You make some interesting points.

Well, most of my kit's starting to sound closer to the way I want it, my tuning's improved with some experimenting, and the new heads on the snare top and bottom(amb res) made a world of difference. I also found when using brushes, replacing my synthetic ones with a wire set made for a nice crack and articulation that combined well with the warmth of the heads.

btw dontfeartheringo, couldn't get the vid you linked to to play for some reason.

So I was talking to a guy at the drum shop today who suggested that for the kick drum, something completely different, perhaps Evans EQ4 on the beater and EQ1 on the resonant heads might be the way to go. His thinking being that certain kit/ head combinations work better than others, anyone have any thoughts on this?

Whatever I get I think it needs to be ported for practical purposes.

I'm not really Yoda when it comes to Evans, so I'll let someone else answer this.
I still put my vote down for Fiberskyn FA's though. =)

Noted. Actually I looked for the FAs but they didn't have any instock at the moment in a 22". Unfortuanately, this is the only drum shop in the area worth it's salt, they say they can order stuff in but as there's only 12 days left now I guess my choices are getting kinda limited.

What they do have is an Evan's combo (most types), Aquarian superkick's, Powerstroke 3s/ebony and a possible delivery of Ambassadors coming in. Other than that I can put in an order and hope it comes in before the day, either way, I plan to go back in tomorrow.

Problem is, I know exactly the sound I want, just not familiar with the skins enough to know which head combination would best achieve it

Well, I guess it's not like I have to live with the decision for the rest of my life or anything...

Picccolo snare?

Picccolo snare?

Likewise I'm sure.

dontfeartheringo wrote:Well, here's what John Bonham used:
Kick drum resonant head was a "medium weight" head, which I assume is an Ambassador, since the Diplomat was the lightest head they made. There was no hole cut in the front head.

Both kickdrum heads had felt strips on the inside from top to bottom.

so this weekend, I tried the Bonham tuning technique, with the Remo Ambassador reso and the Emperor batter on my 22" (+ the felt strips) and you know what? It sounds like ASS. Absolute shit. Tried multiple tunings, used a pneumatic drum tuner. Brand new heads. 80 bucks, wasted.

I'm no Bonham, but it's even more amazing that HE could coax a great sound out of that set up.

Evans bass drum heads aren't bad at all. Stop the Evans hating.

Coshhlocker wrote:

Picccolo snare?

Likewise I'm sure.

Coshhlocker wrote: they usually have a smaller bass drum.

So does Todd Trainer.

I have a mid 60s Rogers Holiday kit. I have remo ambassadors/coated on the toms and a superkick II for kick drum. I couldn't me happier.

I like the superkick II better than the EMAD because I don't have to be cautious around the foam hoop. Sound wise, I have no preference between the two.


Jeremy

Coshhlocker wrote: they usually have a smaller bass drum.

So does Todd Trainer.

I have a mid 60s Rogers Holiday kit. I have remo ambassadors/coated on the toms and a superkick II for kick drum. I couldn't be happier.

I like the superkick II better than the EMAD because I don't have to be cautious around the foam hoop. Sound wise, I have no preference between the two.


Jeremy

mr.arrison wrote:

dontfeartheringo wrote:Well, here's what John Bonham used:
Kick drum resonant head was a "medium weight" head, which I assume is an Ambassador, since the Diplomat was the lightest head they made. There was no hole cut in the front head.

Both kickdrum heads had felt strips on the inside from top to bottom.

so this weekend, I tried the Bonham tuning technique, with the Remo Ambassador reso and the Emperor batter on my 22" (+ the felt strips) and you know what? It sounds like ASS. Absolute shit. Tried multiple tunings, used a pneumatic drum tuner. Brand new heads. 80 bucks, wasted.

I'm no Bonham, but it's even more amazing that HE could coax a great sound out of that set up.

Evans bass drum heads aren't bad at all. Stop the Evans hating.

Oh, I hate that story. Keep the ambassador resonant head and go with the P3 powerstroke is my advice, then keep the Emperor around for when enough beer has been thrown on the Amb resonant head that it looks nasty and needs replacing. If you still find that it's too boing-y, try having someone else hold the felt strip tight while you tighten the tension rods. that will maximize felt contact with the head. OR you could just cut a hole. That should deaden things nicely. PM me, I will give you my phone number and we'll get this taken care of.

I had the same experience, which is why I use the P3 as the batter head. Here's the thing about that bongy-crashy sound you hear when you're using the Emperor as the batter head- it only sounds like that right on top of the drum where your ears are when you play. From a few feet away or from the perspective of a mic with high rejection rates, you get this very attack-heavy sound with a full range of frequencies represented. Put the kit in a room with lots of space around it and back up ten or twenty feet while someone else plays it. There's the Bonham kick sound. You will never hear it like the audience hears it until you're standing where the audience stands. Also, when there's a noisy rock band playing, a lot of those higher freqs disappear into the mix and what you're left with is a very LOUD and present bass drum sound.

That said, I still prefer a tighter and more bass-heavy sound, which is why I use the P3.

I really, really, really don't like the Evans heads that i have tried because I find them too "THUD"-like. AND they were more expensive, so I was out about $100... I feel your pain.