musicians friend,,http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums-percussion

Ahem, that's where I buy them now. Pretty close to full retail, List price does not = retail price. List price = bs price used to make gullible fools believe they are getting a deal.

Where are professional drum builders getting their heads? It sure ain't from online retailers like MF, not if they want to stay in business, that's for sure.

well all I can say is I've bought thousands of dollars worth of heads from them and they sure were not near retail prices?? go to a mom and pop shop and see what you pay ? ! good luck on your cheap drum head source ? To answer that question are you a real drum manufacture? quantity builder ? if so open an account with the drum head manufactures you'll only have to buy a minimum of a few thousand dollars worth ?

Funny, but I do take your point. Mom and Pop shops will of course have slightly higher pricing, as I alluded to when I said that MF has "close to full retail" which is a subtle acknowledgement that their pricing is not quite full retail, but it is close.

And yes, I happen to be a custom drum builder, well really custom restorer more than from scratch builder, but same basic dynamics apply to both types of business. Anyhow, I'd point out that true custom drum builders do not build in large quantity. Most custom shops only produce a few sets per year. Then again, their pricing is usually so high that it probably doesn't make much difference what they pay for heads.

Having said that though, as a custom builder/restorer I can tell you that you don't have to buy "thousands" of dollars in merchandise to achieve wholesale prices. A copy of your business license and a reasonable minimum initial purchase (usually a few hundred $) is all that is required in most cases.

In any case, MF is a wholely owned subsidiary of Guitar Center, which for the most part has the same inventory at the same price. Anyhow, I appreciate your pointing out the obvious, I was just looking for the names of some of those true wholesale dealers that show up at NAMM each year. Guess I'll just have to go to NAMM myself.

I'm well aware and already know this to all of your points. so since you answered your own query then you already had the answer.

if the drums are for resale, consider just replacing the batter heads and using whatever reso heads you have. just a thought that would cut your costs down. plus, many people are going to put their own heads on there anyway when they buy it. i used to put new heads on almost every drum i got. now, i cleanup whats on there and give it try. works a lot of the time. if your replacing original heads, i'd certainly consider leaving those on the drums..just a few thoughts...

mike

Let me interject for a moment as I believe I can shed a bit of light on this subject.

First of all, drum heads are seldom sold for MSRP regardless of retailer. As a case in point, the MSRP for an Evans G2 coated 14" head is $28.25 currently. You would be hard pressed to find that head anywhere for that money. Musician's friend sells it for $15.69. Amazon and Sweetwater sell it for $12.49. That $12.49 is not much higher than standard dealer pricing. The large online retailers and big box stores do so much business that they receive better than standard dealer pricing and, in some cases only pay the manufacturer's cost. In the case of the latter, they will arrange to make a large purchase and pay in advance under the stipulation that they receive actual manufacturing cost. In other words the manufacturer makes nothing on the sale but instead creates their profit on the interest from the advance payment. Now how is your average mom and pop store going to ever compete with that?

You can look into becoming a dealer with one of the major distribution houses like SLM, KMC, etc. There is no harm in asking, all they can say is no. You will be able to save $2-3 per head, but that adds up.

I believe you will find that Attack heads are somewhat cheaper and might be a suitable choice; especially for resonant heads. For what restored MIJ drums are and what you are hoping to accomplish, Attack heads may just be fine all the way around. (That is not a disrespectful comment towards MIJ kits by the way...just stating the facts)

Lot's of great Ideas here, but tnsquint get's the prize. I found attack heads on americanmusical.com even a bit cheaper than MF. And they are very reasonably priced to begin with. Never heard of them before but they seem to hold up under reviews.

Also the point made earlier by mlayton was a good one, most people are going to replace with their own preferred heads anyway, no reason to bust the bank on top of the line heads for old restored MIJ kits.

Thanks guys!

I have a variety of NOS head and some slightly used stuff. PM me and we can talk. FYI most of the stuff I have is Ludwig and Remo. I have tons of 6,8 and 10, some 12-16 and 18 and some 20,24 bass drum heads.