What heads are you currently using?

[kinkymook]

Boy, I guess my post/opinion set someone off...
I think I got the somewhat aggressive response because I put a little at the idea that some cats buy 10-20 snare heads at a time. I've been in the percussion retail industry for a long time (Thoroughbred, AJ's, and GC) and have never sold that many snare heads to one person at one time so it struck me as funny. I wasn't making fun of Yamaha Player for doing so, but for him in return to assume that I don't play as much as he does, teach as much as he does, perform as much as he does, is just that-an assumption. And the scientific mylar lecture was unnecessary. Would I be more of a professional if I bought my heads and/or sticks in bulk? Is that what makes a player?
I've got my opinions on the products I've road tested. So does everyone else.
And as far as MY experience with Evans, Remo and Aquarian, well, they've all got their good points and bad. Point is: I've been more than satisfied with the Evans PCRD on my snare vs. a Remo for years, Dupont mylars the same, comparable, or not. It works for me, and worked for me for 10 years on the road and off. (First 10 were all Remo years.) Recordings, live gigs, whatever. We all play differently, use different sticks, hit harder, softer, use different technique, etc. Some of that is bound to affect how quickly different players go through different heads. I stand by my original statement that for ME, in my OPINION, Evans snare heads last twice as long as a Remo Ambassador and sonically just sound better. I've been playing for 27 years, spent 91-92 at Musicians Institute, and spent a good 20 of those years on the road playing every city and state in this country/in clubs 6 nights a week. I just hope that some here might find my opinions valid or at least worth some thought.
Silly that I should have to validate or defend myself here.

[DSOP]

Evans snare heads last twice as long as a Remo Ambassador and sonically just sound better.

I tried Evans heads on my whole kit (Yamaha Recording Custom at the time) for about a year back in the early 90s, and then switched back to Remo. I tried an Evans snare head again about six years ago, and again, switched back to Remo.

The way I hear it, the Evans head has a more brittle sound vs Remo which sound warmer to me. I'm sure sticks and drums and hoops play a factor, but I think the majority of a drum's sound comes from the head, and I just prefer the sound of Remo.

Also, the clear Evans heads seemed to accrue more of the stick's lacquer than the Remo heads. I never understood why that would be. Is the film treated differently?

[Kurtis]

i just can't get away from ambass remo clears on the toms. top and bottom. coated ambass for snare. didn't look or want to sample anything else cause it's the sound i wanted and desired. bass drum heads i'll put just about anything on it. weckl plays remo and his sound is half way decent. so does vinnie. both remo players. once you mic up drums everything changes for better or for worse.

[Lucas Ives]

I'm late to the flame war here, but ....

... coated ambassadors on batter side of everything (kick included), clear ambassadors on resonant side (except for kick, PowerStroke 3 there). Just enough overtone kill for my tastes, although on one of my snares I'll use a small piece of tape or moon gel.

[YamahaPlayer]

and spent a good 20 of those years on the road playing every city and state in this country/in clubs 6 nights a week. I just hope that some here might find my opinions valid or at least worth some thought.

I'm not attacking YOU, I'm attacking your comment. It's not a personal thing. Just I can't help it when people say such totally off the wall things like "X lasts twice as long.." that's just fantasy talk man, it really is.

There's just no way that's even possible. If someone is asking for advice on heads, then give them your opinion but lets not get into fantasy land here. (Saying one head lasts "twice as long" is a gross over assertion)

And I don't understand how someone who could claim to play out 6 nights a week finds it ludicrous to buy heads in bulk - the two statements just don't match up.
You played 6 nights a week and didn't even use 10 heads? It's statements like that.

If you went to M.I. then you know for sure people buy heads in HUGE bulk. That school is endorsed by Remo, and gets heads by the palette. Same if you've worked for GC - I know, because I've been out on tour several times and walked into a GuitarCenter and spent $200+ on heads. I know that's a common enough thing.

If you're going to laugh at my statements, then be prepared for an onslaught. And yes, if any of us are going through heads at a consistently faster rate then you, it in all likelihood means we play that much more then you.

[Joe Nocella]

wtf-demotivational-poster2.jpg (20.9 KiB) Viewed 7317 times

[Henry II]

Evans snare heads last twice as long as a Remo Ambassador and sonically just sound better.

