Drumhead Combinations

[Bart Elliott]

What type of drumhead combinations do you use? Share the brand and series, being sure to include batter and resonance types. Explain why you use what you do and perhaps variations depending on styles/genres.

[rlhubley]

For toms, i swear by Evans G2 for batter, and G1 resonant.  The 2 ply G2 gives just the right amount of overtone control, and coupled with the G1 for bottom head, the  drum produces a nice warm tone.  My toms seem to sound best with the coated G2s.  

For kick, i use the Evans EQ3 batter, and the EQ2(i think) with the offset whole.  Typically i take out the extra muffling strip on the resonant head.  No internal muffling is required.

For snares, generally a coated G1 or G2 batter, and a hazy 300 snare side, but this varies from snare to snare.  I reverse power center sounds great on my brass snare.  

[Dwarf]

Currently I'm using:

Kick: Powerstroke 3 batter and Evans black resonant (not sure of the model - it's the one with the venting slats cut into it).  I don't have the money to really get adventurous with bass drum heads so I haven't tried all the various new heads that have come out.  I look for durability and a good low tone.  Have used coated Pinstripe as batter in the past.

Snare: Coated Pinstripe batter, ambassador snare side.  I like the pinstripe because it cuts a lot of excess overtones while still allowing me to play the head for different sounds.  I had one soundman recently tell me that the drum was very ringy (Brady wandoo snare drum).

Toms: Coated Emperor/Coated G2 batters, clear ambassador resonant.  I like the double ply heads because of their durability (I don't like having to buy new heads very often) and they sound good for what I like to hear.  If called for a would use a coated ambassador batter (or a G1) in the studio.

I'm looking into new options but being unemployed limits my adventurous nature :)  Btw, Bart, you never did post your Aquarian recommendations for my snare.

--
Rob

[felix]

I change heads pretty often with no particular alliance to any brand.

Currently I am enjoying pinstripes on my toms with evans g1 coated on the bottom heads and a P3 on the floor...which I don't care for.

I have an attack head on the snare...basically it is a coated dot/emperor with a remo renaissance snare head on the bottom.  It's on the 6.5 brass which my band affectionately has nick named "the skull cracker"

kick- super kick 1 with regulator front head/ awesome...especially miked on the front head.

[felix]

I'm a Patron now?  Weird...ok...I play rock fusion with a little jazz mixed in...my jazz technique is definitely on the loud end of the spectrum...I'm not a light player and I don't apologize for being a steam roller either.

[sidereal]

"pa-tron (n): Somebody who gives money or some other support to somebody or something, especially in the arts."

maybe Bart's trying to tell you something. (send money. :) ) or maybe it's his way of saying you're partonizing. ;D Har har... okay, enough of that.

Recently shifted to Evans G2 Clears on tops of toms, clear ambassadors on bottoms. Still using coated ambassadors on snare, clear ambassador on bottom (thinking of moving to Evans). Still using pinstripe on kick drum (probably moving to Aquarian Superkick II).

Rock on...

[felix]

Are you digging those G2 clears?  I have not had the pleasure, at least not in a few years...would you say they are heavier than a pinstripe or lighter?  

Darn pinstripes...I put one on and it sounded horrible...put another one on and I'm like "ok, that's more like it."

You will dig the super kick...they are worth the munny and for me to say that...well, that's something.  See if you can try both out at the drum shop somehow...the single ply one might be too wet for your taste, but man, those things record with tons of low end....

[sidereal]

Ya know, I hated the G2 clears when I first got them. they seemed "untunable" (but then again, I was in a rush to get out the door and I hate tuning drums under pressure). But I got them close. Then I recorded with them and listened back to the mix and they sounded purt durn cool. And I liked them more when I did a gig a couple days later. Maybe Evans heads need time to stretch a bit, or "sit" into the shells. Or maybe my ears just got used to them. I don't know, but they seemed to improve over time. I really like them now.

They're definitely lighter than the pinstripes, even though they're still 2-ply. I used to use pinstripes but nowadays they lack that "life" and "openness" that I've come to like. Too much head, not enough drum. But I don't like TOO much openness. I hate single plys. I'm not a jazz player and I suck at tuning.

