Please help with drumheads

[DrumRafDrum]

HI guys, first off im new to this forum! ha im hoping that i can get some real help here. Well to start off my first question is i have a tama rockstarDX and i am in dire need of new heads Im just wondering from your standpoint what heads would you recommend for nice sounds i play in the rock genre anywere from poprock to metal. and i am currently not using and resonant (bottom heads) for my toms i have a 13 tom 14 tom and 18 tom but im only using the 13 and 18 for now.. do you guys recommend me to use the bottom heads will they sound better?..and if so which heads shoudl i use and should they be 1ply or 2plys? i get people telling me aquarian super 2's and evans g2's..im not sure..Also one more thing should i get clear or coated..whats the difference?.. Thankyou..haha i apologize about the longest question ever! ^_^



RAF!

[fiacovaz]

Remo pinstripes on top...clear, if you want large attack and volume, white coated if you want a warmer, mellow sound. Single ply resonant on bottoms. The bottom head pushes the air back towards the batter head and that's what makes your drums sound as they should. No heads on the bottom is flat and dull. Once you have the heads, then you need to learn how to tune the drums...and it's more than just turning a key. you'll find plenty of advise on that subject here as well. BTW, welcome to the Forum!!

[DrumRafDrum]

Hey thankyou! ok so i will get some single ply res. but Can i ask what do you recommend clear or coated? i just want to know what is more widely used and recommend. Oh and which will sound better on a mic?..another question i thought i should throw in is What would be a good heads both resonant and batter head for the snare drum?..and wat about new snares?

[pastor_bob]

No problem with the post DRD, and welcome to Drum Chat! You're going to get a lot of responses to this post, because people around here really enjoy sharing their experience.

First of all, my feeling on the the resonant heads is that unless you are going for that Classic Rock sound, you'll want to get resonant heads back on those drums. I would suggest single ply - something like Remo Ambassadors. Then, since you apparently lean toward a less resonant sound, I would suggest Evans EC2's, Remo Pinstripes, or as you mentioned, the Aquarian Super 2's.

As to the coated or uncoated, the coated heads will give you a warmer sound that an uncoated head.

Now, all of this assumes that you have a decent understanding of basic drum tuning, because it won't help much if you get all the right heads, but they aren't well tuned. If you have any issues there, just let us know (we can be such helpful folks ).

Again, welcome to Drum Chat DRD!!

[DrumRafDrum]

HI Bob,

Thankyou for the response i think i might go ahead and try the clears and i will put the reso heads back on to get more of a modern sound! do u have any advice for the snare drum heads? thanks

[pastor_bob]

What size snare drum do you have DRD? I would assume that the Rockstar setup probably has a 14X5, or a 14X5.5.

[Aaron]

hey drumrafdrum if its not to late i'd like to say that you should get evens blue hydraulics, they have great sound and remove lots of the annoying overtones.

[bassist learning drums]

Welcome DRD!! I recently ordered Remo Pistripes with a Powerstroke snare head to replace my stock Pearl Protone heads. I just went online to AMS Musician's friend type sites and checked out reviews and prices. I've also spoke with other drummers. From drummers my responses were usually the same. Get behind kits with different brands and see what ya think, then they said "being a novice(which I am), you won't really have much preference. But they told me that if you stick with a certain brand you will most likely always use it. Most of my drummer friends used the Remo brand, and a lot of reviews recommended them. Once I get a good year under my belt, I may consider exploring other brands. So I guess try out what you want and maybe through playing other kits you may find something that really is what you want. Open Mic nights will be a good experience for that.

[DrumRafDrum]

HEy bob its def one of those i think it might be a 14x5.5..but its def one of those..no way its a 14x6 or smaller than a 14x5....And thanks everyone for your response...im stuck on evans blue hydraulics or evans g2 coated batter heads.....>_<

[bongobro]

DRD, 14" x 5.5" sounds about right...

I have clear Remo pinstripes on my kit; while I play more big-band and Latin beats than rock, the clear ones work well for what I do.

