Which Drumheads Are The BEST??

Man…I don’t think a gear discussion could get any more subjective and controversial as this one, but I’ll throw out some thoughts and ideas that might help to guide your drumhead shopping.

• #1: The first things to be aware of when shopping for the perfect heads is this: You have to find which heads sound the best on YOUR KIT. Just because a certain set of heads sounded great on your friend’s kit doesn’t mean they’ll be the perfect fit for your kit.

• #2: Each of the leading drumhead companies have their strengths and weaknesses. One company might excel at making their heads feel great, while another might excel at durability. Yet another might achieve the best consistency from head to head, and their heads might be the easiest to tune. Don’t get too caught up in what brand you buy. Regardless of whether the head is Remo, Evans, or Aquarian, it’s made by a popular company that thousands of drummers have been happy with.

• #3: The two big things to focus on when comparing heads are thickness and coating. How thick is the head? Is it single play or double ply? Is the head coated or clear? These are the big factors that determine how the head will respond and sound.

Keeping these 3 “guidelines” in mind, here are some of my personal thoughts based on a few different heads I’ve used...

Btw, I currently do not endorse any of these companies. I try to be pretty unbiased when talking about heads, and I’ve tried and tested a lot of them.

Remo Heads

I love the feel of Coated Remo Ambassadors (single ply) or Coated Emperors (double ply) on my toms and snare. They have a certain “give” to them that just feels great. They sound great too on a lot of kits, which ought to make this my “no-brainer” head choice. However, I have a hard time getting these heads to “seat” well and tune up well on my kit. This is where I have to keep guideline #1 in mind. Some kits simply don’t match well with certain heads. I’ve heard of this happening with drum brands other than mine as well. This is probably nothing against Remo…It’s just that those heads don’t really work well with my drums. So the search continues…

Evans Heads

I’ve had Evans Coated G2's on my toms for a while, and they fit well and tune up well. These are double ply heads (thicker heads). They stay in tune and they sound good, so that’s been my head of choice for my toms for a while. I encourage you to experiment with different brands, and find which heads tune up the best on your kit. Those will likely be the ones that sound the best on your drums as well.

Snare Heads

I’ve experimented with several different heads on my snare. The snare I use most often (the one you see in all my videos) is a basic metal 14”x6.5” drum. I’ve used an Evans Coated Genera HD Dry on it a lot, which sounds great. This is a double ply head, and it has tiny holes around the perimeter that reduce overtones. This eliminates a lot of the ring and leaves you with a solid crack.

I’ve also been using a Remo Coated Ambassador on this snare, which sounds totally different and totally great. This head is often regarded as the industry standard snare head, and a lot of drummers love it. This is a single ply (10mil thick) head, so it has a little more “give” than a double ply. I like how I can lay into it with a rimshot. If you want to reduce ring, you have to get creative with your muffling techniques. However, this head creates a very versatile sound you can do a lot with. A thinner head on a snare produces a tad more low end as well, which is interesting to me. I like being able to tune somewhere in the middle and get a solid punch in the chest from the drum as well!

Here's a good demo of the Remo Ambassador on my snare in a recent video.

Reso Heads

As for resonant heads, I honestly don’t even know exactly what’s on my kit. Don’t overthink this one. Just find any thin, single-ply head. A lot of drummers actually use clear Ambassadors for resonant heads on toms. The important part is really just that a resonant head is thin (assuming you want a lot of resonance).

Alright…I think that was enough gear nerdiness for one day. Hope you enjoyed the discussion! Hit me up with any questions.

Stephen

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