Anyone try the Evans Black Chrome heads?

[Appleseed]

Anyone else try out the Evans Black Chrome heads? They were suggested to me because I like a VERY dark sound (and black). This is the first time I've changed a set of tom heads and I'm having a hard time tuning them low enough. Tuned them up, tuned them down, tuned them up, tuned them down. After a few hours of experimenting I finally got them to a sound that is somewhat pleasing but there's a bit of ripples in the heads...this is bad, right??? Will it do any damage?

I should note that there is currently no reso heads on my toms. I was going to try and keep the factory resos on there for now but they sounded so terrible. They had actually put batters on the underside of the drum! Any suggestions for a good match to the Black Chromes? I want a dark yet booming sound.

I should also note my Yamaha Stage Custom is made of Philippines mahogany and birch. I'm still learning about woods.

Thank you in advance for your advice!

 

[Toast Tee]

Black Chromes on any kit I've used em on sounded killer. They sound especially nice on Bubinga kits, or BB's.
If you play them too lose they do pit easy though. You said you have no reso, but you're going to put them on?
Wait until you get reso heads on there, before playing (suggestion). I'm not sure how I'd be able to tune a drum w/out a reso, unless it was a concert tom, or something?
But yeah, don't play them that loose, or you'll ruin them.

 

[Appleseed]

Black Chromes on any kit I've used em on sounded killer. They sound especially nice on Bubinga kits, or BB's.
If you play them too lose they do pit easy though. You said you have no reso, but you're going to put them on?
Wait until you get reso heads on there, before playing (suggestion). I'm not sure how I'd be able to tune a drum w/out a reso, unless it was a concert tom, or something?
But yeah, don't play them that loose, or you'll ruin them.

Yeah I suppose I should tighten them up a bit as to not ruin them. Getting the exact sound I want is proving to be quite difficult. With so many options out there it's hard to pick what type of reso to buy. I haven't bought them yet because I thought I could get away with leaving the factory resos on untill I could afford some new ones but I ended up taking them off entirely. Do you have any suggestions for which resonate heads would go well with the sound of the Black Chrome? I play surf goth / punk / metal.

 

[Toast Tee]

Like I had mentioned earlier (I think?) You're going to need a reso head before you know how a drum is going to sound.
If it's a higher end kit, the reso that comes with the kit should work. Usually with Tama, it will be a G1, and they work great with the Black Chrome.
When it's time to replace the reso, I'll mostly go with a clear Ambassador, or sometimes coated Ambassador.
On Maple kits, I like a coated, on my Bubinga, or BB's, I'll go clear. It's personal preference though. Imo, ya can't go wrong with an Ambassador/Black Chrome, or Emperor/Ambassador. Idk if you use a tune bot, or dial?, but they'll get you close, and than fine tune. If you go by ear, it might take a bit to find your sound, but once you do, you'll be fine.

 

[Appleseed]

Like I had mentioned earlier (I think?) You're going to need a reso head before you know how a drum is going to sound.
If it's a higher end kit, the reso that comes with the kit should work. Usually with Tama, it will be a G1, and they work great with the Black Chrome.
When it's time to replace the reso, I'll mostly go with a clear Ambassador, or sometimes coated Ambassador.
On Maple kits, I like a coated, on my Bubinga, or BB's, I'll go clear. It's personal preference though. Imo, ya can't go wrong with an Ambassador/Black Chrome, or Emperor/Ambassador. Idk if you use a tune bot, or dial?, but they'll get you close, and than fine tune. If you go by ear, it might take a bit to find your sound, but once you do, you'll be fine.

I'm not sure what the specs of the reso heads that were originally on there were but what was odd was that they were labeled "batter" where there should have been a resonate head. They sounded baaaad. Really baaaaad. I got the kit second hand for very cheap from a guitarist who won it in a raffle. I don't think it's a higher end kit. From what I read online it's sounds like the Advantage Nouveau is the lower end of the SC and the Absolute is the higher end of the SC. I have the Advantage with the polycarbonate lugs. Thank you so much for the suggestions. I think I'll give the clear ambassador a shot. I do have a drum dial. The chart that comes with it suggests about 70 -75 on either side but that was still sounding too high pitch for me. Is it safe to go a little lower? If I'm shooting for a really deep sound, do you suggest I tune the reso any differently from the batter? Thanks!!

 

[Toast Tee]

Yeah, if you had batter heads on your reso side, they should be changed.
Where they played on?
Imo, as long as the edges aren't messed up, you could make just about any kit sound good. Will it stay in tune though? You'll have to see, and if it won't, well worry about that if you have to.
Pick up some reso heads, and don't worry about trying to get the drums to sound how you want until ya do.
And again, don't play on the heads if they're the loose, or you'll be getting new ones, or using a hair dryer on em. I've never actually used a hair dryer to get dents out of my drum heads, but I've seen it work. Do they tune up well after? Idk

 

[Appleseed]

I don't think the bottom batter heads were ever played on. They were not marked up. I'll order the ambassadors right away! I guess I was feeling a little rushed to get this set up to par because I have a Skype drum lesson coming up on Wednesday and I don't want to do it at my bandmates house where my other set is. They don't have very good internet. I'm so picky about my sound but I may just have to take the lesson on a "in progress" kit. Won't be the end of the world. I've never heard of the hair dryer trick! Neato! Hope I don't have to use it! I did play the heads extra loose but only for a few minutes. I really appreciate all your help! I've been drumming all my life but only recently started taking care of my set (now that I have this new one) so I have a lot to learn. Thanks again!

