IMHO, you can't beat the old standard of Emporer on the tops, and Ambassadors on the bottoms, I prefer the coated. I am also partial to the same configuration, but with the Fiberskyn on tops, that is a classic sound.

For what it's worth

BBK

Aquarian modern or american vintage heads sound awesome on older kits. I put some on my 69 ludwig set and i could instantly hear the 60,s sound. Granted it is a 60,s kit but i put remo ambassadors on first and they would just not tune up.The aquarian vintage heads have a warm tone and are supposed to recreate a calfskin like head.Good Luck.

Can you make a Pinto do what a Ferarri does? No.

Same with vintage (older) drums. I have a Premier kit too, if yours is like mine, you have 3 ply shells birch or birch/maple, FT and BD are 5/7 ply shells. Light weight and resonant shells.

You're not going to get that fat 70's sound out a kit that was made to sound like something else. You can try, you can come close.

The bearing edges on the Premiers effect the sound. They're made for the thin "Everplay" type heads or Calfskin, so that's what you should use. I have both Calfheads and Emperors for my kit. The calfskins give me that Jazz flavor I use with a lot of gigs, the Emp's give me more of a Rock n Roll sound. So I got it covered. I hope this helps. :)

I've got a different approach, I tried and liked the Ludwig coated HEAVY (single ply) drumheads on Tom's batter side, and for a contiguous look I use the Ludwig UNcoated smooth white medium weight on the reso side, though any good reso drumhead will make for a great sound. The heavy coated batter head gives a lot of the old slowness of Calf, but it is unbelievably durable and also will give you something like the older tone without getting you buried behind the volume of a loud band.

The combination of the heavy drumhead with Ludwig's heavier coating process makes for a very cool "aiming for vintage" tone with all of the advantages of modern heads and none of the disadvantages of calf.

I suggest giving it a try, you may find it's just what your looking for.

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Well if this kit is from the 60's, if I'm right, your mounted Tom diameter is 11 1/2 or 11 1/4, Floor tom is 16 1/4 diameter and BD is 21 5/8, snare could be 13 7/8 OR 13 1/2. Some transitional kits do have the standard 13 7/8 snare diameter. Measure the diameters of the shells, they may be out of round so check at several points (across lug to lug). If you're getting a 1/4 or 1/2 or 5/8 measurement then you have a "pre-international" size kit. European kits made before 1963 to 1965 were at a different standard for sizes. 1963 to around 1966 is when they began to switch over to the current standard sizes.

If you do indeed have a kit like this the only company that will make them is REMO.

So your choices will be limited. Ambassador, Diplomat, Emperor and maybe Pinstripes.

Check your sizes and come back, I can give you more info.

My kits are '64 and '69 Luddies. I'm all Aquarian all the time..just the plain old classic series, coated on tops and clears on the bottom.

Matt