[COLOR="DarkRed"]Can't help you with the model # - but that's a niiiiice ol' set you have there !!!! Thin-ply birch shells wth re-rings - very cool !! The Aq's you have have those black rings ? Aq's are the tightest-fittng heads of any of the mfr's - so that's probably why they are tensioning just by being seated on the edges. You'll get head suggestions up the wazoo - suppose the thing to do is to buy ONE head and see if that gets you towards the sound you want - if promising buy the rest. A lotta rockers like Pinstrpes and just as many say they kill the sound of the drums. My understanding is that Powerstroke 3's are one notch lighter than Pinstrpes (sorta between a P'strpe and an Emperor) but still have that sound ring in there. I like Powerstroke 3 coateds but am not a rock drummer myself.[/COLOR]

Thanks Jaye for the quick response - makes sense too. As you can see I don't buy heads that often er... once in 26 years !

Oh sorry Jaye, Yes the black rings are the Aq's ther are Aquarian performance II.

BJ

aquarians are pre - tensioned to some degree when they are manufatcured. that is why they have a sound. also the performace II's are designed specifically to be a low tension head. meaning you can put them on and they require little to no actual tension to get a sound.

the world of two ply heads is an interesting place. if it were me i would look at the evans ec series (1 or 2 ply) they are open but have that fine dampning of the alluminium ring that just take out those overtones. 3 ply birch should be more controlled already so its all about getting a good sound out of the reso head to get that deep booming sound. something thin - like the evans genera reso which as the name suggests are built for the resonant heads on drums.

what sound are you chasing?

Well,

I find it difficult to explain... but I like a fairly dull thud that has a fast attack without ringing high overtones and dies away reasonably sharpish.... but......isn't like playing in a room full of carpet.

I heard a Ludwig kit with hydraulic heads (2 ply with oil inside) many years ago and have always wanted a Ludwig kit since.

I went and saw "The Blue Man Group" in London and got talking to the drummers' after the show and they used pinstrip ... I loved the sound they got.

I fine the Aq's to loose and maybe a bit to thick at the bottom end.

Does that make sense ?

I suppose that if I could express myself better I would be a writer and not trying to build a shed at the back of the band when they are on stage.

Bruce (aka the shedbuilder)

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Well - one needs a shed in order to woodshed ! FYI Sounds sorta like either the Remo P'stripes or Clear P'stroke 3's might do the trick for you. You see - those 3-ply drum shells themselves are pretty resonant and woody-sounding by nature - so you wanna move towards a head which isn't gonna be too 'live'. The Evans EC2 or MX Frosteds are also a decent choice.[/COLOR]

I bought all Evans 2 ply hydraulics once because I'd heard that's what Steve Gadd used. It was a mistake - the drums only made one sound, kinda like a drum machine.

With plastic heads the best results I ever got were with white coated Remo Ambassadors, with no dots or anything. That's your standard "normal" drum head that lots of drums came with.

What I like about them is that you can tweak them with felt and duct tape, which looks terrible, but at least you can take some off if it's muffled too much. You can't do that with pinstripes or hydraulics. It varies with the room and band how much you muffle.

BTW, I was there in '74 too, I might have seen you. :)

Yes, I always recommend that people just stick with a very standard type of drumhead -like coated Ambassadors, and then use some mechanical way of attenuating the sound. That way, you can subtract or ADD overtones. Conversely, a drumhead that has the muffling built-in, is actually less versatile because it doesn't allow you as much of that option. :2Cents:

Some mechanical muffling options would be things like:

Tape (I like to use small strips of the blue colored painter's tape)

Moon gel

Clip-on-the-rim felt mufflers

Thanks guys for your info.

I was sort of decided on pinstrip but, I see what you mean by having a more open head. Incidently my drum kit has built in felt pads that I use for removing the ring when I don't want it... but it is not always enough. I have used moon gel and duct tape and even when recording foam near the edge. I still have the orginal everplay extra res heads (apart from one) on the kit ... I feel that I should be replacing them after this length of service.. or this irrelavant. The snare has the orginal reso (Everplay Extra with gold writing) head which....has had a small hole in it and has done for as long as I can remember ... When playing live I always carried a spare batter for emergencies though !Eye Ball

I have never ventured to tighten this for fear of consequences (I think it could be a bit tighter) so it has to be replaced.

I am trying to get the best from the kit and thats why I am here.

Thanks for your comment so far.

BJ