Hi there Giddy Up.

Considering the little experience I read you have, you have bought one hell of a kit there. You'll have lots of fun with it!!

The thing is mate, tuning and head selection is a craft in itself and just as paradiddles and Jazz independence, will require practice and experimentation. The kit will always have it's inner sound despite the heads you choose. But your head choice will colour that sound, and so will your tuning too. It depends on what you want to hear and feel from the kit.

For now maybe slap on Remo Coated Ambassadors top and bottom on the Toms, that will keep things equal both sides of the Drum so you can experiment in a balanced way. Also good for getting an older style sound. The Bass drum I would suggest maybe a Powerstroke(Coated or Clear) on the Batter side and a simple Coated Ambassador on the Front.

Snare should be Coated Ambassador Batter and clear Ambassador Snare head on the Bottom.

Thats a good STARTING POINT. You can then start to play with Emperors or even Pinstrips for that matter on the Batters. Fyberskyns will totally darken the sound which can be so cool if you like that sort of thing. Fitting out with thin Diplomats will totally change things again.

Now thats talking Remo. Then there are the other makers such as Aquarian and Evans. They bring other colours to your kit that some drummers prefer. Evans have a different coating on there heads to Remo. I find that some of my Snares sound better with Aquarian heads on but not others. Apparently DW Toms are the Bomb with Evans Heads.

Mate you will have to spend hours and hours tinkering with tuning. Your going to have to experiment with head selection to learn what those 69 Rogers can do. But for me that's always been part of the fun.

I hope that helps.

Hi Giddy Up, You're in the same situation most of us have been in at one time or other.I spent years trying to figure out the secret to tuning drums.Problem is I like a lot of different drums, and they don't all sound the same tuned the same way with the same heads. There's a book out called Drum Tuning that comes with a CD. It kind of walks you through the process . At least enough so that you'll get the basic idea of what's going on.The CD even has a section of a drum being tuned with different head combinations just to get an idea of what this will do to the sound. Remember these probably are not the same drums you have, it's just to give an example. If you want this book and can not find it you can email me and I'll point you in the right direction. Geckobeat is on the money with his reply to you. You'll have to experiment. The journey is part of the fun. Hope this helps. [email]Scottangielarry@aol.com[/email]

Being that you are fairly new to drums, go on the Evans and Remo websites and read about the differences. Basically, you have your clear and coated, one or two ply heads. You may want to go with something clear at first. To me, they are easier to tune and you can easily see the wrinkles in the head reflection. Also, go on youtube and search for "Bob Gatzen drum tuning" or find it on the Evans site. That will get you started. You have really great drums as a starting point so have fun and good luck. If you need anything specific just ask us here or pm me directly.

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys/gals, Sounds like the best option will be to start with Remo Coated Ambassadors as geckobeats mentioned. I will jump on youtube as well and do some research. Guess its one of those things that is going to take a little time to work out.

Cheers,