack make the money) but not themselves? Again, Attack is a completely independent company, no affiliation/ownership with Remo whatsoever.

It's an interesting theory, but just doesn't seem to make practical sense.

 

[vyacheslav]

I used to use Attack bass drum resos when making custom printed logo heads because they were inexpensive and the full coverage print would alter the sound of them anyway. I never did try any batter heads or even resos for my toms, but I found the quality of the heads I did use to be pretty good.
Their current website leaves a lot to be desired but I did get a bit of a chuckle from their "Royal Series" ad featuring Eric Singer. He looks so thrilled to be endorsing their product that he can barely contain himself.

Their website definitely needs updating. That was when he was using the Royal 1 (USA Mylar) film for his heads. The Film (Royal 1) has been discontinued, so it's the Dynaflex film.

I've had multiple email conversations with Mark Tirabassi, the head of distribution and product development for Cardinal Percussion (Attack's USA distributor). He knows the website needs updating and they are planning a few new products this year from what he told me. For those that may not know, Cardinal Percussion is formerly Universal Percussion. Same location, same warehouse, just a new name. One of the old managers at Universal is now one of the co-owners of Cardinal.

As an aside, Eric Singer has been an Attack endorser for over 20 years. He actually speaks very highly of them on videos I've seen where he talks about his equipment.

 

[pinstripe]

Interesting points. Unless the older Attack head was a Terry Bozzio series, it was NOT USA Dupont S-Mylar. That's the only USA material that they ever used. After the re-brand it was called Royal 1, which, as stated above, has been discontinued because Remo, whom they used to buy the film from, wouldn't sell it to them anymore.

I suppose it's possible that they are using the Remo factory in Taiwan, but unlikely. Here's why I think that:

1. If Remo was making heads for them anyway, why would they refuse to sell them the Dupont USA film? If Attack was using Remo's factory/materials, why would that be an issue? To me, it sounds like Remo doesn't want to provide product to a competitor trying to get a piece of their market share.

2. Following up on the last sentence above, Attack is an aftermarket drum head manufacturer/provider, and a completely different company than Remo (or anyone else). By default, this makes them a competitor to Remo. Why would Remo be helping a competitor manufacture products to sell in the same venues that they do, under their own (non-Remo) brand, especially at a price point that would be likely to take at least some of the market share away from Remo? Remo is such a large brand, you would think if they were making Attack heads, they would want them to read something like "Attack: Designed and made by Remo" or something like that. Plus, Remo doesn't sell their UT/UX/UC heads individually. Why would they be doing that for Attack (and let Attack make the money) but not themselves? Again, Attack is a completely independent company, no affiliation/ownership with Remo whatsoever.

It's an interesting theory, but just doesn't seem to make practical sense.

Well, this gets back to the question of why Attack wouldn't just buy their film straight from Dupont like Remo does. If it's a standard Dupont film then it seems strange that Remo could control their access to it. I actually see this is another clue that Remo is making Attack heads in their factory. This arrangement would explain Remo's control over what materials Attack uses in their heads.

I've seen no indication that Attack is a manufacturer. I don't recall seeing a factory or manufacturing facility mentioned in any of their sales literature or PR blurbs. Can you point to anything stating that Attack manufactures its own heads?

Attack isn't in direct competition with Remo. They're selling to a different market segment, namely people who are willing to settle for a non-premium head in order to save money. It's the same relationship that a name brand food manufacturer might have with a private label brand, both of which are made by the name brand manufacturer. The private label gives the manufacturer a channel through which to sell additional product to a different segment without directly competing with their premium brand. It helps them keep their factories running at full capacity for more profit.

The risk is that the private label becomes too competitive with the name brand. This might be what's behind the apparent tiff between Remo and Attack over the Dupont film. Remo may have contractually insisted that Attack either not use the Dupont film or not advertise their use of it, with the intent to tamp down perceptions of parity between the brands -- i.e. to keep Attack from horning in on Remo's premium image.

Again, sort of speculating but this is my sense of it.