Aquarian Z100 Coated snare batter head

[ntn2it]

Today, I realized that I had only one Remo Coated Ambassador head left. I change them out about every month with all the playing I've been doing, so I'm going through them pretty easily. (coating wears off, head starts getting dead spots in it, etc.) Which leads me to this:

I went to GC this morning for a few new heads and found an Aquarian Z100 Coated head there for about $1 less than I've been paying for my Remo's. The advertisement says that it it is the longest lasting coating made and will outlast any other coated head on the market. Sooooo......anyone have any input on these heads? I did buy one to try it out and will put it on later tonight.

[DrumRookie]

It's apparently been out for a while. Other forums have been talking about it in 07. I've never heard of it until now.
It supposed to be a durable coating, but be maintain the response and sensitivity to the head. It's more comparable to the G1's or Ambos.

Let us know how it goes, I'm curious to know!

[Pearl MCX Man]

Yes the Aquarian Z100 textured finish ( coated) is great. I have one on my vintage Slingerland snare and it sound great. I bought it back in 2007 when they first came out just by luck I guess cause the salesman swore by it that it was most durable coated head out there and he was right. The head does not seem to collect dirt like some of the coated heads that I have used before ( probably because of the shinny finish). So if you get a chance to try one do and you will not regret if.

[MR. G]

It's important to have a pen and paper handy whem cruising through these threads.....thanks

[trickg]

The single ply Aquarian Texture Coated head with the Z100 coating is my favorite snare head, and what's currently on most of my snares. It's the one head I can rely on to sound great on just about any drum I put it on, and yes, the coating is tough. I had one once where the coating came off prematurely and I sent Aquarian an email about it. Roy Burns himself called me to get my address so he could send me a replacement.

With the exception of that one head, I've had nothing but good luck with Aquarian batter side drum heads.

[ntn2it]

Thanks guys for the reviews of this drum head. I put mine on last night before playing it for 3 hours at practice. It sounded almost exactly like the Remo coated Ambassador that I took off of it, so I was pleasantly surprised by that as my Tama seems a bit fickle as to what head it likes. Played it for 3 hours and it showed absolutely no signs of having been hit at all. Used the brushes on a Violent Femmes song, and the rutes on a Johnny Cash tune, (both of which are total snare drum songs all the way though) and it sounded great, again with no signs of wear. This weekend I'll put it through the wringer with two 4 hour shows, and see how it does. Wish I would have found these sooner. Good things come to those wait (or have no idea?).

[Pearl MCX Man]

Aye you don't know till you try them ntn2it. I guarantee you after putting her to a 4 hour test you will be amazed at how tough this head is. Like I mention mine has been on my snare over 5 years and still no sign of wear and tear yet. I had a Dixon snare head on once and it flaked off in the first 10 minutes of playing but then Dixon heads are crap anyway. So enjoy your Aquarian Z 100 man.

[trickg]

5 years!? How often do you use that snare? I have found with my Aquarian snare heads, that once they start to go dead, they go dead really fast - I get about 6-8 month of solid, regular, daily use out of them before that though.

[ntn2it]

5 years!? How often do you use that snare? I have found with my Aquarian snare heads, that once they start to go dead, they go dead really fast - I get about 6-8 month of solid, regular, daily use out of them before that though.

To me, this sounds like a more realistic timeframe for a working drummer like myself. 5 years? That thing can't have much "bounce" in it, if any! Right now, I change my Remo Ambassadors out monthly on both my practice kit and my gigging kit. It's not so much that the coating wears off (which it does), but more that the head goes dead once that coating is gone. It just doesn't respond with a sharp crack, and doesn't rebound my sticks properly. When I take them off they just appear totally deformed. At a cost of around $12 each that's $288 per year. Even if I could get 3 months out of the Aquarian heads that would reduce my cost to only $80 per year. (2 heads every 3 months at $10ea)

[trickg]

A lot of it really depends on how much I'm playing and practicing too. I put a brand new snare head on my main 6x14 maple snare on September 2nd (I know, because I write it small near the edge) and I replaced that head on New Year's Day, so I only got 4 months out of it, but it was 4 months of pretty heavy use. During September and half of October, I was putting in 1-3 hours a day on my drums, leaning more toward the 2-3 hours rather than 1. I'm a solid hitter, but I don't beat my drums. Before I switched that head out, I could feel it going dead under my hands, but more than that, it started kind of "ponking" with this hollowish sound that lacked a lot of snare response. When I pulled it off, it was completely concave by about an inch or so at the center point of the head.

I've never really noticed the sound thing too much with other brands - most other heads it seems like I can crank up some more tension to get a bit more life out of them, but ideally, I'll just swap it for a new head - I just figure that if I'm going to be a drummer then there are certain expendables that have to be accounted for.

