I really dislike Evans Coated G2's. I bought some on the advice of a drum tutor when I was at uni and they sucked the life out of my beautiful old Sonor kit. I ended up putting the old Remo Clear CS's back on (batter side, obviously). Clear Ambassadors on the resonant side.

I think I'll get some coated Ambassadors or Emperors on the next time I re-head.

Can anyone recommend a good kick head (resonant side). I've got a coated Powerstroke 3 on the batter side. I don't want to cut a hole in the resonant side.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Can anyone recommend a good kick head (resonant side). I've got a coated Powerstroke 3 on the batter side. I don't want to cut a hole in the resonant side.

i like any old Ambassadors with this setup, but it can be a bit more 'tom-like' (which i prefer). if you like that sound, go for it.

154 wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good kick head (resonant side). I've got a coated Powerstroke 3 on the batter side. I don't want to cut a hole in the resonant side.

i like any old Ambassadors with this setup, but it can be a bit more 'tom-like' (which i prefer). if you like that sound, go for it.

That's exactly the sound I'm after.

Thank you!

I'm quite partial to the evans eq4 batter for kick. No hole on the resonant side. BOOM. For reals. Give it a whirl.

Dr. Venkman wrote:Does anyone have any experience restoring these drums? dontfeartheringo, perhaps? I have a green kit like this dude's:

but with two racks, TWO FLOORS, no snare, bass drum completely cracked at the seam. Imagine the drum kit above being hit by a high speed train. I also have a light blue vistalite floor tom with a small crack in the shell where Ludwig drilled a hole to mount that head muffling thing.

Polishing and cleaning the drums should be easy enough (novus), but the bass drum, she is a disaster.

Thanks

I don't know how i missed this thread or this request for info from me. Sorry, I've been a bad PRFer.

Cracks in vistalites can be repaired. Here's some info on that. I don't know if the #10 Polymer is stout enough to fix the shattered kickdrum, but the #5 will fix the crack in your blue floor tom.

I have to say, though, if you have the rest of the green kit, and the rest of the hardware for the bass drum is intact, I would just go ahead and get a matching shell from Gold-n-Times. These guys advertise that they get their shells from the same manufacturer as Ludwig, so it'll probably sound just fine. The shell alone shouldn't cost more than $250 or so. Then you can get something massive like a 26" kick drum. You might find it prudent to go ahead and have them pre-drill it for you, because drilling is one of the ways to cause cracks. Then, bolt all the hardware from the shattered kick drum onto the new shell, and you should be in business.

JUST BE VERY GENTLE SCREWING ANYTHING TO A POLYMER SHELL. You don't want to overtighten it and have it crack.

For daily care and maintenance, I recommend not using windex or 409 or something to clean the drums. This guy has some tips for plastic polishes. You don't want to haze the drums up, y'know?

As for heads, I am SO biased, it's hard for me to open my mouth without sounding like a prick. Here's something I have noticed- modern vistas sound different from old vistas. It's subtle, but there's a difference in sound, and for my kit, which is the Amber Bonham Reissue kit, coated Emperor top heads and clear Ambassador bottom heads sound SO NICE. They sound very musical, and I really like that. I tried the CS heads and Ludwig factory single-ply medium weight heads first, and while they didn't sound BAD, they didn't have the sound I was looking for. Going to the Emp/Amb combination that has worked for me for years on other kits opened the drums up and they sang for me. I was so happy the day I discovered that.

I would try Coated Ambassador tops if I wasn't playing in Music Hates You. I dent single ply heads so badly playing in that band that it's just impractical to use them because of the costs of replacing them. If you're not a super-hard hitter, you might find that Ambassadors really ring just right for you.

I hardly every play clear batter heads, other than a brief experiment with the black dot CS heads that Benadrian suggested. I found them durable, but not that musical. Your mileage may vary.

And burun, your photos are on the way to this thread. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for these:





that was the first show where I ever played them.



Like BBQ, smoke only enhances the flavor.



Music Hates You, loved by all....

Wow. dontfeartheringo, you have gone above and beyond on this one. I really appreciate the very useful info you've laid on me (us). This advice is gold. I will post some before and after pics for sure!

thanks again..great job

john

EDIT: Man, everything I had read suggested Novus polish. The outfit in the link suggests something else. I already have the Novus. Should I scrap this Novus plan altogether and use the other stuff? Sorry if I'm a pain in the ass.

I hit pretty hard so....single-ply is probably out.

I will follow all of your suggestions and let you know how it turns out!

I suspect that the Novus polish will work just fine, sir.

It's probably VERY similar stuff to the Meguiar's polish.

Before and after pics sound like a fantastic idea.

Above and beyond. Above and beyond.

thanks