Remo UT Pinstripe sounds great?

Iristone

Iristone

Silver Member
I bought one for my Yamaha 7000 tom. Incredibly round, focused tone, with not much loss of sustain at all. Responsiveness could be better, but I may try a higher tuning (it really sounds better cranked up).

It sounded a bit thin with its stock, single-ply MIJ coated head. I thought that, since the vintage Recording Customs came with Pinstripes, why not try them on my drum.
I remember the new MIA Pinstripes being a bit plasticky on my former Ludwig drums, the reason being that they put less of the dampening glue between the plies. Since MIA drumheads have grown in price, and not willing to lose money on experimenting, I bought the MIC UT version to try it out. It seems to have a bit more glue, and sounds great to me.

Am I alone? Or will I like the MIA version even more?
 
I don't have any experience with the UT Pinstripes, but in general I believe the UT heads are crimped and not glued, and whenever I've compared a crimped head vs. a glued head I've heard a difference. Perhaps that could be a part of the reason in the Pinstripes too?

In general I wish more USA heads were available with crimped hoops, but Ludwig has essentially stopped making their own heads and Remo's crimped heads are all marching models that come with a big bump up in price, and to my knowledge Aquarian doesn't and hasn't made any crimped heads.
 
Iristone said:
I bought one for my Yamaha 7000 tom. Incredibly round, focused tone, with not much loss of sustain at all. Responsiveness could be better, but I may try a higher tuning (it really sounds better cranked up).

It sounded a bit thin with its stock, single-ply MIJ coated head. I thought that, since the vintage Recording Customs came with Pinstripes, why not try them on my drum.
I remember the new MIA Pinstripes being a bit plasticky on my former Ludwig drums, the reason being that they put less of the dampening glue between the plies. Since MIA drumheads have grown in price, and not willing to lose money on experimenting, I bought the MIC UT version to try it out. It seems to have a bit more glue, and sounds great to me.

Am I alone? Or will I like the MIA version even more?
Click to expand...

If you like the sound and it works for you, the go for it. Have you tried Attack drum heads? I have used a pair on my wood snare and they sound good.
 
wildbill said:
A lot of places here carry Remo Pinstripes, but I can't say I've ever seen a UT version.
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Yep. I believe that the UT heads are only available on imported drums as a cost-saving measure. I don't think there's an expectation that drummers would seek the UT heads when it's time to change the initial set.
 
The place I practise at has a pearl export with beat up UT pinstripes (classic combo haha) and it sounds decent. If you like the sound it makes, go for it. Personally, I'd splash about a few extra bucks and get actual pinstripes, but if you like the sound then grab some and save some cash.
 
To be clear, I used a set of American Pinstripes on a Ludwig kit and didn't like it. Could be the rounded Ludwig bearing edge not playing well with the glue. I was afraid they won't sound good on this Yamaha, so I tried a low-cost version. It sounds good, but I may move to a coated Emperor or Vintage Ambassador for a bit more open sound.
This UT Pinstripe is quite dark and meaty sounding, with quite long sustain and a slightly subdued attack. Not as weak as the Hydraulics, but not the (IME) plasticky American Pinstripe tone. It matches my experience with these heads on rehearsal space drums (with assorted shells).
Winston_Wolf said:
In general I wish more USA heads were available with crimped hoops, but Ludwig has essentially stopped making their own heads and Remo's crimped heads are all marching models that come with a big bump up in price, and to my knowledge Aquarian doesn't and hasn't made any crimped heads.
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The Ludwig heads are second to none, and last forever. Unfortunately, they also cost twice as much as any other heads, even in the sizes they still make!
Aquarians are IIRC epoxied over a crimped hoop. They are also not USA - but I see no reason to get hung over that, as long as it's good quality and made by a responsible company.
 
They really sound even better tuned up. I find it fuller and more sustaining with the reso head tuned about a fourth higher than the top, which is tuned way higher than you'd expect from a Pinstripe user.
Got me thinking, maybe the reason I didn't like the American Pinstripes was that I didn't tune high enough, or that the Club Date shells choked out at higher tuning. But both heads don't react to low tension in the same way: the American one gets slappy like plastic, while the UT gets thuddy like Hydraulics.
Also found out why I didn't like the stock Yamaha head - it's 0.188 mm, or 7.5 mils which is Diplomat weight. No wonder it sounds thin.
 
bermuda said:
Yep. I believe that the UT heads are only available on imported drums as a cost-saving measure. I don't think there's an expectation that drummers would seek the UT heads when it's time to change the initial set.
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Yes - I've seen and bought sets that have UT heads, but I was saying that I've never seen UT 'Pinstripes'.
 
wildbill said:
Yes - I've seen and bought sets that have UT heads, but I was saying that I've never seen UT 'Pinstripes'.
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They don't write "Pinstripes" on them. But they have "PS" in their catalogue number, and are constructed like the Pinstripes - 2 plies with glue between them over the perimeter.
 
Turned out I'm still a thin, coated head guy. Even the UC coated Amb (with cheap coating) sounds much warmer and fuller than the Pinstripes. I'll change to my trusty old Vintage Ambassador once I wear through the UC. Experiment done.
One notice:
I've found that, with the Ambassador, if I tune both heads to the same pitch, the drum sustains long with an overtone pitch and indefinite attack. If I tighten the bottom head about a 4th higher, the overtone goes away and the sustain shortens, giving a round and punchy tone.
With the Pinstripe it's the polar opposite: a clear, punchy short note is achieved with both heads at the same pitch. With the bottom head tuned higher, the overtone sustain appears and the sound becomes thin.
 
Iristone said:
I bought one for my Yamaha 7000 tom. Incredibly round, focused tone, with not much loss of sustain at all. Responsiveness could be better, but I may try a higher tuning (it really sounds better cranked up).

It sounded a bit thin with its stock, single-ply MIJ coated head. I thought that, since the vintage Recording Customs came with Pinstripes, why not try them on my drum.
I remember the new MIA Pinstripes being a bit plasticky on my former Ludwig drums, the reason being that they put less of the dampening glue between the plies. Since MIA drumheads have grown in price, and not willing to lose money on experimenting, I bought the MIC UT version to try it out. It seems to have a bit more glue, and sounds great to me.

Am I alone? Or will I like the MIA version even more?
Click to expand...

My Vision kit came with UT Pinstripe heads and was kinda disappointed with them, found them 'thin' sounding. Even the coated 1 ply UT head on the snare sounded and felt thin compared to a coated Ambassador. I have 'real' Pinstripes on my Masters BCX kit and, although that is a superior kit, those heads sound really good.
 
Here's what I do. Yes, it's silly. No, I don't care.

When I get a kit, I usually put new Remo coated ambassadors on the top and Remo clear ambassadors on the bottom (or I use the Evans G1 equivalent). I then put an Evans original Emad on the kick, I port the front head, throw in a little muffling, and then I tune my kick the way Rob Brown tells me to.

If I have to work really hard to get a good sound out of a kit with this head combo, I get rid of the kit. I've been doing this drumming thing a long time, and I'm here to tell you that if the drums don't sound good with this head combo, it's not gonna end well. I want to focus on playing, traveling, learning, and having fun with my friends. If I have to work too hard at it, I'm done.

Over the years, I have grown weary of fighting with drums, especially snares. Life's too short to mess around.
 
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