 

[swarfrat]

A tom with no reso is a concert tom, and it will sound lower at the same tension than a two headed drum. So if your heads are floppy with no reso, then its tuned much too low.

 

[Appleseed]

A tom with no reso is a concert tom, and it will sound lower at the same tension than a two headed drum. So if your heads are floppy with no reso, then its tuned much too low.

Yes I get that it's too low. Thank you for your reply. I wasn't sure exactly what a concert Tom was so thank you for clarifying that. I'm going to put some reso heads on. I do want a slightly different sound from my Pearl set that has never had resos. Going to play with it untill I get it just right. I'm slightly concerned with buying any drum head online because I won't be able to tap it and inspect it to make sure it's not flat. However, I don't have a music store in my small town so I suppose I'll have to. When I'm done these babies will sound like thunder!

 

[egw]

I don't think any of the drumhead makers specifically label their single-ply heads "resonant". For example, if you're talking about Remo, the Ambassador and Diplomat weight heads (what 99.9% of people use as tom resonant heads) still are labeled "batter". Snare resonant heads often say "Snare-side" on them, but tom batters and resos are one and the same.

 

[dsop]

I don't think any of the drumhead makers specifically label their single-ply heads "resonant".

I think Evans actually does. Or at least they used to.

 

[bongomania]

Batter heads can be excellent reso heads. If they are single ply, with no extra damping rings or muffling, then they will probably be great. In those cases, if they sound bad it’s probably a problem of how you have them tuned.

Do you have a Drum Dial, Tunebot, or any other sort of tuning tester?

 

[egw]

I think Evans actually does. Or at least they used to.

Fair enough. I didn't know that. I don't use Evans heads, with the exception of the hydraulics for a special set of tymp-toms I have.

Anyway, the point I was making was just that there's no reason standard single-ply "batter" heads shouldn't be used as resonants.

 

[Appleseed]

I do want a slightly different sound from my Pearl set that has never had resos.

You guys! I'm trippin'! My Pearl HAS resos and they are coated. I don't know what I was thinking.

 

[Appleseed]

Batter heads can be excellent reso heads. If they are single ply, with no extra damping rings or muffling, then they will probably be great. In those cases, if they sound bad it’s probably a problem of how you have them tuned.

Do you have a Drum Dial, Tunebot, or any other sort of tuning tester?

Thanks for the info on the "batter lable"

Yeah that's what I'm having a hard time with is tuning. I've changed bass heads quite a bit. Snare once. First time with the toms. Logic tells me it should all be similar...?

I have drum dial.

 

[Appleseed]

I'm not sure

Fair enough. I didn't know that. I don't use Evans heads, with the exception of the hydraulics for a special set of tymp-toms I have.

Anyway, the point I was making was just that there's no reason standard single-ply "batter" heads shouldn't be used as resonants.

I'm not sure what the ply was

I got the black hydraulic for my snare and I love it!! That what I was going to buy for my toms but the clerk pushed the Chromes! What are they like on toms???

 

[dirtysicks]

I’ve tried them and liked them but I like the Remo Ebony Emperor heads way better. They just sound good on everything you put them on.

 

[polycrescendo]

Next time you buy heads, maybe try out the Remo Black Suede heads. I love them and I use 2 ply batters and 1 ply resos. They have a nice dark/earthy sound but still tune up and boom when they need to.
And for Punk/Metal the Black X snare head is a killer.

 

[bongomania]

Thanks for the info on the "batter lable"

Yeah that's what I'm having a hard time with is tuning. I've changed bass heads quite a bit. Snare once. First time with the toms. Logic tells me it should all be similar...?

I have drum dial.

As a start, tune both batter and reso to 75 on the dial (all lugs exactly the same). See how it sounds. From there you can get into more advanced tuning such as tuning the batter and reso apart by a musical interval, and tuning the toms to each other. But even with all lugs at the same tension you can get an idea of how the heads sound.

 

[Appleseed]

As a start, tune both batter and reso to 75 on the dial (all lugs exactly the same). See how it sounds. From there you can get into more advanced tuning such as tuning the batter and reso apart by a musical interval, and tuning the toms to each other. But even with all lugs at the same tension you can get an idea of how the heads sound.

So after all heads are tensioned to 75 I would tune the reso down for a lower sound? I'd imagine that I will also want the top he'd looser but we shall see.

What exactly do you mean by musical interval, please?