So there's the SuperKick I and SuperKick II right? I'm assuming the second has a bit more of a muffled character? Maybe I'll buy a I for recording and a II for live use. Does that sound right?

[Bart Elliott]

So there's the SuperKick I and SuperKick II right? I'm assuming the second has a bit more of a muffled character? Maybe I'll buy a I for recording and a II for live use. Does that sound right?

The Super Kick I is single-ply; Super Kick II is two-ply. I used to use the SKII ... but feel that I get more bottom end and fullness to the tone when I use SKI.

[ant_eh]

bass drum Power Stroke 3/ ebony front with hole
snare: powerstroke 3
toms top: emperor clear
toms bottom : ambassodor clear

[RLRR]

Toms: G2 coated batters / G1 coated resonants
Kick: EQ3 batter and resonant, removed one of the muffling rings and put one of them evans pillow thingies in against the batter
Snare: Genera batter / glass 300 res (with puresound custom 16-strand wires)

I started with G1s as tom batters, but tried G2 clears at some point and liked them better (less boingy). When it was time to replace again, I tried the coated version and found them to sound less plastic, and they look alot cooler too  :)

When it's time to change heads again, I think I'm gonna try Aquarians, I've heared so much praise about their Superkicks, PerfIIs and Hi-Energy heads, I want to try them out !

[Felix Stein]

Last week I had to trash the CS dots on the sonors and went with coated studio X's all over.  What a great head.  I also got a textured studio X with the "power dot" underneath on the snare batter...that is one great head.  I think it is the best head I've ever tried on a snare.  I have the "classic snare" head on the bottom.

The super kick and regulator combo are still #1 but I actually put a sweatshirt in my kick to dampen it slightly.

I have the response 2's on the bottoms of the toms and they are working out believe it or not.  Way too heavy for the floor tom bottom, I'm back to an ambassador and I actually think an aquarian "hi freq." bottom head/ultra thin would be perfect- for me.

[Tirefire]

I use either an Aquarian Studio X or Remo Emporer on the Snare....Batter side on the toms I use Remo pinstripes and Remo Ebony on the bottom.   Powerstroke on kick.

[irishthump]

I plyy in a rock/pop covers band, I use a coated Emperor on the snare, I find it gives a nice fat sound, plus they're harder wearing than Ambassodors. Coated Ambassadors on the top of the toms (10,12,14) and clear diplomats on the bottom, I tune them pretty high for projection as I play a lot of the time without amplification. 22" kick with a clear pinstripe, tuned pretty slack, just tight enough for the wrinkles to disapear. Oh, and I put a pillow in the bottom of the kick, just touching the batter and the front head.

[BAnimalG]

On my kick, I use the Evans EQ3 clear batter and EQ1 ebony resonant.  I have the drum miked with the May system, so the Resonant head doesn't have a hole in it, makes it easy to put art on the head, which I don't currently have.  On my snare (Pearl Free-floating, Bell-brass, 3 1/2" x 14") I use Remo Powerstroke III coated with dot on the batter and Ambassador Snare side.  On my 6", 8" and 10" Remo Roto's I use clear Pinstripes.  On my 10" & 12" rack toms I use clear Pinstripes on the batters and Ebony Emporers on the resonant sides.  And finally, on my 13" & 16" rack toms I use clear Pinstripes on the batters and Coated Emporers on the resonant sides.

[Theo]

I really like the Evans EQs on bass, makes a HUGE difference in sound.  

For toms I really like unmuffled FiberSkyn's not only for the way that they sound, but the way that they look.

Strangely enough, I feel like I play better if I like the way my drumset looks. If it looks inviting I just seem to be able to pull the sounds out better. If I'm on a beatup mapex kit with chrome dots, I just feel like everything sounds like crap. The fiberskyns look warm and organic to me.

Coated sandpaper on the snare.

[nullify_drummer]

i use all evans hydraulic clear on the batter side and all evans g1 resonant on the bottoms except on the bass i run double black hydraulics. and on my roto toms i use evans g2 clear