What heads are you currently using?

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willyz
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby willyz » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:03 am

Insteresting stuff, cats!

I've had problems with Remo's quality. A couple years a go I bought a batch of heads and after putting them on the kit the coating started come off right away. I called Remo up (don't remember off the top of my head with whom I spoke with), but they sent me an entire new batch of heads including a Powersonic to try on my kick...

...which I dug. It worked for a while but I think it's a head that sounds best mic'd up. When I played a lot of double kick stuff back in the day it would have been great, but for that I'd use a clear Powerstroke 3 with a pillow or blanket inside, which I don't really dig the sound of anymore and I'm not really using my double pedal... the thing about the open kick with Coated A's is that (I guess like Carlock has said many times before) it really sounds great unmic'd in a club (sound great recording too, but depending on the music I'll maybe roll up a t-shirt or something and put it against the reso head...).

I think I might try coated Emp's on the kit next... on the toms, atleast. Has anyone tried those black coated heads from Remo? I've heard the Emps are too dead but nobody ever has the Ambassador version instock...
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Henry II
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby Henry II » Mon Dec 06, 2010 5:50 pm

Snare: Evans J1 etched on top; Ambie snare on bottom
Toms: Coated Aquarian Studio X's on top; Clear Ambies on bottom
Bass: Aquarian Superkick on back; Coated Ambie on front (no other muffling)

PS: I've never had trouble with Remo quality. I have had some inconsistent quality with Evans heads.
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YamahaPlayer
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby YamahaPlayer » Tue Dec 07, 2010 8:39 am

I've never had coating chip on any brands head. Though I've seen numerous other issues. Any time you're making a product at that volume, QC issues are bond to occur, it's the nature of mass production. It's when they consistently are bad that it's an issue.

Going back to the kick head thing, 26" Tour Custom wide open with coated amb/clear amb and felt strip - magnifique!!
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kinkymook
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby kinkymook » Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:30 am

I used to be in LOVE with the Aquarian coated double thins on my Eames kit but after they stopped making them :evil: I switched to the Remo Coated Vintage Emps and I gotta tell ya, they sound so punchy, big and round, with a lot of great warmth. Just a pleasure and joy to play. On my studio kit, a Pearl Master Birch, I'm currently experimenting with the Aquarian Texture coated and am not that impressed. I'm prob gonna go with the Vintage Emps or for the sake of recording, plain ol' clear ambassadors. I've also got a Sonor kit that sounds stupid on recordings with, get this, Pinstripes! Wide open thunder! If they didn't sound so good on tape I wouldn't believe it myself :shock: .
Snares ALWAYS get Evans Reverse Power Dot as they sound soo much better than a Remo Ambassador (IMO) and my Eames bass drum currently has a smooth white that I'm in love with. The PEARL has a coated P3 which is fine and the Sonors have some sort of clear head, a P3 I think.
There's sooo many options and things to consider. I'm def behind the Remo Vintage Emps though. On birch toms, you can't go wrong.
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YamahaPlayer
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby YamahaPlayer » Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:01 am

It depends on budget too of course.

If you are buying 10 or 20 snare heads, the difference between $10 (Amb) and $16 (RV PW Dot), it adds up big time.
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kinkymook
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby kinkymook » Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:42 am

Oh, the Evans are more expensive but they last twice as long, again in my opinion...
When I thought coated Amb's were the ONLY head out there, that's all I bought, but ever since I was hipped out to the Evans Power Center Reverse, I was
blown away and have never looked back. I've had to use coated Amb's in a pinch due to lack of Evans availability and was not happy with the sound, action, and/or longevity of the head.
And, who buys 10-20 snare heads at a time? :lol:
I never have.
D.
YamahaPlayer
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby YamahaPlayer » Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:15 am

kinkymook wrote:Oh, the Evans are more expensive but they last twice as long, again in my opinion...
And, who buys 10-20 snare heads at a time? :lol:
I never have.


Then you simply don't play as much. Working drummers use heads. The working guys I know buy in bulk. I probably log 10-20x the playing hours as you. Gigs, teaching, shedding, etc playing drums is what I do for a living.

