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The latest in my series of boring, retarded, drum-related questions.

Sorry.

Being a drum-tard, I have absolutely no idea about heads, apart from the obvious fact that my Slingerland kit's heads haven't been changed for several decades, and thus presumably need changing.

Can anybody recommend to me a reasonably-priced starting point for a set of heads for this type of vintage kit? I know this is a little like asking which sort of guitar strings to buy for an electric guitar, but what is the 'regular 10' of the drum head world? Or better perhaps, what might flatter this kit?

Any advice would be ace.

Adam

The Remo coated Ambassador is probably the closest there is to a 'regular 10' for batter heads. What kind of sound do you want?

yeah, Ambassadors are a pretty solid bet. i personally like the clear ones, but that's mainly because they won't flake off in a week.

Another vote for Remo Coated Ambassadors to start with. If you want something a little more thicker and durable try Remo Coated Emperors. They won't be as open, though. I think Evans Coated G2's should be around between the two, and I have heard are more durable.

I like the Evans G1/G2 coated but lots of folks here on the PRF will disagree. They are just more consistent than Remo IMO, and last a long time and hold a tuning well. That said, Remo clear and/or coated Ambassadors are really good too, just check them close for defects before you buy them. I like the clear ones for toms. They sound really good and last for some time. I can't tell an audible difference between Evans coated G2/G2 snare heads and Remo Coated Ambassador snare heads.

Evans 2-ply kick heads are great. You don't need a ton of muffling IMO, but if you want to cut out some of the ring without stuffing the drum full of pillows, you can leave the little extra circumference ring in the beater side head.

Pinstripe Remo heads suck ass. Stay away. The Evans stuff with the hydraulic oil and thick assed heads are also garbage.

Also, fuck Aquarian.

Am I the only one who likes pinstripes?
I was using coated ambassadors on toms, but when tuned low, they were flabbing, which was very annoying.

It scares me when no one likes pinstripes, makes me doubt my hearing/sound.

eliya wrote:Am I the only one who likes pinstripes?

I don't know. I tried them twice and found them to sound dead dead dead. like hitting a corpse with drumsticks. no resonance, no girth, just "SMACK"

Reminded me of the Samhain drumsound. That had to have been pinstripes.

eliya wrote:Am I the only one who likes pinstripes?

I think so. It's ok though. As long as they are not the ebony pinstripes.

In all honesty, if they sound good to you then use them. I have heard a few drummers that can make pinstripes sound good.

mr.arrison wrote:Also, fuck Aquarian.

I still think the SuperKick II is a great head. Seriously.


Jon

Evans' coating last a lot longer than Remo's (god, that shit flakes off in a matter of days), but be careful. i've had some really shitty Evans heads before. I used to buy G1s a lot, and maybe 1 in every 4 heads would just totally suck; i'd sit there trying to tune it for an hour and it just sounded fucked up. i don't trust their QC and eventually went back to Remo for good.

mr.arrison wrote:Also, fuck Aquarian.

The Aquarian Vintage American series heads are real nice, especially for older drums that may have sketchy bearing edges. They're very similar to Remo coated Ambassador's, but they have just a hint of the Remo Fibreskyn "fake calfskin" feel and sound to them. And you can get kick heads that have an old school jazz style muffle strip affixed to the back side of the head, which is way cool for the reso head on a kick drum so you don't need to puch a hole in it (which sounds like ass most of the time...), or stuff the drum with crap. Fuck a buncha holes in a kick reso head.

them Aquarians finally allowed me to get the tune on my '71 Ludwigs correct.