Snare heads- NOT TUNING.

__Lewis__ · Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:30 pm Post subject: Snare heads- NOT TUNING.

So, recently I got myself a new snare head after my 2-month old Evans Power Center Reverse Dot bent in so much I gave up playing it. I replaced it with a Remo Controlled Sound Reverse Black Dot, and it doesn't sound too bad.

But, I have struck a potential problem. As after barely a week of playing, the coating has all gone (in the center, where I hit most- obviously) and it looks like it's on the verge of breaking inwards like the old Evans. BARELY a week.

My question is, how do I go about increasing my snare's (and perhaps same with toms, they tend to dent easily) longetivity? I see a lot of hard hitter drummers' (ala. Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl, Bonzo, Danny Carey, Mike Portnoy, etc.) heads look like they've been "burnt" rather than stabbed with two sticks. They never went through a stage where they looked burnt for a while, the coating was worn down straight away.

A few points:
- I don't hit that hard, nowhere near as hard as the aforementioned.
- I have pretty good technique, although I don't tend to play rimshots a lot. (If that as ANYTHING to do with it)
- I don't use tree trunks for sticks, just some 5A's or 5B's.

Here are some pictures... And excuse my photograpy skills.

First, the old Evans:

(It has got a slight "burnt" look to it, but most of the coating has been worn off entirely.

(Not you can slightly see how it's bending)

Now the new Remo:

(Same kind of problem with this barely week-old head. The coating has gone entirely and there is only slight "burning", it's even starting to bend in!)

(Even when I first got the head and was tuning it, the coating was thinning with every tap I did!)

Lastly, an example of the "burnt" appearance:

(Note his snare and rack tom head appearancesm the coating's still there! I also apologise, it isn't the best photo- but I hope you see what I mean.)

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So there you go, another dilemma of mine. I've tried many different types of head brands, but I seem to trust Evans and Remo the most. Would a 2 ply/stronger head help at all? I don't know, that why I'm asking you!

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

Time to re-examine your technique. I've generally found that once my technique got better, I stopped breaking sticks and denting heads in.
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__Lewis__ · Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 3:26 am Post subject:

scrubs · Little Hamster Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 77

__Lewis__ · Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:24 pm Post subject:

I neither grip too tightly, and I let the stick rebound quite a lot. I go for the moeller & free stroke approach.

punkrocker7341 · Lion Joined: 23 May 2004 Posts: 926 Location: AZ

I'd check to see if you making your strokes at an angle, because that can cause coating to come off. I'd also check to see what angle your stick is at when it hits your snare, if its not really close to flat it can cause your heads to dent in because it turns into more of a stabbing motion than a striking motion.
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scrubs · Little Hamster Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 77

Dustin07 · Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:09 am Post subject:

I've noticed that the more I work on bouncing the sticks, and the more my wrist moves, the longer EVERYTHING is lasting. I haven't broken any sticks now in weeks (awesome!).

how many hours do you have on that new head?

__Lewis__ · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:18 am Post subject:

Okay, thanks for the tips guys- but I'm still having problems.

I used Vic Firth 3A's quite a lot on my Evans- and a fair bit on the Remo but I switched to a 5A or 5B recently. The VF has quite a heavy should and small barrel tip. Anything to do with that?

I plan to bring this stuff up with my teacher, too. Next time I see him, I'm asking.

Also, to get another idea of what I mean- here's a friend of mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmXrLTGKLIA

scrubs · Little Hamster Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 77

007david · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:36 am Post subject:

My two thoughts are:

1) stick related
2) head related

For stick related this would cover such things as the angle with which you strike the head and the type of tip on the stick. Ball tips seem to dimple heads faster than other types (with arcorn seem to dimple the least), and the angle bit has been discussed above.

As for head related, I mainly mean to check your tuning since these are two different heads you tried. I'd be inclined to see if you have it tuned too low, since it would seem to me that that would allow for more stretching (whereas tigher would be more prone to cracking). However, I haven't worked out the math on that so it's just a guess.
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__Lewis__ · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:48 pm Post subject:

smokingun · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 3:09 am Post subject:

I use 7A's and hardly break sticks but never pit heads.

bytor · Admin Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 5260 Location: Kansas

In accordance with David's suggestion, I recommend using acorn or oval tipped sticks. Round and barrel tips can be a lot harder on heads. Also, Remo heads are known for having a coating that wears off quickly. Evans' coating wears fairly well, but Aquarian heads seem to have the most durable coating to me. Don't use 5Bs. Go with 5As or perhaps even thinner.

Finally, have an experienced drummer watch you play. Perhaps he or she can point out a flaw in your technique.

__Lewis__ · Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:58 pm Post subject:

Thanks so much for the suggestions guys- but I've now posted another question in the definitive heads thread. Please, be so kind as to also offer your suggestions there as it would be greatly appreciated.