When to change heads?

[BigKahuna]

When do you guys usually change your drum heads?
Is there some rule of thumb that you follow other than "...when they sound crappy"?
Do you change your snare head as often or more/less often than your toms?
How about the kick head?

No doubt ... heads are expensive ... especially when it seems like I'm changing them out so often. Maybe I'm doing something else wrong ... I swear I got the tuning down ... but they still sound 'flappy' after what I consider to be a short amount of time. Maybe it's some other problem.
Please, let me know what you guys do. The drummer I used to work with seemed to only change them when he broke them ... but maybe I just wasn't paying attention. His toms usually sounded ok, though. Better than what I have ... and I think I have a better kit ... and I'm using both top and bottom heads ... he never used the bottom heads.
I must be screwing up something somewhere along the line.
I appreciate your advice... thanks!

 

[Emeric]

Hard to answer without the "when they sound shitty" reply. I change heads whenever I'm ready to record a bunch of songs. My drum kit is only played when recording, so heads last a long time in my case. So, if your planning on recording a bunch of songs within a reasonable amount of time I'd suggest putting on a whole new set. If you use your kit for live playing and/or band practice/jamming as well you will be replacing them that much more. Depends on the style too I suppose, if your playing death metal I would guess that the heads would wear down in proportion to the BPM and how intense the drum fills are.

Guess it also depends on the type of head. Evan's hydraulics last forever, but sound pretty shitty IMO. I've been going with the Evans G2 coated for the toms, EQ4 on the kick, and various skins on the snare - haven't really found one I like too much. Bottom heads are essential. I really like your drum sounds BK, so whatever your doing, keep doing it!

Anyway, my 2 cents.

 

[Diragor]

I'd definitely try a different brand of head. With a good head the "flappy" sound should be able to be avoided by just tuning up the head regularly, but cheaper or thinner heads may get dented and permanently sound like crap. I've been using Aquarian Performance II heads for a while now and they sound great (IMO) and last a good long time. I suppose, especially with thin heads, the sticks could have something to do with it. I imagine very small tips or wood tips that get chewed up on cymbals may be more likely to cause dents.

 

[BigKahuna]

When I started learning to play ... I used Remo Ambassador heads and beat the hell out of them. Man, they got really pitted and lasted maybe a week or two. I got some advice to switch to thicker heads and back off on the force I use when playing. Backing off has gone a long way in learning how to play, let me tell you. I use Remo Pinstripes now and while they seem to last longer and don't get pitted like the others ... they still don't last as long as I'd like.
It's funny that you mention the Evans Hydraulics, Emeric ... those were on my brother's kit and I always thought they sounded like cardboard! But they lasted 10 years before he changed them. He beats the crap out of those skins too. He has since put on pinstripes as well, but his kit (Ludwig Vistalite) still sounds marginal to me. I'm hoping to sample his kit soon ... go to my home page for mp3 samples of my kit if you want. Oops .. got off topic there ... sorry.

I could probably tune the toms more often ... I really don't unless I'm about to record for real. During practice I usually tune the snare, but I let the toms go for a while and that may be part of the problem ... thanks for that Diragor. I think I'll also give the heads you guys mention a try next time and see how that works. Man ... drums are EXPENSIVE!!
Thanks much for your advice!

PS ... Emeric ... have you tried ATTACK snare heads from Terry Bozzio? I've been using those for a while now and really like how they sound.

 

[Diragor]

Just thought I'd throw in my $0.02 on snare heads - I've used Falams since I discovered them over ten years ago and have never felt the need to even try anything else. If you like a high, tight snare sound, give 'em a try and you might never go back. You'd have to be playing with baseball bats to break them, too. I've had the top layer split a few times (after months of use) but never broke one clear through.

 

[memo]

With an average amount of playing (some gigging and recording) you should change your batter heads every 2 months or so. Although the resonants are not played on; they should be changed every 4 months or so because they still get old due to the fact that they are stretched over the bearing edge for a long time. You might need to change your snare head more often since it is the drum which you hit the most and it can run out in a month if you hit hard and really tighten the batter head. Kick heads last a couple of months using felt beaters, but plastic beaters do shorten their lives (even with one of those patches that stick onto the head)

When can you tell that you need to change your heads? If your heads don't tune up well, if they have serious dents on them, if they lose their tuning in a short time and if they have a hole in them!

This is all ,of course, dependant on your playing style. How hard you hit, what angle you hit? Try to set your toms as flat as possible and try to hit them as flatly as possible. Extreme angles of contact between the drumstick and the head will damage the drumhead.

The type of head you use is important too. If you use a real thick head (like a pinstripe) and hit quite soft, your heads will last a long time. But if you use a thinner head (like an ambassador) and hit harder, the life of the head is shortened. Having a coated head helps a bit too (other than warming the sound up).

Overall, if you don't hit very hard and you don't do blazing tom fills all the time; you should first change your snare batter and in time your kick batter. Change your tom batters after that (or when you have the cash).

As other people have suggested, it is always good to have a new set of batters and resonants (or at least batters) on your set when you go into the studio. You'll be suprised how much it helps.

Hope that helped

 

[poetdoc]

Head Discussion

New heads for the studio aren't a bad idea, but make sure they're not "fresh out of the box." New plastic heads are susceptible to stretching and de-tuning, sometimes subtly, sometimes not.

I'd say it's best to change heads when the heads you're using start sounding dull ("shitty" being a relative term). The more a head is used (or pitted and knocked out of shape from bad technique), the fewer overtones it can produce. If you play a snare drum, for instance, unmuffled with brand new heads, it'll ring like crazy...those are the overtones. When they're under control, the head sounds its best; but when they start to disappear, all you're left with is a lump of plastic. I'd rather use "seasoned" heads than anything else, because they respond better to effects and EQ and just generally sound better.

Then again, what do I know? I use Fiberskyn IIIs...