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Thread: A little tuning help please!

  1. #1

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    Default A little tuning help please!

    Guys,

    I just bought some new heads for my kit last week. Picked up some Evans EC2. I'm having a hard time getting the floor toms to sound good. They've got a warble or a bit of distortion to them. I really hated them...but when I took them to band practice they sounded decent in the mix.

    I've only ever used Hydraulics on my kit previous to this. And, of course, those are really easy to tune. I just went to where they didn't have any wrinkles in them anymore and they were great.

    You guys have any tips to get these to sound a little better?




    Also changed my main rig set up to the way my practice kit is...small tom on a snare stand. Ditched my 2nd mounted tom.

  2. #2

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    I'd say the heads are too loose. The only head that should be just above wrinkles is on the bass drum. For toms, once you start tuning the batter/reso tighter, the drums really start to come to life.
    Gretsch - Tama - Pearl - Sabian - Zildjian - Stagg - Evans - Vater - Gibraltar

  3. #3

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    Quote Originally Posted by rabidpenguin45 View Post
    I'd say the heads are too loose. The only head that should be just above wrinkles is on the bass drum. For toms, once you start tuning the batter/reso tighter, the drums really start to come to life.
    I took them (both floors) up pretty high and I couldn't get the sound to go away. My small tom sounds pretty good. But the floors are giving me trouble. Do you seem to tune your heads pretty tight? I'd say I was 3 or 4 full turns up from finger tight before I went back down.

  4. #4

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    Its a balancing act. If you have time I'd suggest tuning the batter a little tighter than you are used to, and from there playing with the reso head. Once you figure out what brings the best out of your drum, you will be impressed.
    Gretsch - Tama - Pearl - Sabian - Zildjian - Stagg - Evans - Vater - Gibraltar

  5. #5

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    Quote Originally Posted by rabidpenguin45 View Post
    Its a balancing act. If you have time I'd suggest tuning the batter a little tighter than you are used to, and from there playing with the reso head. Once you figure out what brings the best out of your drum, you will be impressed.
    I guess I was just afraid of going too high.

  6. #6

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    Have you ever tried Remo clear Pinstripes or coated Pinstripes?
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  7. #7

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    I'd suggest tuning the batter of the floor tom higher than you usually do and keeping the reso loose...that gives me a nice low thump with great attack.
    Matt

  8. #8

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    My 2 cents is break in time, I am always unsatisfied with new heads until I beat them and tune them a few times. JMHO.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    One saying is "Batter for feel, reso for resonance"..i.e. the deep tone. Problems can arise when they are too far out of sync of one another. A slightly tighter batter (way tighter than wrinkle stage) gives a nice playing feel and you can work with the reso. I am always surprised how much you can change a drum sound working with the reso only. EC2 have a dampening ring so cut out some of the overtones you get. Like others I also found the sound I hear from tuning at the kit is different than what is 'out there' recorded. Maybe record only yourself and the tom, to tune to where you want it?

  10. #10

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    Did you check the reso bearing edges for debris before you put on the new batter heads? I had to swap out my old Remo clear Ambass. batter heads back to my never before used stock batter heads from Pearl since I'm broke due to Christmas and I was surprised how much lint and debris had collected underneath the reso heads. After a dusting off of the lint and debris, the floor toms came back to life and made the tuning much easier.

    Just a thought.....

  11. #11

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    Quote Originally Posted by fumbled time View Post
    My 2 cents is break in time, I am always unsatisfied with new heads until I beat them and tune them a few times. JMHO.
    + one hundred and fifty gazillion...

  12. #12

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    When I had my EC2s on I tried tuning the batters higher than reso, the same as and lower than, my personal preference was to tune the batters lower than the reso head. I tune to notes and although I cant remember what notes I tuned to I tuned the reso a minor 3rd above the batter and I loved the sound compared to the other tunings I had tried, I only switched as I had used them for 7 or 8 months and I wanted to try something different.

    Also EC2s do give a slightly lower tone than other heads that are tuned to the same tension so you may have to tune higher than you have done previously and it will also depend on the resos you are using, I used EC Reso when I was using EC2s.
    Mike.

