Kudos to the Evans Genera Dry!

Defender

Silver Member
Hi guys, it's me again. Your friendly neighborhood Defender. Just stopping by to throw my admiration towards the best sounding (in my opinion) snare head I've tried so far.

I've got a...

14 x 5.5 PDP Maple Concept snare
14 X 6.5 Tama Starclassic Birch (2008ish)
14 x 5 Ludwig Supraphonic (1968)

When I bought my kit, not having played acoustics in over 15 years, I asked the saleman "which heads would you recommend if I said Evans?" and he said, without hesitation.. "G2 tops, G1 bottom, Hazy 300 snare side". So, that's what I got. I can say I am totally pleased with the G2/G1 tom configuration. However, this is where the story gets interesting.

So, I got home , changed all the heads, watched some YouTube tuning videos (the ones that Bob Gatzen does are fantastic). The only problem I had was with the snare. The G2 sounded (to me) like I was wacking a piece of paper. I left it on the drum for a few weeks then finally broke down and went to Guitar Center again and this time tried an EC1 reverse dot. This head sounded far and away better than the G2. More depth, better crunch, and a little more sensitive.

Move on to another few weeks, as I was looking through Craigslist and came across the Tama Starclassic. Before I bought this drum I had been doing more eye-balling on the Evans website. After I bought the Starclassic, I went and got a Hazy 300 and I tried a Genera Dry (not the HD version). I went home, put them on, and I was absolutely blown away by the sound!!

Now we'll move on to about 2 months later when I was able to grab a fantastic example (just a couple very small dents and a couple scratches, but absolutely no pitting) 1968 Supra for $100 even! I walked into Guitar Center to show off my new purchase and also to get a couple new heads.. The Salesmen was blown away at the price I got it for, but moreover, I picked up the same combo as before... Hazy 300/Genera Dry.. And WAMMO!! Another absolutely incredible sounding snare!

By this time I'm almost not even playing my PDP Maple. I really cant get it to sound good at all. (compared to the other 2 snares). This past weekend I went out and got me a Genera Dry for it, went home and slapped it on and tuned it up, and WAMMO!! Another amazing sounding snare!!

So, if you only skip down to here, I'll just sum this up.. Evans Genera Dry Snare batter head= FREAKIN' AMAZING!!!

Peace, Defender
 
Good to hear the drumheads work so well for you. I got the HD Dry for my early 70's alum Gretsch snare and it did wonders for that drum. It used to sing with excessive overtones using the coated Amb batter, but with the Genera Dry it doesn't. I don't use any muffling now, but it is very dry. My guitar player even commented how dry it was on the recording. I used a diplomat snare side so I wonder if that's making it too dry, or maybe I need the ST without the little holes around the perimeter. Isn't it like the HD has the holes and the ST doesn't? I'm not that sure, but I know the HD has holes because that's the one I'm using right now.
 
indeed it is a wonderful head.

I've also had good results with the ST dry head,

Genera Dry, 10 mil single ply with holes and 2 mil internal ring

Genera HD Dry, 7.5 outer ply, 5 mil inner, with holes and 2 mil internal ring

ST dry, two 7.5 mil plies, with holes.

seems to me that the HD dry just has a bit too much muffling having two plies and the internal ring leading to three heads going into the flesh-hoop, vs two in the Genera and ST. I'm also a fan of the G14, a 14 mil single ply, and I would LOVE to see one of those with the holes and the internal muffling ring. (evansspecialist, are you listening? lol)

@ Midnight, I Believe "dry" as part of the product name indicates the holes around the edge, while "Genera" indicates the inner 2 mil muffling ring
 
I counter all of the gushing comments by saying the Evans genera dry basically sucks all the life out of your snare. One mans fine wine is another's cough mixture.
 
I counter all of the gushing comments by saying the Evans genera dry basically sucks all the life out of your snare. One mans fine wine is another's cough mixture.
In many cases, I agree, but they have their place. They're especially good at taming errant high overtones. By errant, I mean the ones you don't want, rather than the ones you do. Cheaper, & otherwise not especially well designed/setup snares often suffer from this, so it's a good fix.

This head also works well when a dry/short sound is required, & is often deployed in the studio when a controlled lower tuning is required ahead of significant processing.
 
I had one of those heads a few years ago. Nice head, but the little holes around the edge make brush playing hazardous. I found the tone a little "plasticky" for want of a better word but I have always leaned towards Ambassadors.
 
