Ok so Toyota is the largest auto company now...big deal...look at the quality issues THEY are having now! Bigger isn't always better is all I'm trying to say with that.

Lets backtrack a second here. The original poster asked if it is possible to get a dead head right out of the box. You answered yes it is possible (and I agree with you on this point) but maybe try to give it some "break-in" time. My point was this: with Ludwig and Aquarian YOU DON"T NEED A "BREAK-IN" PERIOD. They tune up and stay there right out of the box! My other point was just because Remo is the "biggest" or "most popular" drumhead company in the world, it doesn't mean they are the best. How many times have you had a Remo or Evans snare batter head pull out of the hoop? I can't even begin to count the number of times! (Yes I tune my snares way up!) I've NEVER had that issue with an Aquarian head or a Ludwig Weathermaster head. They are just designed better....Aquarian with their special T-channel hoops for the glue, and Ludwig with their crimplock design with no glue at all!

Remo has gotten too big for their own good (much like Toyota has lately) and their quality suffers because of it. Dead heads out of the box from Remo, sure...about 40% of the time I've found lately. I think I've gotten one bad Aquarian head out of the box in the past five years (and they took care of it right away...great customer service! try that with Remo and all you'll get is stuck on hold or ignored completely.) and I can't remember the last time I got a bad Ludwig head.

:2Cents:

I have pulled 2 heads out my entire playing career and they where one remo and one ludwig, And as you stated I had them tensioned high! and you are correct I answered yes on deadheads and you can and will get them from every company!! I have had no quality Issues with Remo or In fact any head company, And I have used remos customer service on a few occassions and the where 1St Class all the way!! and every person I spoke with knew the product well!! so far your's is the only issue i've ever even heard about!! do one of your polls remo will win hands down!

I have always used Remo. Sometimes, when they come out of the box, you can tap on them -just the raw head- and some will be more tonal than others. This is true with other brands, too.

There really isn't a perfect system with most drums and/or drumheads. You are always dealing with some kind of slight variations here or there -be they in the drum or in the drumhead. It's the nature of the system, itself. It's primitive.

Plastic drumheads will deform and thus do have a "breaking in" period. This can be seen when you replace a head and then bring it up to tension, tap on it with your finger and then push on the head with your hands and then tap on it again. The pitch will lower several times before it begins to even out and get to a point where it maintains a consistent pitch. Of course, this effect is markedly increased with a natural, porous, skin head like calf in comparison to modern mylar plastic.

This thread makes me wish that someone would do a "blind" test of the big 3. Same drumkits, same tuning, same drummer. Test Remo, Aquarian and Evans single ply coated heads. Place the judges 10' and then 20' away and see if any of them can tell the difference and/or identify the brands. I'm thinking the judges would be hard pressed to hear any difference.

this thread makes me wanna bang my head against a wall....

This thread wants me to buy 400.00 worth of heads and try the 10' 20' experiment that was mentioned.

HA

Z

Well, I finally figured out my problem....and it was not the head. Sorry to cause all of the controversy....and I'm sorry I had stepped away for a few days. I saw that their were 25 replys and about fell out of my chair, haha!

Anyway, I had a different bottom hoop on the snare which I changed out to see if it would help in some way. Not thinking about it, I sat the drum on my flat floor and noticed that it wobbled.....Bingo! I discovered that I had been tightening the t-rods surrounding the snare beds too much when trying to remove the wrinkles at the snare bed. The factory hoop would not show this because it is gated. So, I guess tensioning the t-rods evenly across the bottom head(which I have always done) is not the best way to keep the hoop flat and the drum properly tensioned. I think I will purchase a die cast bottom hoop which will make this process a little easier and more precise in the future (Bob Gatzen tip #???:D). This snare was once recut and has a deep and wide bed so the t-rods surrounding the snare bed require less tension. It is definately one of those things that makes sense after the fact. I know that this may not apply to all snares but is certainly something to consider if your drum is not performing as you would like it to. Hopefully this helps someone that might be scratching their head over a similar problem!

On a side note, I don't need a gated snare side hoop because the clamshell strainer was replaced with a Trick strainer.....using the factory holes;)

Yeah...I know. Epoxy is not glue in my opinion...but I'm not trying to stir any s***. Aquarian uses epoxy to help secure the head to the channel and hoop. LOOKY HERE: http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/products/features-and-patented-design

Again...I'm not trying to correct no-one...just clarifying my "no glue" statement. It's EPOXY!!!

Not to discount your positive experiences with Aquarian, but by that logic, Remo and Evans don't use "glue" either. All three of those companies use epoxy to fasten their plastic film to an aluminum hoop.

I feel your pain man.... My RKs are a bear to get heads on properly especially my 1940...... Seems that there is just one way for the top rim to go on, and the bottom is a mutha as well.

The drum is slightly out of round and that doesn't help either.

I must have wrestled for two hours with getting the rims on without them slipping past the head collars.

Once everything is on though, it's got a great tone... like none other.

What the heck, it's only 70 years old... but I'm not looking forward to sparring with again anytime soon. It nearly beat me up last time I worked on it.....

I have affectionately nicknamed it "The Pig".