I had blue Evans Hydraulics on my first kit and they had that '70's sound and feel to them. Must point out, however, I had no reso heads on any of the toms (used kit), so they sounded a bit more "thuddy" than you might like. But I liked the Hydraulics for what I was playing and learning at the time...

Try both if you can, although between the two, I'd lean to the Hydraulics...

BTW, welcome aboard, RAF! Rock dem drums!

[fiacovaz]

Puresound snares is always a good choice. Keep in mind what it is that you will be playing most of the time. I used to have a 20 strand wire snare and that was okay for playing Rock and Heavy. However, as I moved more into jazz and big band where dynamics and musicality are more prominent, I moved to a 40 strand snare which gives me more response with minimum effort. Also, if you have a resource close by, never be shy of asking questions of local drum dealers and studios for advise and recommedations.

[bassist learning drums]

Puresound snares is always a good choice. Keep in mind what it is that you will be playing most of the time. I used to have a 20 strand wire snare and that was okay for playing Rock and Heavy. However, as I moved more into jazz and big band where dynamics and musicality are more prominent, I moved to a 40 strand snare which gives me more response with minimum effort. Also, if you have a resource close by, never be shy of asking questions of local drum dealers and studios for advise and recommedations.

Thanks for the tip. Like a bass player, I have little knowledge of things like snares!

[Dustin]

HI guys, first off im new to this forum! ha im hoping that i can get some real help here. Well to start off my first question is i have a tama rockstarDX and i am in dire need of new heads Im just wondering from your standpoint what heads would you recommend for nice sounds i play in the rock genre anywere from poprock to metal. and i am currently not using and resonant (bottom heads) for my toms i have a 13 tom 14 tom and 18 tom but im only using the 13 and 18 for now.. do you guys recommend me to use the bottom heads will they sound better?..and if so which heads shoudl i use and should they be 1ply or 2plys? i get people telling me aquarian super 2's and evans g2's..im not sure..Also one more thing should i get clear or coated..whats the difference?.. Thankyou..haha i apologize about the longest question ever! ^_^



RAF!

I would recommend clear Remo ambassadors on reso tom heads, pinstripes on the batters, a normal coated ambassador on the snare & powerstroke 4 on the kick. a
also get a high quality head similar to a powerstroke 4 for the front bass head. Don't cut a huge hole in it, a small 4" port does the job nicely. You should get a big sound from all drums when tuned correctly. you could also get a set of O rings for the toms & Snare. they kill a bit of the ring but not all (controlled ring is good!), add some warmth and eliminates the need for tape on the heads!.

[Kjbakke2]

as for toms i would suggest remo ambassador resonant heads ( the ones actually made for resonant sides not just remo ambassadors)
remo pinstripes are a great choice for batters and they last a looooooong time
i also like coated and clear emperors for batter sides
i play the same genre as you do so i know what your going for
at least ball park
keep reading how to tune and figure it out and youll be happy muh friend =]
also a coated ambassador or powerstroke on the snare
and i love the emad bass drum heads
if your drums are tuned properly
you wont need any muffling really
no tape or rings
and when yoru tuning make sure to be aware of the drums as a whole not just how one drum sounds
you 3want your drums to be on the ringy side a bit more than you would think
they really liven up when played with cymbals etc. that way =]

happy drumming

[DrumRafDrum]

Thnx guys guys for everything you really did show how helpful this forum site is ^_^

[DrumRafDrum]

HAHa ok well here is my idea first off my set was a 5 piece tama rockstar dx custom..but i converted to a 4 piece by taking off the 14 tom and keeping the 13 tom and my flor is believe it or not a 18..lol...and i have a 14x5.5 snare....so my idea was to get my toms both the 13 and 18 evan g1's for reso...and evan coated g2 batter heads....oh ya what is the difference between the evan g2 coated batter heads and the evan generea g2 coated batter heads...i dont understand can some one explain which should i get...and as for my snare im going to get the evans 300 for reso..im still not sure with the batter head for snare..and i have a 20 strand snare im gonna play it safe and keep those snares..lol...one more thing for the toms should i keep the reso tighter than batter....??....and what about the snare what should i have tighter reso or batter...maybe both the same?...im not sure...and yes i play metal and or pop rock..

