Evans Oilheads

[White_Rabbit]

In a recent thread about attaining a 70's prog rock sorta sound, Evans Hydraulics were mentioned as a possible skin to use. I'm planning on reskinning my kit soon (cheapo shit brand you wouldn't have heard of), so I was wondering if anyone is currently using Hydraulics and would be willing to show me any recordings they have of the kit with the skins on. I'm considering going with batter side only on all the toms, as I want a really dead sound, with little or no sustain., but I'm still very open to suggestions for a good reso head to suit the Hydros.

[Zilpex]

Yeah those would be good. Also Remo Pinstripes are similar to the Hydraulic Evans heads you are talking about. Very quick and fat sounding.

[Licketysplit]

I'd say Remo Pinstripes rather than the Hydraulics. The hydraulics are overkill imo, you want some life in the toms trust me.

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by White_Rabbit

In a recent thread about attaining a 70's prog rock sorta sound, Evans Hydraulics were mentioned as a possible skin to use. I'm planning on reskinning my kit soon (cheapo shit brand you wouldn't have heard of), so I was wondering if anyone is currently using Hydraulics and would be willing to show me any recordings they have of the kit with the skins on. I'm considering going with batter side only on all the toms, as I want a really dead sound, with little or no sustain., but I'm still very open to suggestions for a good reso head to suit the Hydros.

Listen to an original version of the CD "Dairy of a Madman" by Ozzy Osbourne.
Lee Kerslake, the drummer on that, was using Evan's Oilheads. (It has to be an original version because Osbourne re-recorded the drums using drummer Mike Bordin...Lee Kerslake and original Bassist Bob Daisley were not paid what they were owed for that Album, and the Osbournes decided to completely cut them out of the picture.
Shame on Ozzy for listening to his wife on that one. Those mind-control drugs they have him on are working.



An Oilhead has no business on the resonant side. When I was using Oilheads (I used them exclusively from around 1990 through 1993 on my Ludwig Vistalites) I always used Remo "Ebony" heads (which are Ambassadors) on the resonant side, and I loved that combination.

Pinstripes and Oilheads sound nothing alike to me. A Pinstripe still has a lot of attack because there is no oil between the two plies of plastic. (there's nothing in there, that prismatic effect is simply light refracting between the two sheets of plastic. A clear Emperor is also a double ply head, but the two layers of head are pressed together and held either by some kind of glue, or heat. Next time you break one examine it - the two layers can be peeled apart.)




Tim

[mikeh]

I am not a fan of hydraulic heads. I used them briefly in the 70's (on a fiberglass kit - which was loud as hell) and have run across then on studio kits on rare occasion.

As already indicated they are overkill and completely suck the life out of the drum sound. Drums are an accoustic instrument meant to vibrate, to move air and to compromse that defeats in part the point of a drum kit.

Having some resonance and the overtones of a drum that is allowed to breath is a good thing (and in a mix is less obvious, but still an important part of the sound).

I think a 2 ply head (vs. single ply) make sense in a recording environment (I tend to use Evans G2s of Remo Pinstripes), but not hydraulics.

Another negative on hydraulics, I found that they have a very short life span. I'm not a fanatic about changing heads (too costly and too much work) so I want a head that will maintain tone for as long as possible. The hydraulics go dead (deader) way too quickly.

[billmcdonald]

Ive used hydraulics before, and I wouldnt recommend them to anyone.

[boomtap]

I use them on a DW birch kit, and I like them live. They are real warm, but took more effort to tweak into the tune that I felt sounded good. Great for softer quieter playing. To me they are real vintage.

Conversly, I just put another set on a Pearl kit (mapel I think), and I had the opposite reaction. They sounded very un-natural.

[I M Green]

Hydraulics! Yuck! I don't care how good your studio is.....Yuck!

[jonnyc]

I can honestly say I've never gotten Evans Hydralics to sound good on my Yamaha kit or anything else for that matter. Since putting the Hydralics on the fairly new yamaha kit i've switched back to recording on my '82 Tama Imperialstar that has G2's on it. The hydros really kill the sound which I think sucks for recording but if its what you're looking for you may like them.

[PhilGood]

Evans hydraulics are the worst sound possible *ever* for toms, so of course they would be the best for that 70's tom sound!! What does THAT tell you?

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by PhilGood

Evans hydraulics are the worst sound possible *ever* for toms, so of course they would be the best for that 70's tom sound!! What does THAT tell you?

Well I'll say this for Evan's Oilheads:

Neil Peart used Evan's Oilheads up until sometime in the early to mid 80's. I can't remember the exact year, but I think it was around the time he switched over to Ludwig from Tama.

I personally like Oilheads, but I have a specific purpose for them, and that is when I want to simulate some kind of "tribal" type of drumsound... because they'll sound more like a real animal skin rather than plastic.

And to you guys who sday they don't last long - what are you using? I'm 6'2" and use a 2S marching stick on the kit, and personally - I've never had an Oilhead last me less than 6 months.



Tim

[mikeh]

I was the one who suggested hydraulics did not last long - I did not mean to imply they broke easy or failed to take a beating, however since they do have such a "dead tone" they sound even "deader" after only a couple of months - whereas a single ply or even double ply still hold a tone for many months (unless really beat to shit).

For those who mentioned that hydraulics sound "vintage" or more like "animal skin" I used "skins" when I first started playing back in the 50''s and into the mid 60's (in fact I think I was well into the 70's before I finally got used to saying "heads" instead of "skins") and candidly, playing on skins sucked.

That being said, Aquarian makes a line called "American Viintage" which provide much of the vintage sound of "skins" (warmer sound with less stick attack than plastic heads) without the inconsistant tones and tuning problems that "skins" caused. I used the American Vintage for a "jazz kit" and was very pleased with the sound - unfortunately, I get calls to play many different genres and I did not feel the vintage sound served the other music as well, so I stopped using them live (although I do on occasion throw a set on for recording purposes).

There seems to be far more nagative comments on hydraulics than positive - it seems logical to anticipate there is a reason for that.

[PhilGood]

Originally Posted by Tim Brown

Neil Peart used Evan's Oilheads up until sometime in the early to mid 80's. I can't remember the exact year, but I think it was around the time he switched over to Ludwig from Tama.

I remember the 'Exit-Stage Left' tour, where Neil was using Remo CS's on his concert toms and Ambassadors on his double headed toms. I don't know when he switched exactly, but it was during his Tama days: post Slingerland, where I know he was big into Evans heads.

There's a very good chance I'll be speaking to Neil in the next few months. This might be a good question for him. Part of the Podcast thing I mentioned earlier.