To all those that aren't primarily drummers

[daav]

If you are like me and have a kit for playing and recording, love playing drums, but haven't been doing it forever, here is a giagantic piece of advice.

REPLACE YOUR DAMN HEADS WHEN THEY ARE OLD.

I say this as a very dumb person who has been unsatisfied with my cheapo set for over a year now.

I replaced the snare with an old Ludwig and replaced both heads there, tuned them up decently (not great, but it sounds pretty good) and replaced the batter heads (from stock heads that came with the set) on my kick and toms. I still need to get around to replacing the reso heads for kick and toms, but man what a difference! Snare cuts nicely, toms sound... dare i say... musical.

Anyway, i know that a lot of you are sitting out there with older sets you think sounds like crap, but haven't gotten around to reheading and tuning, do it!

Daav

 

[zacanger]

True dat. This can't be stressed enough. Bottom-of-the-line drums can sound good if they've got decent heads and are played well. I've got an old, cheap Tama kit with 5 toms, and I haven't had a chance to replace the heads on that one, but I did replace the snare heads and the heads on my Yamaha kit, and even cheap heads can make a huge difference from old heads.

 

[ez_willis]

REPLACE YOUR DAMN HEADS WHEN THEY ARE OLD.

I say this as a very dumb person who has been unsatisfied with my cheapo set for over a year now.

Dude, I can't stress enough how important this is. You couldn't be more correct.

I have a kit that I record with, bass is my primary instrument though. I just changed the tops and bottom heads on my kit and got by far the best drum sound I've ever gotten with virtually no effort.

Not sure if you have to be a registered member over at RP, but I posted a song I just finished with a quick mix. There are no effects, not even reverb on the kit. The song is called Descend

 

[TragikRemix]

i find that cheap ass sets sound best with remo pinstripes on top and ambassadors on bottem.

higher end sets, its hit or miss with those heads tho. they sound like crap on my new set, but were nice on my $300 store special kit.

 

[daav]

I am seeing a while new light to the concept that you can't get a good recording from a crappy source out of this. Much like when i realized that my mic's weren't as bad as my room.

Gear lust makes you want to invest in things with chords and electronics and the like, but new strings, heads, room treatment and talent are the foundation, no point in hitting record without some of the above in play.

Now that i can stand to hear myself play, i can start working on the talent thing...

Daav.

 

[zacanger]

Woohoo. Yeah, pinstripes rule for cheap kits (like my Tama).

 

[A Reel Person]

...

If you are like me and have a kit for playing and recording, love playing drums, but haven't been doing it forever, here is a giagantic piece of advice....

Practice or you'll never improve,... you'll always suck!!!"