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Drum skin questions


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I've picked up a 5 piece used Tornado drum kit I'm May. Since then I replaced and added Sabian cymbals and added an additional unbranded 18 inch floor tom 😁

I play drums in average 45- 60 mins a week. I've learnt to play with less force and more dynamics Although the skins are playable I need to replace them. I've played with resos on/off and now they are back on. I only want top skins replaced. I read the black doted Remo have good reviews but it's all personal preference / style etc. I am planning to record rock and metal. Any suggestions for. A lower/ mod range price. Ideally a set bundle.

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, fleabag said:

Remo Ambassadors are cheaper than the top range stuff like  Remo Emperor X,   Aquarian,  Evans ( owned by D'addario )

If playing rock and metal Ambassadors won’t last. 
 

Look for two-ply heads - plain Remo Emperors, Evans G2s, Aquarian Response 2s etc. 

 

If want a deader sound try heavier twin ply such as Pinstripes, or Evans Hydraulics. 
 

There’s a really good comparison chart here which shows the comparable heads for each brand: 

 

https://www.aquariandrumheads.com/drumhead-guide-comparison-chart

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Cheers all. Very detailed advice , had a look at the chart and ring the shop at one point. I don't think I need to worry about making a hole etc. As i've learnt to play sensibly, as long as  I achieve the that classic rock and metal sound. To be fair I managed to almost master the tuning and already getting a decent sound from the cheap heads.

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I think all of the manufacturer's 'core' ranges are much of a muchness - clear/coating single/twin ply. It's when they go for their proprietary stuff it gets interesting. 

 

My preference has been for Aquarian over Remo for coated single ply, but recently had a head 'let go' between the flesh hoop and bearing edge on an Aquarian Texture Coated - I've never had that happen before.

 

Remo and Evans are much easier to find though. 

 

I tend to use coated single-ply heads on the rack toms and coated double ply heads on the floor toms. The key point is to know what sort of sound you want and choose the heads accordingly. Open, bright, lots of attack - single ply. That 70's studio 'thwub' sound - twin-ply coated or even oil-filled. You can then tweak with damping and tuning from there. 

 

My absolute fave head was Remo Vintage Ambassadors and Emperors - a bit thicker than the 'normal' ones with a heavier coating. Lovely heads, but really difficult to get hold of and REALLY expensive. I always tend to use coated heads - I don't like the plasticy 'thwack' you get with clear heads. 

 

My 'go to' snare batter is a coated reverse dot - CS Dot in Remo parlance, and Power Center [sic] Reverse Dot in Evansspeak. Recently I got a snare with an Evans Genera HD Dry head on it and liked it a lot - so much so I bought some more for other drums. 

 

Edit: and some of the best heads I ever used were Evans G-Plus etched heads - a cross between a clear and coated, with a thicker single ply. Absolutely lovely heads those were. They don't do them now and I don't know what replaced them. 

Edited by Jakester
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Code heads are made in the UK and seem to be the cheapest of the usable brands I've recorded (not tried them on my kit), so if price is a factor, definitely check them out. You can play rock and metal without hammering the kit as hard as you can... but it doesn't sound as good :) 

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30 minutes ago, neepheid said:

Sorry I can't help.  I know nothing about drums beyond their shape and size and the slightly glazed over, dreamy-eyedness my drummer gets when you mention "Vistalites", whatever they are...

 

 

Oh yummy, my old drummer had a Ludwig Vistalite, very John Bonham! It was actually a great gigging kit, but I thought his Yamaha version had a better sounding kick drum. 

 

vistalite-_0003_Background_copy.jpg

 

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4 minutes ago, cheddatom said:

Code heads are made in the UK and seem to be the cheapest of the usable brands I've recorded (not tried them on my kit), so if price is a factor, definitely check them out. You can play rock and metal without hammering the kit as hard as you can... but it doesn't sound as good :) 

I bought a Code smooth white head to replace a knackered bass drum front head, but I have to say I wasn't that impressed. Rather than being opaque it was quite see-through and felt a lot thinner than the head it was replacing. I mean, it did the job, but didn't quite give that 'factory' look. I haven't tried their heads as batters though. 

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