What drum heads are you using?

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nightcrawler_steve

What drum heads are you using?

Post by nightcrawler_steve »

Drummer Kats.....

Just curious what everyone is using for heads these days? Please, if you have time, describe the style(s) of music you play, shell type and the sound you like.

For years, I have been using:

Kit 1 - Maple 3ply shells w/3ply re-hoops

Snare (main): Evans Genera Dry coated/Evans snare-side 200
Toms: Remo Coated Ambassoders batter/Ambassoder resonant
Kick: Evans Studio EQ (with mylar beater pad)/ Remo Ebony front with 4" hole

________________________________________________

Im replacing heads on both my main and practice kits. Im also having the bearing edges recut on my practice kit as well. Interested in any thoughts on the heads mentioned below as Ive never used them, except the EC2s on a studio set.

Kit 1 - Maple 3ply shells w/re-hoops

Snare (main 5.5x14 w/wood hoops): Evans Genera Dry coated/Evans snare-side 300
Toms (10, 12, 16): Evans EC2 Clear batter/Aquarian Resonant Glass Ebony
Kick (18x22): Evans Studio EQ (with mylar beater pad)/ Remo Ebony front with 4" hole

Kit 2 - Basswood 8-10 ply

Snare (7x14): Evans EC2 Clear batter /Evans snare-side 300
Toms (10, 12, 14, 16): Evans G2 Coated/Ambassoder resonant
Kick (20x22): Factory heads?, not bad....tuned up well and small towel inside. 4" hole in front.

I play a wide variety of styles and room situations and require a versitile sound. I like my snare to be tight and dry. I like my toms to make a "d'oooom" sound with decent sustain and focus, not dead. I like a tight, thick and punchy kick...kinda like a "thunk".
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Post by ToonaRockGuy »

Snare: Evans ST Dry (batter), Evans Hazy 300 (Snare)
Toms: Evans G2 Clear (batter), Evans G1 Clear (resonant)
Kicks: Attack 2-Ply Clear (batter), Yamaha Logo Heads (resonant)

My selection is based on the fact that I need all-around sounds, since I play all types of music. My kit is a 1999 Yamaha Stage Custom, and I find that with the head selection I have, I can get a huge range of sounds by changing the tunings.

I am trying to save money, however, to switch the kick batters to Evans EMAD heads. But damn, they are expensive.
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Post by Team Transylvania »

End OF The Sun's drummer uses Aquarian Heads. The kick drum head is a Superkick III. I think thats Remo.
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Post by DrumAndDestroy »

haha you good drummers are going to be mad at me...

snare--remo emperor x with the reverse black dot (the only snare batter head i'll use)
kick--remo powerstroke 3

toms...whatever i have.

my rack tom has an evans g1 clear and the floor tom has an evans ec whatever they are called.

i've actually gotten a lot of compliments on my tone though so i guess i'm ok.
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Post by hardhitter »

I use all evens on 3 of my sets.

On my sets I use evens G2 ( batter ) and evens G1 (resonant) on all the toms.
bass I use Evens EQ2 ( batter ) and EQ3 black ( resonant )

I use 2 snares there both Pork pie's I use ST Dry or EC Reverse Dot (batter) and Hazy 300 (Snare) I use the same on both snares.

I also use the Evens bass pillow The Resonance Gate System (RGS) and moongels.

I'm not a big Remo fan. It seems they don't last long. To get them tuned to my liking they are too loose and dent easy. Dented heads are BAD!
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Post by CCdrums »

I play pretty much all styles, except for jazz right now, but I'm currently in a rock gig. I use Remo coated ambassador over snare side ambassador on the snare drum, Remo clear emperor on toms clear ambassador on bottom of toms, Evans EMAD on kick, no muffling. Sometimes I go with a Remo powerstroke 3 on the kick. No muffling on anything, unless I use the powerstroke 3 on the kick. Then I use a small blanket just touching both heads.

My kit is a Yamaha maple custom absolute kit with a Ludwig supraphonic 6.5x14 snare drum. I like my drums to explode with balls and volume and be as loud and powerful as possible. So, I tune them to achieve as much tone and resonance as possible, without any weird overtones. It's all in the tuning. I like my snare to "pop" with a nice higher pitched tone, the toms to explode in your guts with a nice low end and attack, plenty of resonance and the kick to thump but with some oomph to it, not too dead.
Last edited by CCdrums on Saturday Feb 23, 2008, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by CCdrums »

Team Transylvania wrote:End OF The Sun's drummer uses Aquarian Heads. The kick drum head is a Superkick III. I think thats Remo.

A Superkick III is an Aquarian head, not Remo.
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Post by Hawk »

Toms : I have been a clear two ply guy for a long time for batter heads.
Emperors or EC2s over clear Ambassadors.