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  13. #13

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    Thanks guys...I'll give this stuff a shot. You guys are the best.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerzey Street Band (JSB) View Post
    When I had my EC2s on I tried tuning the batters higher than reso, the same as and lower than, my personal preference was to tune the batters lower than the reso head. I tune to notes and although I cant remember what notes I tuned to I tuned the reso a minor 3rd above the batter and I loved the sound compared to the other tunings I had tried, I only switched as I had used them for 7 or 8 months and I wanted to try something different.

    Also EC2s do give a slightly lower tone than other heads that are tuned to the same tension so you may have to tune higher than you have done previously and it will also depend on the resos you are using, I used EC Reso when I was using EC2s.
    I'm using Evans Reso Glass.

  15. #15

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    I have EC2's clear on all my toms and I love the sound. My toms are all tuned in the same matter. After finger tight I give them all between a 1/4 to 1/2 turn till I get the lowest possible pitch or tone and then tap all lugs to the same pitch. Reso are the same as the top but I will give them an extra 1/4 turn. Forgot to mention my reso are Ambassadors. The sound of my toms just sing out loud and warm.

  16. #16

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    sounds exactly like my approach. I found the reso side tuned just a hair ( 1/8 - 1/4 ) creates a FULL, big, even toned sound. I will continue to experiment. My problem was my lack of experience playing drums challenged my ears to " hear " drums. My kit sounds better now then it did a year ago when I was new to drumming. I think this is because my ears werent used to drums in general.

  17. #17
    dave0549jv Guest

    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    Just in case you havent seen them already, Bob Gatzen has some really helpful tuning guide videos on youtube. I'm no tuning wiz, but those have helped me a lot. I was always afraid of tuning too high and breaking something, but i was actually way too low. Those heads can take a lot more tension and punishment than i would have thought.

  18. #18

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    If you the time. Stretch those heads for 24 hrs. then tune them down to the desired tone you want.
    I know this attached video is the bass drum, but it still cracks me up when I watch Simon bounce on it.
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wGA1YgQ6zw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wGA1YgQ6zw[/ame]

  19. #19

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    A lot of people tune heads way too low. They will still sound good when both batter/reso are tuned low, but to really bring out the characteristics of your shells, tune those heads up and listen to the resonance.
    Gretsch - Tama - Pearl - Sabian - Zildjian - Stagg - Evans - Vater - Gibraltar

  20. #20

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    Smile Re: A little tuning help please!

    Quote Originally Posted by rabidpenguin45 View Post
    A lot of people tune heads way too low. They will still sound good when both batter/reso are tuned low, but to really bring out the characteristics of your shells, tune those heads up and listen to the resonance.
    This is the way most of us tune our drums lowest pitch to get the deep warm sound of our drums. I have tried to tighten the heads more and I get a boingy sound and hate it. I am not disagreeing with you if tighter heads is you sound then good but most of us like em a little looser.

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by yohin View Post
    I'd suggest tuning the batter of the floor tom higher than you usually do and keeping the reso loose...that gives me a nice low thump with great attack.
    +1
    Exactly how I tune my floor toms with the EC2s.

  22. #22

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    I like my toms tuned a little lower too. Especially my 16 x 16 to get that deep growling sound. In my opinion they still sing though.
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  23. #23

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    I'm giving up on these EC2s. I hate them. I just can't get a nice sound out of them. Might just put my old hydraulics back on. I'm so frustrated.

  24. #24

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    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    Try a new reso, I prefer to use "deadhead" combinations on floor toms as some would call them. Due to the depth of most floor toms, they naturally have a fair bit of sustain to contend with. I have found using a 2ply ring'd head such as pinstripe or ec2 with a 2ply non-ring'd head such as g2 or emp can control and reshape the natural tonalities and give me a more satisfying result. Thicker heads tend to get in tune faster anyway.
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  25. #25
    ddrumman2004 Guest

    Default Re: A little tuning help please!

    For what it's worth, I have never got a decent sound with any Evans head. Maybe it's just me.
    On my Pearl Masters Custom Extra kit, I get the best sounds with the stock heads that came on the kit...clear Remo Ambassadors. I have tried Pinstripes, regular coated Ambassadors, coated Evans G2 heads.....but always go back to clear Ambassadors.

    On my Export kit, clear Pinstripes work the best.

    I have used Remo heads since high school....back in the late 60s....and they always seemed to work best for me. Good luck with your tuning!

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