I use a REMO smooth white. The REMO logo comes off with a little nail polish remover. One of those felt strips works well.

I used an Aquarian modern vintage head. I got the head through vintagelogos.com. I had them put my initials on it, and I wanted that 'aged' yet stylish look for it as well. If you look closely in my picture, the only place it says Aquarian is at the VERY bottom in tiny lettering, and it is mostly hidden by my bass drum anchor.

Hope this helps.

Kevin

Here's my "secret" discovery:

I went into the drum shop and asked the new guy for a 20" coated Ambassador...not thinking to specify that it was for a bass drum...I didn't even think they would have a 20" coated Ambassador tom tom head in the store....It never entered my mind.

I got home and lo and behold, after tightening down the last T-rod, it dawned on me that the flesh hoop wasn't as thick and....DAMMIT!! Chewie:;) I realized it was a tom tom head. But, I really wanted to play this kit and I couldn't wait. I went ahead and tuned it up.

NIIIIIIIIIIICE!

Actually, it was nicer than if it had been a bass drum head. At least that's my opinion. I always use Remo coated Ambassadors and coated Diplomats so I know what to expect. I like the sound and I have found them to be consistent. But the fact that the flesh hoop of the tom tom head was smaller and narrower, it somehow allowed a more open sound. I like to tune my kits "jazz style" (a bit higher-pitched, wide open -except for one felt strip on the front bass drum head). The tom tom head turned out to be a great discovery -for that particular bass drum, anyway.

*The front (resonant)heads are usually the original smooth logo heads and they are Ambassador weight -just FYI.

The only caveat about using a tom tom head on a bass drum is that you have to kind of center the wood hoop a bit more carefully.

The Remo fiberskyns have a great vintage look.

I agree on the Fiberskyn but has anyone had any luck removing the Remo logo from a Fiberskyn??? It's easy to get rid of on a white coated, black or clear head but the Fiberskyn seems to resist whatsoever any form of remover from Acetone to "Goof Off".

Regards

DonS

My drum repair guy used paint thinner, but used a circular motion, and consequently spread the ink further around. The logo is much fainter, but not invisible. From a distance, however, it blends quite well with the fibrous appearance of the head. Up close and with a flash, and if you know it's there, it can be a little distracting (if you're a perfectionist like me).

The problem appears to be that Fiberskyn heads are multi-layered to achieve the textured look. So, the ink becomes impregnated.

Here are pics of my 18 and 22 drums, including a close up of the faint logo.

Let me know if you find a better way!!

As for subtle dampening: it depends on how subtle you want to be, but I've had great results with a Pinstripe batter head and a Remo Muffl Ring on my 22" RB Gretsch. Warm, deep, mellow, lots of sustain but no harsh overtones. It's not a jazz-combo sound -- the Pinstripe and Muffl Ring would probably take away too many of the higher tones if you're looking for that sound -- but for rock or big band, it's great.