I tried Evans heads on my whole kit (Yamaha Recording Custom at the time) for about a year back in the early 90s, and then switched back to Remo. I tried an Evans snare head again about six years ago, and again, switched back to Remo.

The way I hear it, the Evans head has a more brittle sound vs Remo which sound warmer to me. I'm sure sticks and drums and hoops play a factor, but I think the majority of a drum's sound comes from the head, and I just prefer the sound of Remo.

Also, the clear Evans heads seemed to accrue more of the stick's lacquer than the Remo heads. I never understood why that would be. Is the film treated differently?

Remo Ambassadors sound more musical to me than Evans coated G1's. And, my experience with Remo is that they are of more consistent quality than Evans. Aquarian heads look and feel like the best of the 3 in terms of quality, and I like their heads for toms and bass on larger drums (ie: 13" toms, 22" bass, etc.). But, for snare drum, I can't find a better head than a Remo Ambassador. I'm currently using an Evans J1 etched, and it's good. But, the etching wears off faster than the coating on Ambies or G1's, and the tone isn't as pleasing as that of the Ambie. It has a bit of a muted plastic sound. All JMHO, of course.

[Henry II]

and spent a good 20 of those years on the road playing every city and state in this country/in clubs 6 nights a week. I just hope that some here might find my opinions valid or at least worth some thought.

I'm not attacking YOU, I'm attacking your comment. It's not a personal thing. Just I can't help it when people say such totally off the wall things like "X lasts twice as long.." that's just fantasy talk man, it really is.

There's just no way that's even possible. If someone is asking for advice on heads, then give them your opinion but lets not get into fantasy land here. (Saying one head lasts "twice as long" is a gross over assertion)

And I don't understand how someone who could claim to play out 6 nights a week finds it ludicrous to buy heads in bulk - the two statements just don't match up.
You played 6 nights a week and didn't even use 10 heads? It's statements like that.

If you went to M.I. then you know for sure people buy heads in HUGE bulk. That school is endorsed by Remo, and gets heads by the palette. Same if you've worked for GC - I know, because I've been out on tour several times and walked into a GuitarCenter and spent $200+ on heads. I know that's a common enough thing.

If you're going to laugh at my statements, then be prepared for an onslaught. And yes, if any of us are going through heads at a consistently faster rate then you, it in all likelihood means we play that much more then you.

Persistently obnoxious!

[YamahaPlayer]

I just got some of these Evans "frosted" coated 14" heads to try. Looks like G Plus heads with a odd semi opaque coating. I'm give em a go and see how they do, free is free!

"Persitently Obnoxious"... shoot, it's not like I'm talking about physically assaulting people over their opinions (like some members post on this forum).

[Henry II]

Boy, I guess my post/opinion set someone off...
I think I got the somewhat aggressive response because I put a little at the idea that some cats buy 10-20 snare heads at a time. I've been in the percussion retail industry for a long time (Thoroughbred, AJ's, and GC) and have never sold that many snare heads to one person at one time so it struck me as funny. I wasn't making fun of Yamaha Player for doing so, but for him in return to assume that I don't play as much as he does, teach as much as he does, perform as much as he does, is just that-an assumption. And the scientific mylar lecture was unnecessary. Would I be more of a professional if I bought my heads and/or sticks in bulk? Is that what makes a player?
I've got my opinions on the products I've road tested. So does everyone else.
And as far as MY experience with Evans, Remo and Aquarian, well, they've all got their good points and bad. Point is: I've been more than satisfied with the Evans PCRD on my snare vs. a Remo for years, Dupont mylars the same, comparable, or not. It works for me, and worked for me for 10 years on the road and off. (First 10 were all Remo years.) Recordings, live gigs, whatever. We all play differently, use different sticks, hit harder, softer, use different technique, etc. Some of that is bound to affect how quickly different players go through different heads. I stand by my original statement that for ME, in my OPINION, Evans snare heads last twice as long as a Remo Ambassador and sonically just sound better. I've been playing for 27 years, spent 91-92 at Musicians Institute, and spent a good 20 of those years on the road playing every city and state in this country/in clubs 6 nights a week. I just hope that some here might find my opinions valid or at least worth some thought.
Silly that I should have to validate or defend myself here.

Funny, I keep the same heads on my drums for years at a time. To me, as long as I don't dent the heads (and I rarely do), the older the head, the better it sounds. I change batter side snare heads when the coating or texture is too smooth to get a good brush sound on it.