Toms : I'm trying to not be a hard hitter any more (playing blues).
Now, Coated Ambassadors over clear Ambassadors.
I love this sound. Warm, resonant, articulate.
I usually tuned my reso lower than the batter for the pitch drop effect. But now they're tuned to the same pitch as the batter.

Snare : Favorite, Coated Ambassador over Ambassador Hazy.
Tuned to about medium batter tension. Reso is tuned to what ever it takes to give a clean articulate snare sound without choking the head or the wires.

Kick : Emad batter - Aquarian Reso w/ 4" port. NOTHING IN the bass drum !
Tuned just above wrinkle.

Practice Kit : Whatever I have used from my gig kit.
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Post by Team Transylvania »

CCdrums wrote:
Team Transylvania wrote:End OF The Sun's drummer uses Aquarian Heads. The kick drum head is a Superkick III. I think thats Remo.

A Superkick III is an Aquarian head, not Remo.

haha you are correct. i just went out an looked.
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Post by HBSPro »

Yamaha Stage custom set 90s era

Aquarian super kick pack 1 on the kick
Aquarian Studio X on the toms and floor
Attack med .1 ply black on the bottom of the toms
Evans heads on snare top and bottom
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Post by Mapex Drummer »

I play mainly classic to modern Rock and this is what I use.

2006 Mapex Saturn Pro

6ply shells ( 4 Maple exterior/ 2 walnut interior )

Toms - Attack thin skin 2ply top and bottom

Floor toms - Attack 2ply medium top and bottom

Snare - Remo coated Ambassador top

Bass - Aquarian SuperKick II Front - Attack 1ply medium w/4" hole
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Post by redawg »

I used Remo clear or ebony pinstripes on the tops of my toms, clear Ambassadors on my tom bottoms. I personally didn't like to use thin bottom heads like Diplomats. My favorite snare head was an Aquarian Hi-Energy. Clear Ambassador for snare bottom. I loved the Evans coated E-MAD head for my kick drum batter. I think it gave more low end than the clear E-MAD. For kick drum resonant side, anything pre-muffled with a hole cut in it.
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Post by slackin@dabass »

it's all about the evans clear g2s on smaller toms... i like the coated g2s on my floors toms, though. i have a genera dry on my snare batter, but that wasn't by choice. music emporiums choice for drum equipment sucks... well, pretty much any music store in this area sucks for drum stuff. i really prefer the remo coated ambassador on the snare batter, but like i said, i was forced to make a decision. the genera dry is a good focused snare sound, but not as much ring as i like... i like that little bit of a ring, you know what i mean? you know what i mean :D as for the kick i am still using the shitty head that came on my pdp's... it's a powerstroke 3 knockoff... robthedrummer says that aquarian superkicks are the best bass drum head on the face of the earth, so i'm considering maybe getting one of those to try out soon.

my drums are a pdp x7 with i believe poplar shells. they sound good, not dw good but better then an export good. only a grand for a 7 peice, and the finish is amazing
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Post by CCdrums »

slackin@dabass wrote:it's all about the evans clear g2s on smaller toms... i like the coated g2s on my floors toms, though. i have a genera dry on my snare batter, but that wasn't by choice. music emporiums choice for drum equipment sucks... well, pretty much any music store in this area sucks for drum stuff. i really prefer the remo coated ambassador on the snare batter, but like i said, i was forced to make a decision. the genera dry is a good focused snare sound, but not as much ring as i like... i like that little bit of a ring, you know what i mean? you know what i mean :D as for the kick i am still using the shitty head that came on my pdp's... it's a powerstroke 3 knockoff... robthedrummer says that aquarian superkicks are the best bass drum head on the face of the earth, so i'm considering maybe getting one of those to try out soon.

my drums are a pdp x7 with i believe poplar shells. they sound good, not dw good but better then an export good. only a grand for a 7 peice, and the finish is amazing
I'm a Remo guy myself. I bought into the hype of the SKII from Aquarian, but on my Yamaha maple custom absolute kick, it sounded boingy and plasticy. I hated it. I've heard them sound good on other kits but not on mine. I use a Powerstroke 3 with a Powerstroke 3 resonant head on the kick, 4 inch hole cut at the 4 o'clock position on the head, tuned real low with a small hourglass pad just barely touching both heads. It kills, ask Bobby from the Hurricanes.
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Post by KyleMayket »

Kick : Aquarian Super Kick II and ebony resonant
toms: EC2's with G1 resonant with the exception of my floor tom, G2 coated with no resonant head tuned real low (used as a boom pad)
Snare: ST dry batter and whatever it came with resonant (sounds good, i'm not messing with it)
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