[livewire80]

G1 coated for the snare batter in my opinion. Not sure of the difference between the G2 coated and generea G2 coated, sorry. For snare, my batter is tighter than the reso and the toms I have the reso a bit tighter than the batter but not by much. Start off with both the same and take it from there, experiment with them and try and find the sound you like.

[DrumRafDrum]

G1 coated for the snare batter in my opinion. Not sure of the difference between the G2 coated and generea G2 coated, sorry. For snare, my batter is tighter than the reso and the toms I have the reso a bit tighter than the batter but not by much. Start off with both the same and take it from there, experiment with them and try and find the sound you like.

Ohh kk i will do that...ya i gues g1 coated on the snare would be good! thanks for your help...um what it be bad if i just threw a evan g2 on the snare other than the g1, just a thought..

[fiacovaz]

DRD...you might want to go the each of the major drum head makers web site to read what they have to say about their product and best applications: Evans, Aquarian and Remo. You have to realize that the reason there are so many "Heads" from which to choose is because there are so many different uses for the product. For instance, I play big band and accoustic jazz...I would not use Evans Hydraulic heads. My concern for you is that there are many opinions here and that can be confusing to you. You mentioned that you are playing Rock to Heavy. Use that criteria as you look over each of the web sites and begin to narrow your search. Once you do, then you can come here to ask who uses which head and get some practical advise that will be just what you need. It's a bit of a project, I know, but it is well worth the effort. Good Luck...

[pastor_bob]

DRD, the difference between the G2 and the Genera is that the Genera has an overtone control ring applied to the underside of the head, so the sound is a bit more focused (without so much overtone). Also, the Genera is listed by Evans as a bit brighter in sound than the G2. The coating will warm up both heads, but the G2 will be more open - having a bit more overtone (ringy). Personally, I think a bit of ring is good in a live situation, although it can be a bit annoying when practicing in the house. That's where a good overtone control ring can come in handy. You can put in on when you need it, and take it off when you don't.

[Mysterious Stan]

I bought some pinstripes recently and am extremely happy with them. They have a nice deep, fat sound which could be used for any genre i think. I bought a hazy emperor for my snare resonate side, i only bought it cause it was the cheapest i could find but it is actually pretty good.

Id advise going to a local drum shop and trying out drums with various heads or asking their advice on the matter to get further information. Although im happy with mine i wish i had done that.

[Mysterious Stan]

Oh btw i think for the snare the reso should be alot more loose than the batter. I have my batter pretty tight. I learned on here through good advice if the reso head is looser it makes more contact with the snare and vibrates more. I dont know about the toms, i would think having them the same tightness to get a consistent tone but im not sure.

[fiacovaz]

#21 Today, 12:03 PM
Mysterious Stan
Junior Member (Newbie) Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 60

Re: Please help with drumheads

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I bought some pinstripes recently and am extremely happy with them. They have a nice deep, fat sound which could be used for any genre i think. I bought a hazy emperor for my snare resonate side, i only bought it cause it was the cheapest i could find but it is actually pretty good.
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You have that right...the Pinstripes do impart a fatter sound...I use them on my toms. Not liong ago, I put the Hazy reso head on my snare and use the Remo emperor as the batter. keep the reso just a bit on the loose side for terrific snare respnse. As for the toms, you should try to tune both heads to the same pitch and then decide wheter you want to tighten or loosen the batter head to achieve the sound you are wanting. I used to tighten the reso heads very tings and loosed the top just a bit. it wasn't bad but, since I began starting with a matched pitch, I have been able to get a more musical tone with my toms. The lesson here...never be afraid of trying various ways to achieve your goals. That's how you learn.