Resonant Side Heads

acidbass · Posted: Mon May 31, 2004 3:28 am Post subject: Resonant Side Heads

Hello all,

I'm only starting out as a drummer, and this may seem like a stupid question to some of you, but when replacing drum heads, can you use the same head for both the batter and the resonant side of your drums (specifically toms)

For example, should you use a Remo Ambassador head on both the top and bottom of your floor tom? Or is there a special type of head that's made to go on the bottom?

Thanks in advance for any replies Very Happy

Saurencaerthai · King Kong Joined: 24 Sep 2002 Posts: 2609

Yes, you can use the same head. While some companies offer heads designed for it, such as Evans, you can usually use the same type on the bottom. It all has to do with what sound you're trying to achieve.

Radialprofan · Grizzly Bear Joined: 29 Mar 2004 Posts: 728

Each head has a different response and sound. Some are more open and ringy. Others are dampened with less sustain. My experience with Ambassadors has been that they're a single ply head and have a more open and ringy tonality. I've used Ambassadors as the reso head on my kit for years with a Pinstripe as the batter head. It's been a really good sounding combination for me. The thing is you have to try it out and see if you like the way it makes the drum sound. I would add that if you wind up putting a bunch of tape or foam or other bits of laundry in your drum to achieve the sound you're looking for, you have the wrong drum head on the drum! Wink

mrhooks · Posted: Mon May 31, 2004 10:35 am Post subject:

I generally wouldn't go with anything thicker than an Ambassador (or equivalent head from another company) for resonant heads. Right now, I'm using Remo Clear Diplomats, and I like them a lot. I couldn't find anything as thin made by Evans, and I didn't really look into Aquarian or Attack as much as I should have.

BTW, Evans Resonant heads are listed as 10 mil thickness, same as their G1 batter head. I wonder if there's any difference between the two, other than labelling? Very Happy

Also, I know your question was mostly about toms, but I thought I'd mention that snare side heads are different - that is, a Snare Side Ambassador is thinner than a regular Clear Ambassador head. etc. I use a Snare Side Diplomat on my main snare, and Snare Side Ambassadors on the others.
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bytor · Admin Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Kansas

Any thin to medium single-ply head should work fairly well as a resonant head, but like mrhooks said, I wouldn't go much thicker. Two-ply heads are almost always a bad idea for the resonant side. Thick 2-ply heads just aren't necessary for the bottom side.