I had one of those heads a few years ago. Nice head, but the little holes around the edge make brush playing hazardous. I found the tone a little "plasticky" for want of a better word but I have always leaned towards Ambassadors.

Now I'm confused, I just heard somebody describe the wet sound as being "plasticky", yet these are the "dry" heads.
 
To each his/her own but to me they are dishwater dull.
One meter away from the kit no audience ear notices your overtones, in fact they might be embracing your overtones as a 'nice full sound'.
Basic 1 or 2 ply coated for me. You can always dry or dampen their sound if you wanted.....whereas you can't liven up a dry head.
 
Now I'm confused, I just heard somebody describe the wet sound as being "plasticky", yet these are the "dry" heads.

I guess I mean the overtones aren't very rich. I quite liked the head, quite forgiving with slapdash tuning and the surface remained rough after much brushwork, just that tonally it's not my first preference.
 
Basic 1 or 2 ply coated for me. You can always dry or dampen their sound if you wanted.....whereas you can't liven up a dry head.
Always a single ply 10mil for me. With a good drum & some tuning skills, possibly a bit of dampening if the vibe calls for it, you can achieve pretty much any sound you want. That said, the dry head is still a valid choice, just not necessarily the best choice IMHO.
 
I guess I mean the overtones aren't very rich. I quite liked the head, quite forgiving with slapdash tuning and the surface remained rough after much brushwork, just that tonally it's not my first preference.

I agree about the overtones not being quite as full and rich. I've always used an Amb on my Gretsch, but it is very hard to tune with that head. I do prefer the sound I get from my acro with a PCRD, but the Gretsch is a problem child. The HD Dry tamed it. It sounds good now, but very flat and dry. Not optimal, but passable.
 
The only Dry head that I like is the ST Dry. It has the holes but no film ring. The drum remains cutting and lively. I pound constant rimshots, like a caveman. On a wide open brass drum, It can be kind of overpowering. It makes it a bit more mic friendly.
 
Always a single ply 10mil for me. With a good drum & some tuning skills, possibly a bit of dampening if the vibe calls for it, you can achieve pretty much any sound you want. That said, the dry head is still a valid choice, just not necessarily the best choice IMHO.

+1
Let it ring, let it sing!
 
Two nights ago, I decided to do an experiment. I put my old EC1 Reverse Dot head on my Supra and replaced the Starclassic head with my old G2 (almost brand new still). These 2 drums sound amazing with these heads.

I guess it was just the PDP maple snare that sounded like hell. But the Genera head really did it wonders. Now I'm thinking about throwing a very thin strip of tape around the edges to cover up the holes to hear what it sounds like without the "dry" part of it.

BTW, Evans heads still rock!!
 
Two nights ago, I decided to do an experiment. I put my old EC1 Reverse Dot head on my Supra and replaced the Starclassic head with my old G2 (almost brand new still). These 2 drums sound amazing with these heads.

I guess it was just the PDP maple snare that sounded like hell. But the Genera head really did it wonders. Now I'm thinking about throwing a very thin strip of tape around the edges to cover up the holes to hear what it sounds like without the "dry" part of it.

BTW, Evans heads still rock!!
It doesn't change much. I use a sound ring sometimes.
 
Iv;e used the dry for a snare and the hit is even on most of the head no ring. The sound is direct so no gel is needed great head for most playing. I just changed the snare to a evans 360 black and the sound is just the opposite . I like the louder and some ring on the snare. The 360 is active for sounds from the sticks more than the dry a totally different sound.
 
Glad to hear that you're enjoying the Genera Dry! For those who want a bit more sustain but still some overtone control, definitely check out the Genera (overtone control ring but no dry vents). If you want to go in the opposite direction and get a bit more "CRACK!" out of your drum, check out the HD (2-ply with 5mil top and 7.5mil bottom + overtone control ring). If you find yourself still looking to control some of the sustain/resonance, the HD Dry should do the trick.

That being said, I know plenty of people who love looking down at their drum and seeing gaff tape, gel, etc. (On second thought, I don't know many people that prefer such things...).
 
Have to say, I'm not liking the Genera Dry much on my normally not-too-wild-with-overtones stave snare at a low tuning, I think it needs a center dot to perhaps take out some of the fundamental. I can see it working well on a more thick wood shell or ringy metal shell though.

Personally, I use an Evans Heavyweight with a Drumclip dampener for my COB and that's a perfect low tuning combo.
 
Back
Top