TAMA Kit - Recommended Heads

M

moelar2

New member
I own a Tama Rockstar Custom Kit with which I have been using Aquarian heads (studio x or something like that). These heads sound good, especially since most of my usage is for recording.

No that its time to buy new heads, I want to try something different. I know that the style of music greatly affects the sound and hence the skins which would be recommended. Generally, this kit is used for Alternative/Emo rock. Also, I haven't changed the resonating heads yet (is that real bad???).

Suggestions? (Please tell me what style you play, the heads you recommend, and whether you own or have played this set with your recommended heads.)

T H A N K S ! ! !
 
i play punk, poppunk, emo and use remo coated ambassadors on the batters of toms and on the bottoms of the toms I use Evans resonant single ply heads specifically made for the resonant side of the drum. On kick, I have Aquarian superkickII or something on the batter and on the resonant it's an remo ebony with an offset hole. My snare has a coated emporer on the batter and ambassador snare on the snare side.
 
Hey Moelar2, what do you have as resonant heads? I use Genera G2's on top and Genera Resonant Glass on the bottoms of my Pearl BRX. Gives me a nice spank of attack and dark focused tone. A good pop and fusion sound. I like those Aquarians too. I can't say that the G2's would be better than them... just different.
 
Saxman..

I have the original tama heads, which I think are in fact made by Evans.

I'm inclined to use Ambassadors Coated on top and some Emperors as resonants.

I use the Aquarian superkick on by Kick, and it sounds great. I'm wondering though, how long does it take for a head to wear? I'm sure that obviously depends on its usage; but say it is used quite frequently; 1-2 hours three to four times a week. This head is at least 1.5 years old, as well as my batter tom heads. Do I need a new kick head as well???

Thanks
 
Well if the kick drum sounds good to you, I wouldn't worry about changing it. I don't think a bass head gets worn out too quickly unless you're using a hard beater (like wood) and playing real hard all the time. As my name would imply, I'm primarily a sax player so I'm not a complete expert on drums although I do play them and have a nice sounding kit. I don't play drums nearly that often so I'm not sure how long you could expect the heads to last. Think about this though. Unless you're Terry Bozzio or Neil Peart, you probaby don't hit the toms nearly as much as the snare or kick, even in hours of playing. Let your ears be the judge. If they don't sound as good as they used to, maybe it's time to change them. Heck, sometimes it's just fun to change them, or good for the psyche.

Coated Ambassadors and clear Emperors should be a pretty good combo. I imagine that would give you a medium-bright, open sound, with higher pitch.

Best wishes,

Saxman72
 
i would not use an emporer as a resonant head. These are 2 ply and thicker and do not resonate as well
 
fenix said:
i would not use an emporer as a resonant head. These are 2 ply and thicker and do not resonate as well
Click to expand...
Emperors are defnintely not 2 ply heads. However, they might be on the thicker side for a single ply head. I always get the Emperor and Diplomat mixed up. What a dumb-ass way to name the different thicknesses! Anyways, fenix has the right idea that you don't want too thick of a resonant head. Sitck with something medium to thin. Nothing wrong with using clear Ambassadors as a resonant head.
 
sorry dude, I think you're wrong. Emperor's are 2 ply. Here is some product info I found on the emperor head:
"Redefining 2-ply drumhead technology in the modern era, REMO's new Emperor line integrates the strength and durability of double-ply heads with the dynamic tonality, resonance and clarity typically associated with single-ply heads......REMO's newly developed Emperor process employs two layers of 7 mil. Mylar to create a series of double-ply drumheads with an incredibly high degree of consistency, durability sound quality and performance"


diplomat is very thin
Ambassador is medium
Emperor is 2 ply and thicker.

BTW i totally agree with fenix especially for music style you're in. Go with the emperor for the snare, it's a tiny bt muffled because it's 2 ply and it will last longer....As for the toms coated ambassadors are a good way to go....nice warm sound.
 
So here's the lineup...

Toms:
Batter - Coated Ambassadors
Resonant - Ambassador Clear

Snare:
Batter - Emperor Coated
Resonant - Ambassador Clear

I'm getting them this weekend so there's still time for last minute changes...

Thank you very much guys.
 
one more thing....make sure for the snare your tell them you want a snare resonant head and not just an ambassador clear. Back in the day of my buying drum heads, I told them i wanted a standard remo resonant head and they said we're out of them....take this aquarian one instead. From what I've been told aquarian doesn't make a resonant snare head, or if they do it's somewhat rare. The bottom line is a snare resonant head is supposed to be REALLY thin, and this thing wasn't....AT ALL. It took me 3 months of trying different tunings to find out that the bastard sold me a tom head. Yeah...didn't sound to great.
 
Executivos, Fenix, and Moelar2...

My bad. Emperors are indeed 2 ply heads. Since Remo makes a snare side emperor (which I think is single ply), I mistakenly interpolated that to mean that their batter emperors are single ply too... Are the snare side emperors 2 ply? That would seem stange.

So as I NOW understand it, emperors are the Remo equivalent of Genera g2's (which is what I use on my toms).

Thanks guys,

Saxman72
 
saxman72 said:

Emperors are defnintely not 2 ply heads. However, they might be on the thicker side for a single ply head. I always get the Emperor and Diplomat mixed up. What a dumb-ass way to name the different thicknesses! Anyways, fenix has the right idea that you don't want too thick of a resonant head. Sitck with something medium to thin. Nothing wrong with using clear Ambassadors as a resonant head.
Click to expand...

Yes, an Emperor IS a two ply head. I didn't think it was, but it sure enough is _ I cut an old one open to find out.

I suggest DIPLOMATS for bottom heads. These are the thinnes heads out there.
Also, I like to tune the Resonant heads Tighter that the batter heads, which will give you a good "Punchy" sound.

Tim
 
Tim

Another drummer once told me that it is preferrable to tune the resonant heads lower (to compensate) while tunning the batter head higher to give your more stick action. What is your opinion on this?
 
Re: Tim

moelar2 said:
Another drummer once told me that it is preferrable to tune the resonant heads lower (to compensate) while tunning the batter head higher to give your more stick action. What is your opinion on this?
Click to expand...

That's called negative tuning. It decreases the drums projection. It will yield a decent warm/fat sound, but I like the toms to have alot of punch, and a ton of sustain, and to achieve that you tune the top head lower....it yields a sound similar to a Tympani. with any decent amount of tension on the drums. Live, I definitely tune the kit higher, so that it cuts through the mix better, but for recording, I normally go with whatever will work best for the given project.

Try both styles of tuning and see which you prefer.

When people hear my kit-they are kind of floored by the sound of the toms, so that's why I usually suggest this method of tuning.


Tim
 
I have an old Tama Swingstar which is modified. I use Remo Pinstripes on the batter head and have removed the bottom heads and lugs for the toms. I also stuffed all the lugs and hardware with tissue paper to get rid of the ring of the metal. It produces a cool, even pitch with no over ring and plenty of punch.
Originally, I had done this because I had 4 Roto-Toms on the kit and wanted to be able to get the tom sounds to mix better. The Rotos are in the closet now, but I love the definite pitch sound of my toms. I tune the second mounted tom to 440Hz, then the FT to 220Hz, and the first tom to a fifth higher than the second (D : 587Hz). Nothing like having your tom rolls in tune with the music!
Note : I play mostly Classic ROCK (Zep, Police, Rush, Tom Petty) and this setup probably wouldn't sound very good for Jazz or other more melodic genre. Also, it reduces the sustain and decay time, which some people might not like. But I love the sound so much, I won't go back!!! Let me know if anyone tries this out. I'm curious to see what you think.
 
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