Hi!
I've just picked up some battered old Club Date shells for my first restoration project, and I'm starting to think about what kind of heads to use. It's been years since I've experimented with different heads, so I haven't been keeping up to speed with what's available.
I'm looking for a warm vintage tone with lots of sustain and not too much stick definition. I tried Fiberskyns on my Gretsch round badge kit about 15 years ago and found them too thick -- too much stick sound and not enough resonance. But this was before they started making Fiberskyn 3s, so I gather that they may have changed the formula since then.
For the toms, I'm considering either Renaissance or just plain old coated Ambassadors. Or -- just because I love the logo -- medium-weight coated Ludwig heads. But I've also heard good things about the Aquarian American Vintage. Has anyone got any experiences they can share?
And then there's the bass drum. Obviously the resonant has to be a Ludwig script logo head, but as for the batter? Hmm. I love my pinstripe on my 22" Gretsch, but I'm thinking perhaps a Fiberskyn on the 20" Club Date. I'm also curious about the Remo Powersonic, given the built-in dampener. I like a warm, round tone on my bass drum, but with some control.
What does everyone here use?