Besides, heads don't go bad. Why wouldn't you buy in bulk? Unless you're changing heads every 6 months (EWWWW!!) then you're going to use them.


I believe that to be darn near physically impossible for 1 head to last twice as long as another. The reason is, they use almost identical processing, crimping, resin and not to mention, the material is almost exactly the same. I've been to both factories, remo's a few times. There's no defining difference in either brand to account for a 200% gain in longevity. Neither company would attest to such a thing as well - as such, neither makes claims as lasting longer then the other. If a company isn't even going to try to market longevity, you know it just isn't so.
For the same 10mil thickness material to last twice as long as another, it would have to some incredible difference in the material, which simply doesn't exist - mylar is mylar, and both Remo and Evans get theirs from the same company - DuPont. Opinion is one thing, physics and reality are another.
chris Hendrich
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby chris Hendrich » Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:53 pm

YamahaPlayer wrote:Then you simply don't play as much. Working drummers use heads. The working guys I know buy in bulk. I probably log 10-20x the playing hours as you. Gigs, teaching, shedding, etc playing drums is what I do for a living.

Besides, heads don't go bad. Why wouldn't you buy in bulk? Unless you're changing heads every 6 months (EWWWW!!) then you're going to use them.


I believe that to be darn near physically impossible for 1 head to last twice as long as another. The reason is, they use almost identical processing, crimping, resin and not to mention, the material is almost exactly the same. I've been to both factories, remo's a few times. There's no defining difference in either brand to account for a 200% gain in longevity. Neither company would attest to such a thing as well - as such, neither makes claims as lasting longer then the other. If a company isn't even going to try to market longevity, you know it just isn't so.
For the same 10mil thickness material to last twice as long as another, it would have to some incredible difference in the material, which simply doesn't exist - mylar is mylar, and both Remo and Evans get theirs from the same company - DuPont. Opinion is one thing, physics and reality are another.



Who are you?
Your posts sound a lot of times aggressive and even condescending....
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gretsch-o-rama
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby gretsch-o-rama » Tue Dec 07, 2010 1:04 pm

YamahaPlayer wrote:
kinkymook wrote:Oh, the Evans are more expensive but they last twice as long, again in my opinion...
And, who buys 10-20 snare heads at a time? :lol:
I never have.


Then you simply don't play as much. Working drummers use heads. The working guys I know buy in bulk. I probably log 10-20x the playing hours as you. Gigs, teaching, shedding, etc playing drums is what I do for a living.

Besides, heads don't go bad. Why wouldn't you buy in bulk? Unless you're changing heads every 6 months (EWWWW!!) then you're going to use them.


I believe that to be darn near physically impossible for 1 head to last twice as long as another. The reason is, they use almost identical processing, crimping, resin and not to mention, the material is almost exactly the same. I've been to both factories, remo's a few times. There's no defining difference in either brand to account for a 200% gain in longevity. Neither company would attest to such a thing as well - as such, neither makes claims as lasting longer then the other. If a company isn't even going to try to market longevity, you know it just isn't so.
For the same 10mil thickness material to last twice as long as another, it would have to some incredible difference in the material, which simply doesn't exist - mylar is mylar, and both Remo and Evans get theirs from the same company - DuPont. Opinion is one thing, physics and reality are another.



I would say there is no comparison to evans coated heads to remo coated heads. In my experience, evans coating doesn't disintegrate, flake, or chip off, period. Remo only lasts a couple of months tops.
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Matus
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Re: What heads are you currently using?

Postby Matus » Tue Dec 07, 2010 2:51 pm

gretsch-o-rama wrote:
I would say there is no comparison to evans coated heads to remo coated heads. In my experience, evans coating doesn't disintegrate, flake, or chip off, period. Remo only lasts a couple of months tops.


Both brands' coating will go away if you play consistently and hard enough. It's most noticeable on Emperor/G2 heads, I always get the same transparent area where I'm backbeating.
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