[ntn2it]

I can already say that this head is going to last a lot longer than my Remo's. After just two shows and a few practices, it shows absolutely no sign of having the coating come off or even getting worn down. Another two gigs this weekend and then I'll take a picture of it after being used (I also have a pic of it when it was put on new) and then I'll let you guys decide if it is a good coating or not.

[Russ]

I currently use Aquarian texture coated 1ply's on all batters except for kick. My favorite head so far! Quite durable, very toneful and rich. Not too bright, but bright and open enough. You'd think a head that durable would be priced at twice what they're asking - since compared to it's competitive variations like ambassadors and g1's, it IS more durable than what they offer. I think overall Aquarians are my top choice when sound and durability matters. I would try Remo again, but their quality control has been going down the crapper for quite awhile now. They need to make their coating a lot stronger on their classic heads like emperors, ambassadors, and pinstripes and worry a lot less about putting out new designs like powersonic and ambassador x. They stand a better chance of staying competitive if their long time go-to products are more reliable than the ones i've used. Some Evans stuff is strong, but a few of their heads could use more durability also. Emad reso for one thing. Floods of problematic reports make me convinced I should stick with Aquarian til their quality control issues are resolved!

[Pearl MCX Man]

I agree with Russ. I have the Z 100 on my stell snare and the sound is great. The skin is very durable and stays a heck of alot cleaner than any coated head that I have ever used. I am thinking of going Aquarian coated on all my toms when I am ready to experiment. Right now I am happy with Evans EC2 clear.

[longgun]

May have to try these out....currently use Evans coated, and they last a lot longer than my remo's do....but they do get dirty quick.

[Pearl MCX Man]

May have to try these out....currently use Evans coated, and they last a lot longer than my remo's do....but they do get dirty quick.

I had Evans G2's coated at one time but they realy got dirty fast and where not easy to clean. The Aquarian Z 100 Textured finish has like a glossy finish to it which makes it hard for the dirt to cling to and even if they get dirty ,a damp cloth brings her back to the nice white finish. So this way your kit looks nice and new not dirty ad crappy looking.Try them out man.

[Olimpass]

I think the Aquarian coated Z-100's are great! They made my 6 lugger Werco snare pop nice. A really great durable head for brush work too I've heard.

[Pearl MCX Man]

Yeah I think Aquarian heads are starting to make a dent in the drumhead industry. When I first saw an Aquarian head, I had never heard of them but the salesman talked me into the Z 100 textured head and I never regretted getting one.

[SpecialAnthony]

This thread is talking me into one. Interesting stuff guys- I never would have given them a second thought. Now I am...

[Pearl MCX Man]

This thread is talking me into one. Interesting stuff guys- I never would have given them a second thought. Now I am...

This is the thing here on DC you learn something new all the time and that is what makes interesting enough to enjoy. So enjoy and learn LOL

[Aaaidn]

I played my stock remo snare head for a month or so, afterwards my Remo Coated Ambassador(Embassador) I don't know. After a month, I had dead spots and the coating had flaked off the centre and was cracking off around where it had flaked off. It dirtied easy and felt a bit plastic when I was hitting it.

I've been playing the aquarian coated for around 4 months now, no visible flaking, no dirt visible. No sound change from when it was new and the stick bounce/rebound is incredible. Don't get me started on the tuning range, I love this head, no If's and definately no buts. And best thing I've found is if you crank it way up, then lower it down, it still sounds incredible, literally no change.

[Pearl MCX Man]

I played my stock remo snare head for a month or so, afterwards my Remo Coated Ambassador(Embassador) I don't know. After a month, I had dead spots and the coating had flaked off the centre and was cracking off around where it had flaked off. It dirtied easy and felt a bit plastic when I was hitting it.

I've been playing the aquarian coated for around 4 months now, no visible flaking, no dirt visible. No sound change from when it was new and the stick bounce/rebound is incredible. Don't get me started on the tuning range, I love this head, no If's and definately no buts. And best thing I've found is if you crank it way up, then lower it down, it still sounds incredible, literally no change.

Another satisfied Aquarian customer. Like I said earlier Aquarian is definitly making a dent in the drumhead world and it shows with it's quality, endurance, easy tuning and great sound .

[05WideGuy]

Man, once you go Aquarian...you never go back!!!

[Pearl MCX Man]

Mr. Burns would be excited to read some of these threads on his Aquarian heads. It has taken him years to promote his products against the other Giants and he has in my opinion some of the best heads out there it is just that most drummers don't know that and by reading these threads it makes them curious enough to try them.

[MartyM]

As an Aquarian guy myself this all sounds real promising..my only concern would be for those that use brushes ( jazz playing mostly ) will the smooth coating limit that?

[longgun]

As an Aquarian guy myself this all sounds real promising..my only concern would be for those that use brushes ( jazz playing mostly ) will the smooth coating limit that?

...I was wondering the same thing....if it's so smooth that it "stays" clean....you would think it would limit brushes just like the clears do?